Eagles Waive Linebacker Hunt, Trim Roster To 75
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Eagles have waived injured linebacker Phillip Hunt, trimming Philadelphia's roster to 75 players as the preseason finale nears. The move was announced ahead of the NFL's roster deadline Tuesday afternoon.
Hunt suffered an ACL tear during training camp at the team's headquarters. If he clears waivers on Wednesday, he will return to the Eagles and be placed on injured reserve.
Hunt, 27, joined the Eagles in 2011, and figured to have a role in the team's new 3-4 defensive scheme. He was making the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker.
Philadelphia will close the preseason on Thursday with a road date against the New York Jets. Many tough decisions will be made regarding the roster by new coach Chip Kelly after that game. He will need to trim down to 53 on Saturday.
"There's a lot up in the air right now," Kelly said. "It's the last real good shot of us getting an opportunity to see how they react in an environment. It's as close to a regular season as you can get. So, it's a huge night for all of those guys."
Though this will be his first go-around with final cuts, Kelly does have a plan and he's sticking to it.
"When you only have 46 guys active on game day, you've got to have versatility in your non-starters, because there's just not enough numbers," he said. "If you're two deep at every position, that's 44 excluding specialists. And at some positions, you're going to carry (three players) — a third running back (for example) — so where does that spot come from? It's got to come from somewhere.
"If you're talking about making the 46-man roster, that versatility part is huge."
The Eagles open the regular season on Sept. 9 vs. Washington.
"We really won't start putting our game plan in with our players until the week of," Kelly said. "We are going to stay on the same schedule the week of the Redskins."
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