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The Philadelphia Eagles announced their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday.
Quarterbacks Jalen Hurts, Marcus Mariota and Tanner McKee were all listed on Philadelphia's initial roster. They would be joined by running backs Kenneth Gainwell, Rashaad Penny, Boston Scott and D'Andre Swift. Hurts, a former second-round selection and a one-time Pro Bowler, finished the 2022 season with a total of 3,701 passing yards and 22 passing touchdowns. Swift was acquired in an April trade with the Detroit Lions. He ended the Lions' 2022 campaign with 931 yards from scrimmage.
The Eagles announced their first additions to the practice squad on Wednesday. Wide receiver Devon Allen, linebacker Kyron Johnson and receiver Greg Ward made up a few additions on the team's practice squad. Philadelphia signed defensive tackle Thomas Booker, tackle Le'Raven Clark and cornerback Tiawan Mullen to the practice squad on Thursday.
Who is one sneaky roster cut survivor who could impact the Eagles in 2023?
Eli Ricks
Ricks signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in April. He finished his lone season at Alabama with 13 tackles and four pass deflections. The 6-foot-2 defensive back recorded a season-high six tackles during the Crimson Tide's win over Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl. The game saw Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young throw for 321 yards and five touchdowns. Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn led the Wildcats with 133 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Seven cornerbacks were listed on the Eagles' initial roster. Cornerbacks James Bradberry, Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox took up starting roles on Philadelphia's depth chart. Josh Jobe, Mario Goodrich and Kelee Ringo rounded out the team's cornerback options. The Eagles re-signed Bradberry and Slay in March.
“Obviously you talk about pedigree,” Eagles Executive Vice President and General Manager Howie Roseman said of Ricks, via a Thursday article from Forbes Senior Contributor Howard Megdal. “He was the No. 1 corner in the country coming out of high school and going to LSU. Then didn't have his last season that he wanted to there, and he was a guy that we spent a lot of time on in the draft process. He came in with an opportunity, and I think what we saw is this is a long, instinctive player with good athleticism and ball skills. Those guys are hard to find. His work ethic, his care factor was really high.
“So that's a great success story for him when he had a lot of adversity here as a guy who really thought he would be a high pick going into the year. He came in with the right attitude, and we called him and told him he was on the team.”
Ricks played in three games and 141 total snaps during the 2023 NFL preseason, according to Pro Football Focus. He played in 99 snaps as a wide corner, nine in the box and 10 in field goal and extra point blocks. Ricks recorded three tackles during a preseason loss to the Indianapolis Colts, adding on one pass deflection as the Colts took a 27-13 victory in Lincoln Financial Field.
Eli Ricks must find a way to separate himself from two talented Eagles starters and carry over the success he saw in the preseason. If he can, he can be a talented addition to a defense that took the top spot in the league with 3,057 passing yards allowed in 2022, according to NFL.com.
