Eagles release Joique Bell; Safety signing coming?

Joique Bell, we hardly knew you.

According to Adam Caplan of Fox Sports, the Eagles have waived running back Joique Bell. Bell, an undrafted rookie who was signed by the Eagles back in September, only suited up for 3 games with the Birds and never had a carry. In the preseason with the Bills, Bell showed a ton of promise but was stuck behind Eldra Buckley and the newly acquired Jerome Harrison. We may not have seen the last of Bell, though, as the Eagles also released DE Pannel Egboh from the practice squad, which opens up a spot to stash Bell away.

The release of Bell from the active roster frees up a spot for the Eagles to bring in a safety. With an injury to Nate Allen likely to keep him out for the Monday Night game against the Redskins, the Eagles are left with just two safeties, Quintin Mikell and Kurt Coleman, on the roster. Look for them to add someone familiar with the system, like Quintin Demps or Macho Harris. There have also been rumors that the Eagles are kicking the tires on Al Harris, the former Eagle who had recently been released by the Packers. If the Packers didn't think he was healthy enough to contribute, though, I wouldn't count on him coming to the Birds.

Eagles cut 10, reduce roster to 65

The Eagles roster needs to be set at 53 by tomorrow but the Eagles made their first round of cuts today:

RB J.J Arrington
WR Dobson Collins
DE Pannell Egboh
TE Nate Lawrie
RB Martell Mallett
OT Jeraill McCuller
CB David Pender
CB Geoff Pope
DT Boo Robinson
S Anthony Scirrotto

The Eagles also placed DE Victor Abiamiri on the PUP list, meaning he will miss at least the first 6 weeks of the season.

There are no surprises amongst these cuts as none were considered serious contenders for a roster spot. The most recognizable name in the group is Arrington but he never got healthy enough to challenge for the third running back spot. The best of the bunch is likely Mallett, who, along with Egboh, figures to be a contender for a practice squad spot. The cutting of both Arrington and Mallett is good news for Eldra Buckley, who appears to have wrapped up a roster spot.

These moves leave the Eagles with 65 players on the roster. There will be 12 more cuts/moves by tomorrow to get them to 53.

Eagles place Sapp on IR, claim DE Egboh

Eagles 5th round draft pick Ricky Sapp hasn't lived up to expectations this camp, failing to establish himself as a viable defensive end in the NFL. While he was likely going to be cut before the beginning of the season, the Eagles have managed to hold on to him for this year after Sapp was placed on the injured reserve due to a bad knee. The rookie did have an MRI on the knee but there is no indication of how badly his knee is hurting, although there are rumors that he might need surgery. My guess is that the Eagles came up with a phantom injury as a way to hold on to Sapp for the year and they will give him another shot next year to earn a roster spot.

With Sapp's roster spot opened up, the Eagles claimed defensive end Pannel Egboh off waivers from the Houston Texans. Egboh, who played his college ball with Stanford, signed with the Niners as an undrafted free agent before last season but ended the season on the Texans practice squad. With the Eagles already set at defensive end, Egboh doesn't figure to have any chance of making the roster but he could end up on the practice squad.