Eagles waive Philly’s own Will Parks. Does this mean more of a push toward draftees down the stretch?
Plus notes and observations from the latest loss
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The Eagles waived safety Will Parks on Tuesday in what could be the start of a minor roster reshuffling for the 3-7-1 team.
Parks, 26, is a former Germantown High star from Olney who had an Eagles tattoo on his arm before he signed here as a free agent from Denver last spring. Parks has worked to help struggling neighborhoods like the one he grew up in; a big priority has been attempting to curb gun violence in Philadelphia, particularly after the shooting death of his great-uncle, Barry Parks, the victim of a Hunting Park robbery while he waited for a bus in 2018.
When he signed here in March, Parks said he thought his message would resonate more as an Eagle than as a guy who played for a distant NFL team. He gave away 55 turkeys just before Thanksgiving in North Philadelphia.
But there was a bit of a disconnect from the outset. Though Parks was signed to a one-year deal as insurance, he told reporters he had turned down better offers to come home to play. He felt he could play safety and cornerback, envisioned being used all over the field, once he settled in. Parks suffered a hamstring injury in training camp that negated any chance of that. He missed the first five games.
Parks got 39 defensive snaps against Baltimore, with Jalen Mills having to move to corner to make up for Avonte Maddox’s absence, and 28 snaps against Dallas, when Mills was needed at corner because Darius Slay missed snaps with an injury. Since then, he has played six defensive snaps against the Giants, 14 at Cleveland, and 10 Monday night against Seattle. Cryptic tweets hinted that Parks wasn’t pleased with how he was being used.
This one followed the flight home from the Eagles’ loss at Cleveland:
Jettisoning Parks might clear the way for giving a bigger role to fourth-round rookie safety K’Von Wallace, who saw action only on special teams in the loss to Seattle. The Eagles also added practice squad defensive back Grayland Arnold to the roster.
The Vikings and the Lions expressed interest in Parks in free agency, and could be landing spots for him now.
Developing story lines
The Eagles released another Philly guy, defensive end Shareef Miller, from their practice squad. Miller was a fourth-round pick in 2019 from Penn State who was cut in training camp this year, was picked up briefly by Carolina, and joined the Eagles’ practice squad in October. That Eagles draft class has not shown a lot of promise.
Rewatching the game drove home how much DK Metcalf was the Seahawks’ entire offense. Players other than Metcalf accounted for 53 passing yards. Seattle ran 30 times for 76 yards, 2.5 yards per carry. The Seahawks were 2-for-10 on third down. When Jim Schwartz speaks to reporters Wednesday, one topic might be the lack of an adjustment to give Darius Slay a little help.
All in all, the Eagles’ defense might have played its best game of the season. Two early fourth-down stops (how does an offense not gain momentum from that?) Constant pass rush pressure. Derek Barnett actually looked like a first-round pick. Javon Hargrave looked like less of a terrible free-agent signing. Alex Singleton looked like the player Schwartz somehow thinks that Nate Gerry can be. The Seahawks kicked two field goals on short fields after failed Eagles fourth-down tries; the Eagles’ D really should have come out of the night having allowed 17 points. The only caveat would be the lack of a turnover. And of course, Metcalf’s 10 catches for 177 yards.
Although apparently Jason Peters moved to right guard on a broken and dislocated toe, he didn’t get dominated physically, though he allowed one sack. He did have problems with games and stunts, things he didn’t see as much all those years at left tackle. Matt Pryor at right tackle was a much bigger issue — two sacks and three hurries.
If you played a drinking game every time the words “not on the same page” came up during the ESPN broadcast with regard to the Eagles’ offense, don’t worry, I hear liver tissue regenerates quickly. Also, how can so many people be “not on the same page” in Week 12? This suggests either you’re drafting and signing really dumb, careless players, or there is a coaching problem — position coach, coordinator, head coach, somewhere.
Who knew?
That facing a defense giving up the most passing yards in the NFL, it was possible to go into halftime with 36 passing yards?
Obscure stat
The Packers, who host the Eagles this coming weekend, have scored more than 30 points eight times in 11 games. The Eagles have not scored 30 points in a game this season.