The Philadelphia Eagles officially announced five roster moves ahead of their Week 18 game against the New York Giants. An overview:
- S CJ Gardner-Johnson and DE Robert Quinn were activated from injured reserve.
- LB Shaun Bradley and DE Janarius Robinson were placed on injured reserve.
- P Brett Kern has been signed from the practice squad to the active roster.
Let’s sort these news player by player.
CJ GARDNER-JOHNSON
CJGJ suffered a lacerated kidney (ouch) in the Eagles’ Week 12 win over the Green Bay Packers. He was eligible to return from IR as early as Week 17, but apparently needed more time to recover.
CJGJ still leads the NFL in interceptions (tied with Justin Simmons and Tariq Woolen) despite missing five games. The Eagles are happy to have a playmaker back in the lineup.
It remains to be seen exactly where CJGJ will play. With Avonte Maddox out, there’s some logic to putting him in the slot. CJGJ almost exclusively played as a nickel cornerback with the New Orleans Saintsafter all.
But it’s not like the Eagles ruled out Maddox for the year; they didn’t put it on IR. And it’s possible the team will be more comfortable with Josiah Scott handling that role, with CJGJ playing at fullback. If so, CJGJ’s return means less playing time for undrafted rookie free agent Reed Blankenship. The man nicknamed “Ghost” has shown promise as a replacement for CJGJ.
CJGJ’s return to this location allows him to reacclimate to the speed of the game without necessarily having to play a regular workload … assuming the Birds are finally able to draw their starters against the Giants.
Robert Quinn
Quinn is also set to play for the first time since Week 12. He went to IR due to a knee carry.
Quinn was not very productive before his injury; he recorded just two total tackles and two quarterback hits in five games played earlier this season. We’ll see if the time off has made a difference for him or if he’ll be more of the same invisibility.
Either way, it’s good to have Quinn back with Josh Sweat who missed this week’s game with a neck injury. The veteran can at least be trusted to fill in a few snaps to lessen the workload on other defensive ends.
SHAUN BRADLEY
Bradley suffered a wrist injury in Week 17. He returned to action after a bump and was restricted to practice Wednesday and Thursday. But he didn’t practice on Friday and was officially kicked out of the Week 18 game.
Going on IR now, Bradley probably isn’t eligible to return this season as he has to miss four games. If the Birds don’t miss their shot at the No. 1 seed, they will only play a maximum of four games the rest of this season (Week 18, Divisional Round, NFC Championship Game, superbowl). Bradley would be eligible to play in the Super Bowl if the Eagles aren’t the No. 1 seed.
Bradley ranks second in Eagles special teams snaps played this year, only behind Zech McPherson. Losing him isn’t ideal…but he’s become a little more consumable with the team signing Christian Elliss from practice squad to the roster.
Janarius Robinson
For the second time this season, Robinson appeared on the injury report with an issue that required him to switch to IR on the right as the team sought to open up roster spots. What a coincidence!
Robinson has yet to play an NFL snap in his career. The Eagles signed him away from the Minnesota Vikingspractice squad earlier this season. He’ll likely be at camp competing for a roster spot this offseason.
BRETTT KERN
Kern was no longer in practice squad elevations after being knocked down each of the last three weeks. The Eagles could have opted to sign another punter to their practice squad for a week and rely on unlimited playoff raises (two per game but no limit for each player) to use Kern. But they decided to put the veteran on the roster instead.
Not so sure Kern was worth the spot on the list. It hasn’t been that good so far, albeit in a very small sample.
Kern ranks 33rd out of 36 punters rated by Pro Football Focus this season. His net average is tied for 32nd out of 36. He is 36th out of 36 in suspension time (average of 3.85).
Of course, it should be noted that Arryn Siposs is eligible to return from the IR in the Divisional Round. But it’s unclear whether he’ll be healthy enough to start a playoff then or at any time.
OTHER NOTES
- The Eagles have not activated OT Brett Toth despite opening his 21-day practice window earlier this week.
- In case you missed it Friday night, the Eagles waived Sua Opeta.
0 Comments