The Eagles on Sunday released former 3rd-round pick linebacker Davion Taylor, who started six games in 2021.
Taylor was in the mix for a spot on the 53-man roster when training camp began – he had an interception on Day 1 of practice – but he just wasn’t able to transfer his speed and athleticism into production and became expendable.
The emergence of undrafted third-year pro Christian Ellis really changed the Eagles’ linebacker landscape. Ellis has been getting a steady dose of first-team reps alongside starter Nakobe Dean and with Dean out alongside Nolan Smith, the versatile rookie edge rusher.
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NEW: Eagles add a couple veteran linebackers with starting experience
Also on the roster are veteran free agent Nick Morrow, special teamer Shaun Bradley and athletic freak Ben VanSumeren, an undrafted rookie. The Eagles will generally keep four off-ball linebackers on the final 53-man roster.
Taylor was the Eagles’ 3rd-round pick in 2020, at the time the highest they’ve drafted an offball linebacker since they took Mychal Kendricks with the 46th pick overall in the second round in 2012. They’ve since taken Dean with the 83rd pick, earlier in the third round.
Taylor played in 12 games with one start as a rookie but played just 32 defensive snaps, along with 178 on special teams.
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In 2021, after playing just 18 snaps the first four games of the season, he became a starter in Week 5 and played well for six weeks until he suffered a season-ending knee injury in a game against the Saints at the Linc, and he hasn’t played since.
The Eagles released Taylor last summer on Aug. 31 as part of final cuts but added him to the practice squad the next day, and he remained there the entire season.
Taylor didn’t have a bonus in his one-year, $940,000 contract so no dead money counts against the Eagles’ salary cap.
The Eagles also signed interior offensive lineman Josh Andrews, a 32-year-old veteran who began his career with the Eagles back in 2014.
Andrews spent his rookie year on the Eagles’ practice squad, then played in 16 games over the next two years before stints with the Colts in 2018 and 2019, the Jets in 2020, the Falcons in 2021 and the Saints last year.
In his career, he’s played in 48 games with nine starts – four with the Jets in 2020 and five last year with the Saints. He’s played 740 offensive snaps in his career, including 331 last year
Andrews becomes the fourth offensive lineman in camp who dates back to 2014 or earlier. Jason Kelce has been here since 2011 and Lane Johnson since 2013. The Eagles last week re-signed Dennis Kelly, who was initially with the Eagles from 2012 through 2015.
The Eagles also waived/injured wide receiver Charleston Rambo, who they initially signed in May. Rambo, Jalen Hurts’ teammate at Oklahoma, caught 35 passes for 430 yards and three touchdowns this past year playing for the Orlando Guardians of the XFL.