February 16, 2023
The Philadelphia Eagles signed nine players to futures contracts on Wednesday, according to the NFL's transaction report. Let's quickly blurb each guy.
• WR Devon Allen: Allen's college football career got off to a fast start as a freshman at Oregon in 2014, when he caught 41 passes for 684 yards (16.7 YPC) and 7 TDs. He suffered multiple knee injuries playing football, and decided to focus on track and field, where he had a highly successful career. Allen chose to give football another go in 2022, competing at Oregon's pro day, and running a 4.35 40. He had perhaps the highlight of the preseason when he caught a 55-yard TD from Reid Sinnett:
Devon Allen shows off his speed with a 55 yard TD on his first target of the game! 💨
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 21, 2022
pic.twitter.com/01Rn7zX2yB
• WR Tyrie Cleveland: Cleveland was a Broncos seventh-round pick in 2020, bouncing back and forth between their practice squad and active roster the last three seasons. The Broncos waived Cleveland in November and the Eagles signed him to their practice squad. He has some decent physical measurables, at 6'2, 209 pounds, and 4.46 speed.
• OG Sua Opeta: Opeta was initially the first guard off the Eagles' bench this season, but he struggled and fell down the depth chart, eventually landing on the practice squad. He has played in 25 games for the Eagles, with four starts.
• OT Fred Johnson: The 6'7, 325-pound Johnson was an undrafted player out of Florida in 2019, who has bounced around with the Steelers, Bengals, and Buccaneers, before landing on the Eagles' practice squad in November. To me, he's the huge guy with a locker right in the middle of the locker room that I often have to squeeze by.
• OT Roderick Johnson: Johnson was a Browns fifth-round pick out of Florida State in 2017. He has played for the Browns, Texans, Dolphins, and Chiefs, before landing on the Eagles' practice squad in September. From 2018 to 2020, Johnson appeared in 29 games for the Texans, starting six games. He is 6'7 with 36" arms, and he ran a 4.90 at Florida State's pro day.
• DE Tarron Jackson: Jackson was a sixth-round pick of the Eagles in 2021. He had 18 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble as a rookie, but he spent most of 2022 on the practice squad.
• DE Matt Leo: Matt Leo is carving out quite a living as a long-term Eagles practice squad player.
• LB Davion Taylor: Taylor was an Eagles third-round pick in 2020 who has good athleticism, but lacks instincts. He was having a good training camp in 2022, and appeared at times to be making progress, but he had a bad showing in the preseason games, and did not make the team.
• DB Mario Goodrich: Goodrich was waived at final cuts, but he spent the entirety of his rookie season on the Eagles' practice squad, meaning that they at least liked him more than some of the other young rookies like Tay Gowan and Kary Vincent, for example. Remember them? Goodrich is a skinny corner who enjoys putting in the Eagles' locker room.
The Eagles previously signed five others to futures contracts.
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