Meet The New Eagles: 14 New Faces, 2 Returning Players On 2019 53-Man Roster
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Eagles have released their 53-man roster for the 2019 NFL season. From rookies to returning players, the roster is packed with new faces and CBS3 has everything you need to know about them.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside WR -- Arcega-Whiteside was drafted out of Stanford by the Eagles 57th overall in the 2019 draft. He recorded 28 touchdowns, the second-most receiving touchdowns in school history. During the 2018 season, Arcega had 14 touchdowns and 1,059 receiving yards.
He was born in Zaragoza, Spain and moved to South Carolina when he was six years old.
The 6-foot-two, 225-pound receiver caught eight passes for 104 yards in the Eagles preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Miles Sanders RB – The Birds selected Miles Sanders with the 53rd overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The rookie spent three years playing at Penn State University and was teammates with Giants RB Saqoun Barkley.
Sanders rushed for 1,274 yards during the 2018 season, landing him in the No. 2 spot for most rushing yards in the Big Ten Conference.
In 38 games with Penn State he rushed 276 times, averaging 6 yards per carry for a total of 1,649 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.
So far the 5-foot-11, 211-pound rookie has shown to be everything an organization wants in a running back.
His quick feet allow him to be explosive when barreling through holes and his strength pushes him through closing gaps.
Sanders can also catch the ball adding a Darren Sproles-type threat.
One setback for Sanders could be keeping the ball in his hands. Last year, he fumbled the ball 10 times.
But if he can keep the ball in his possession, he could potentially be the Eagles No. 1 back.
Andre Dillard T – The rookie tackle out of Washington State started his last 39 games, including all 13 his senior year in 2018. He allowed just 1 sack and 13 total pressures in 722 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Dillard graduated with a bachelor's degree in social science.
The 6'5", 315-pound 23-year-old will wear No. 77.
He signed a five-year contract with the Eagles in May.
Shareef Miller DE -- The Philadelphia native was selected by the Eagles in the 4th round of the 2019 NFL draft. In 40 games at Penn State University, he recorded 100 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
Miller led the Nittany Lions defensive with 13 sacks in the 2018 season.
The 6'4", 254-pound defensive end was considered one of the top defensive ends in the Big Ten Conference, during his three years at Penn State.
He will wear No. 76 with the Eagles.
T.J. Edwards LB -- T.J. Edwards was a undrafted linebacker out of Wisconsin played 53 games, the second most in school history and 5th-most by a Big Ten player.
He recorded 367 tackles, ranking 9th all-time at Wisconsin.
Nate Herbig G -- Offensive guard Nate Herbig started in seven games at Standford University during the 2018 season. He finished with All-Pac-12 honors as a junior last season.
In 2016 he became the first true freshman to start on Standford's offensive line since 2012 and second since 2000.
He signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent this year.
Malik Jackson DT -- Jackson was drafted in the fifth-round of the 2012 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos and a key component on the Super Bowl 50 champions defense. Notably, he recovered a fumble by Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and returned it for a touchdown in the first quarter of the Super Bowl.
He signed a three-year deal with the Eagles this offseason following three years with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In 2018, he recorded 32 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks with the Jaguars defense that ranked 5th in the league for total yards allowed per game.
He's has recorded 15 passes defensed since 2015, ranking him No. 2 overall in the NFL for passes defensed.
Health is key for any player's longevity in the league and Jackson leads all NFL defensive tackles with 121 games played since 2012, playing in 106 consecutive games.
Jordan Howard RB – The Eagles acquired the standout veteran running back for a 2020 six-round pick, a complete steal. Howard ranks third in the NFL in rushing yards since 2016 recording 3,370.
Howard and Ezekiel Elliot are the only NFL running backs to record more than 900 rushing yards in each of the last three season and he joins Todd Gurley as the only RBs with nine or more rushing touchdowns in the last two seasons.
In 2018 he led the Chicago Bears with 935 rushing yards and recorded a career-high-tying nine rushing touchdowns for the second year straight.
