The Philadelphia Eagles officially announced two transactions on Monday evening. An overview:
- DB Tariq Castro-Fields was signed to the practice squad.
- WR John Ross was placed on the practice squad injured list.
Let’s sort through this news on a player-by-player basis.
TARIQ CASTRO-FIELDS
Remember how we previously mentioned that the Eagles really seemed to like the San Francisco 49ers’ 2022 NFL Draft class? OK, probably not.
But it’s true! Look at this group (via Pro Football Reference):
The Eagles already have Tyrion Davis-Price and Danny Gray on their practice squad. They unsuccessfully tried to claim Samuel Womack off waivers back in late August.
And now they’re adding Castro-Fields to the mix.
TCF, who turns 26 in January, is a Penn State alumnus who’s made one career NFL start in 12 games played. He has 27 defensive snaps and 109 special teams snaps to his name.
After failing to stick with the Niners, TCF spent two years with the Washington Commanders. He then got claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers, who had the top priority in the claiming order. But he barely played for them before getting waived one month later.
In Philly, TCF figures to provide cornerback and special teams depth.
Here’s an old scouting report on him:
Perimeter cornerback with appealing size and traits for press-man, but confidence and consistency were missing from his 2021 tape. Castro-Fields’ length, strength and athleticism are likely to be viewed as moldable features by defensive back coaches. However, he is missing the desired stickiness to the route and lacks spatial awareness and ball-hawking instincts from zone. His run support commitment is a bit disappointing relative to his size. Castro-Fields possesses the tools and versatility to operate as abackup in a variety of coverage schemes and is a middle-round value with upside traits.
JOHN ROSS
It’s unclear when or how Ross got injured but the Eagles are putting him on the practice squad version of injured reserve. And so he’s automatically required to miss the Eagles’ next four games before being eligible to return. It remains to be seen if the team will even activate him down the road.
The Eagles previously temporarily elevated Ross for their Week 4 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when they were without three of their top four wide receivers (A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Britain Covey).
EAGLES PRACTICE SQUAD
Each player below is eligible to be temporarily elevated to the active roster up to three times unless otherwise noted.
DB Tariq Castro-Fields
OL Jack Driscoll (one elevation remaining)
TE E.J. Jenkins (one elevation remaining)
CB Parry Nickerson
TE C.J. Uzomah
OLB David Anenih
WR Danny Gray
DB A.J. Woods
WR Kyle Philips
DB JT Woods
RB Tyrion Davis-Price
QB Will Grier
DT Gabe Hall
WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint
S Andre’ Sam
T/G Brett Toth
OT Laekin Vakalahi (international exemption)
PRACTICE SQUAD INJURED LIST
WR John Ross (two elevations remaining)