Eagles roster cuts: Birds trim roster to 53 players; Nakobe Dean won't return until at least Week 5

Howie Roseman said the Eagles would have made the trade for quarterback Sam Howell regardless of Tanner McKee’s injury.

McKee is dealing with a right finger injury, but Roseman said the Eagles wanted to add to the talent in the quarterback room and Howell is a player the Eagles knew well, and not just from his time with the Commanders.

Roseman mentioned attending a Thursday night college football game a few years ago with Howell’s UNC team playing against Kenny Pickett and Pitt.

Six catches for 82 yards and a touchdown in his preseason debut put Darius Cooper firmly in the mix to make the Eagles after going undrafted out of Tarleton State, a member of college football’s FCS subdivision.

From there, Cooper climbed the depth chart, earning occasional first-team reps that lasted through the end of training camp practices last week.

Injuries may have helped pave the way, but Cooper earned his spot on the Eagles’ initial 53-man roster submitted ahead of the 4 p.m. deadline Tuesday.

The NFL's 4 p.m. roster deadline has passed, and the Eagles have officially announced all the moves they made to get their roster down to 53 players.

For a look at the 53-man roster, click here.

The Eagles released the following players ...

Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean seemed to confirm what everyone is expecting: that he'll start the season on the reserve/PUP list and miss the first four games of the season.

On his Instagram story, Dean posted, "See yall Week 5!"

Dean is still recovering from surgery to repair the left patellar tendon injury he suffered during the Eagles' playoff win over the Green Bay Packers.

As the 4 p.m. roster cutdown deadline inches closer, the Eagles have reportedly waived receiver Ainias Smith, a source confirmed to The Inquirer.

Smith, the Eagles’ 2024 fifth-round pick out of Texas A&M, had been on the roster bubble throughout training camp in a crowded receivers room that only got deeper as the summer progressed. The acquisition of John Metchie from the Houston Texans a week and a half ago likely contributed to the end of Smith’s chances at the initial 53-man roster.

Last season was a quiet one for Smith, who proved inconsistent as a receiver and seldom saw the field on offense. The 5-foot-9, 176-pound Smith displayed progress throughout training camp, earning more opportunities with the first-team offense while A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith dealt with injuries.

Brett Toth took the majority of the first-team reps at left guard once Landon Dickerson went down with his knee injury. AJ Dillon spelled Saquon Barkley at times with the first-team offense.

Both players, though, could find themselves on the outside of the 53-man roster math later this afternoon.

It won’t be time to ring any alarm bells.

With preseason officially concluded, all eyes are on the Eagles’ season opener against the Dallas Cowboys in less than two weeks.

But just because the preseason is over doesn’t mean there aren’t lingering questions about the team heading into the start of the regular season. Here are a couple questions on defense ahead of Week 1:

Is CB2 going to be the Achilles heel of the defense?

Howie Roseman has all the pieces laid out in front as he whittles the Eagles’ 91-man roster down to 53 ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.

Most of the team is in place, but this isn’t a jigsaw puzzle with only specific fitting sockets. The general manager will fill out the remaining picture by balancing the Eagles’ immediate needs with the long-term, while also factoring in variables related to the salary cap.

Roseman is also scanning the rest of the league for potential upgrades at positions in question. He’s already traded for a cornerback and wide receiver this summer and may not be done. Edge rusher and safety could be areas addressed, as well.

Former Eagles backup quarterback Kenny Pickett is on the move again.

Pickett, whom the Birds dealt to the Browns in March for Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick, has been traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick, according to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

In Las Vegas, Pickett will be the backup behind former Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith. Pickett takes the place of Aidan O'Connell, who broke his wrist in the Raiders' final preseason game and is expected to be out six to eight weeks.

Next up after roster cuts? Actual football games.

The Eagles 2025 season kicks off at home on Thursday, Sept. 4 against the Dallas Cowboys on NBC10, with Mike Tricio and fan favorite Cris Collinsworth calling all the action.

The Birds will follow that up with a Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead at 4:25 p.m. on Fox. Tom Brady is back in the booth for his second season with Fox alongside Kevin Burkhardt, who grew up an Eagles fans in North Jersey.