Howard averaged 4.53 yards per carry last season totaling 88 carries for 399 yards and four touchdowns over the last five games of the regular season. He rushed for 101 yards vs the Rams in early December and 109 yards against the Vikings in the last game of the regular season.
Howard is the strong, power back the Eagles needed.
Josh McCown QB -- The Eagles signed Josh McCown after quarterbacks Nate Sudfeld and Cody Kessler were injured in the preseason. The Bird's are McCown's 11th NFL team and it's his first time playing for an NFC East team.
He was 5-11 as a starter with the New York Jets over the last two seasons throwing 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions overall.
McCown will back up starting quarterback Carson Wentz.
The veteran quarterback came out of retirement to join the Eagles.
Hassan Ridgeway DT -- The six-foot-three, 305-pound defensive tackle was acquired by the Eagles in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts this year. In his three-year career with the Colts he recorded 41-tackles and 4.5 sacks.
The Texas native played college football at the University of Texas.
Zach Brown LB -- The eight year linebacker signed with the Birds during the 2019 offseason. Brown spent the last two season with the Washington Redskins. He led the team with 223 tackles over those two seasons.
Brown is ranked sixth in most tackles for loss by NFL linebackers since 2016.
Johnathan Cyrprien S -- The Birds were lacking depth in the secondary last season with Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills suffering season-ending injuries. Safety Johnathan Cyprien signed with the team during training camp this year, adding depth and talent to the roster.
Cyprien had the most tackles for a NFL defensive back from 2013 to 2017 and the most tackles in 2016.
He spent the last two season with the Tennessee Titans and but an injury left him sidelined during the 2018 season.
In 2017, he had 38 solo tackles for a total of 57 tackles and 1 sack in his first season.
Andrew Senejo S -- Ninth year safety Andrew Sendejo signed with the Eagles during the offseason after spending the last eight season with the Minnesota Vikings.
Sendejo has started 48 of his previous games at safety.
He recorded eight tackles and one interception during the Vikings 2017 run to the NFC Championship.
In 2018 he recorded 28 tackles in his first five games.
He missed the rest of the 2018 season because of a groin injury.
L.J. Fort LB – The fifth-year veteran linebacker and special teams player adds depth to the Eagles already loaded defensive. He signed a 3-year deal with the Eagles during the 2019 offseason.
Fort spent the last three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and played a career-high 305 (29%) defensive snaps and 333 (73%) special teams snaps in 2018.
In 2011, he was named FCS and Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
And we can't forget those returning players who will be sporting the midnight green this year.
DeSean Jackson WR -- Originally drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. The wide-receiver out of California instantly became a Philadelphia fan favorite. Jackson is the deep threat the Eagles were missing and we've seen some eye-opening connections between him and starting quarterback Carson Wentz during training camp.
D-Jax leads the NFL in most 60-plus yard touchdowns with 24 and is tied with Randy Moss for the second-most 50-yard touchdowns with 29.
He's ranked fifth in receiving yards among active players with 10,261 yards.
Jackson left the team during the Chip Kelly era and took his talents to the Redskins for three years before spending the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 32-year-old has used his quick feet to develop his route-running skills and adds an instant threat to the Birds receiving core.
Jackson has also proven himself useful during punt returns... do you remember the Miracle at the Meadowlands II?
Jackson will wear No. 10.
Vinny Curry -- Another familiar face returning to the Birds for the 2019 season is defensive end Vinny Curry. Curry was a part of the 2018 Super Bowl champion team and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 2018.
He signed a one-year deal with the Eagles during the 2019 offseason.
Curry was selected in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Eagles.
He started all 16 regular season games during the 2017 season and led the Eagles defense with 41 quarterback pressures. He also ranked No. 2 behind Brandon Graham with a career-high 13 tackles for loss.
Curry recorded 21 tackles, five tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks during the 2018 season with the Buccaneers.
