Eagles roster cuts: Birds making moves; two veterans who might not make roster; Nakobe Dean posts injury update
Wide receiver Ainias Smith was among the players cut Tuesday ahead of the 4 p.m. roster deadline.
The Eagles and every other NFL team need to trim their roster down to 53 players by 4 p.m.
The Birds got a head start Monday by cutting quarterback Kyle McCord, cornerback Eli Ricks, and wide receivers Terrace Marshall and Elijah Cooks.
The Eagles have also made some trades, acquiring quarterback Sam Howell from the Vikings. They also traded for offensive lineman Fred Johnson from the Jaguars and sent Darian Kinnard to the Packers.
Linebacker Nakobe Dean's Instagram post suggests he'll be out until at least Week 5 as he recovers from knee surgery.
Ahead of the Tuesday's deadline, here's a look at Jeff McLane's 53-man roster prediction.
In other news, a horse named for Big Dom won at Saratoga and Brandon Graham landed a TV gig.
2025 Eagles roster cut tracker: live updates
Here a list of every Eagles player who has been let go by the Birds ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline.
Here are all the players the Eagles have cut or waived, according to the Inquirer's Jeff McLane and Jeff Neiburg:
Lewis Cine, safety
Elijah Cooks, wide receiver
Terrace Marshall, wide receiver
Orchaun Mathis, outside linebacker
Kyle McCord, quarterback
Eli Ricks, cornerback
Andre' Sam, safety
Ainias Smith, wide receiver
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, quarterback
A.J. Woods, cornerback
Reports of other players cut or waived by the team include:
Ife Adeyi, wide receiver (via NBC Sports Philadelphia)
Tariq Castro-Fields, cornerback (via NJ Advance Media)
Kenyon Green, guard (via CBS Sports)
Maxen Hook, safety (via Inside the Birds)
Montrell Johnson, running back (via SportsRadio 94WIP)
EJ Jenkins, tight end (via Inside the Birds)
Brandon Johnson, defensive back (via NJ Advance Media)
Nick Muse, tight end (via NFL Network)
Hollin Pierce, offensive lineman (via NBC Sports Philadelphia)
ShunDerrick Powell, running back (via NBC Sports Philadelphia)
Keilan Robinson, running back (via NJ Advance Media)
Jacob Sykes, defensive tackle (via NJ Advance Media)
Nakobe Dean hints he's out the first four games of the season
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.
Eagles waiving wide receiver Taylor Morin, per report
Eagles releasing cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields, per report
Eagles waiving offensive lineman Hollin Pierce, per report
Eagles releasing WR Ainias Smith
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.
Former Eagles DB Jalen Mills released by Texans, per ESPN
Eagles waiving rookie WR Ife Adeyi, per report
Two Eagles veterans could end up being 'cut.' Here's why.
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.
Eagles waiving rookie CB Brandon Johnson, per report
The Eagles are waiving rookie defensive back Brandon Johnson, according to NJ Advance Media.
Johnson was an undrafted free agent out of Oregon the Birds signed following the 2025 NFL draft.
Two questions facing the Eagles' secondary heading into the season
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?
ESPN: Giants releasing QB Tommy DeVito
A lot of interest in Kyle McCord, per NFL Network
All eyes on Howie Roseman ahead of the deadline
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.
Kenny Pickett on the move again
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.
Eagles 2025 schedule
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.