By Tucker Bagley, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
After a solid performance in Indianapolis, the Eagles made headlines by cutting their roster down to 73, almost 48 hours before Tuesday's deadline. Here's a look at how these former Eagles lost their job and what it means for the players still fighting for a roster post. Plus, more reactions from Saturday night's game.
Going Deep
Although his tempo on the field is a bit slower than his predecessor, Doug Pederson wasted little time trimming his roster down below the 75-man limit that will be enforced on Tuesday. Among those names were a few Chip Kelly guys, a few draft picks and even a couple of recent veteran signings.
Mike Martin: Martin may have been the biggest surprise yesterday. The veteran defensive tackle missed all three preseason games with a knee injury, but Pederson was adamant that the coaches had seen enough of Martin to think he was a solid rotational defensive tackle. But Taylor Hart has racked up four tackles in his time during the preseason and looked solid enough to be relied upon in a part-time role. If Martin could have gotten healthy, he would still be here.
Chris Givens: If this column was written 24 hours earlier, it would have praised Givens for turning things around in the past week and putting together a solid performance in Indianapolis. He had one catch for 19 yards, but was also listed as a starter opposite Nelson Agholor. It seemed like he could split time with Dorial Green-Beckham and be a solid downfield threat for Sam Bradford. But it seems like one decent week couldn't outweigh three weeks of no production.
Rueben Randle: The acquisition of Randle was widely praised, myself included, and it seemed like the Eagles got a starting wide receiver on a cheap, one-year deal. Four weeks of uninspiring play later, and Randle is back out on the street. Peter King wrote a few weeks ago that Randle could be out of a job if he didn't get it together and he just seemed rather disinterested during his Eagles tenure. Either way, this is good news for Paul Turner as the undrafted rookie is without much competition for the final receiver spot on the roster.
Randall Evans: Evans was a sixth-round pick last year and spent 2015 on the Eagles' practice squad. With the regime change and the addition of Jalen Mills, Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks, Evans simply didn't fit with Jim Schwartz's prototype and was stuck behind a few guys that did. I'm not sure if he'll end up on another roster this year, but there's probably a practice squad slot out there for him somewhere.
Denzel Rice: Rice was everyone's camp darling last year and spent the entire 2015 season on the Eagles active roster. Just like Evans, he sort of got lost in the shuffle this year, but should turn up elsewhere on a practice squad.
Andrew Gardner: The Eagles had Gardner take a pay cut in the offseason, but now he's out of a job. He lost his starting spot when the Eagles signed Brandon Brooks and fell behind Isaac Seumalo and Stefen Wisniewski at left guard. The veteran fit into the Kelly ideal for offensive linemen, but was a bit undersized for Pederson's liking.
Nick Perry: Perry was an undrafted free agent who spent last year on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, but was released and picked up by the Eagles in May. With the number of veteran safeties on their rosters, Perry faced an uphill battle and played just six snaps on Saturday night, although he did register two tackles.
John DePalma: The West Virginia product never really had a shot at the roster, unless of course, Jon Dorenbos made himself disappear. The rookie long snapper got a lot of time Saturday with Dorenbos getting the night off, but was nothing more than a camp body.
In addition to their cuts, the Eagles also placed linebacker Joe Walker and defensive end Alex McCalister on the injured reserve, effectively ending their season.
Medical Report
Did Not Play: QB Carson Wentz (ribs), WR Jordan Matthews (knee), DT Mike Martin (knee), G Isaac Seumalo (pectoral), DE Alex McCalister (calf), CB Aaron Grymes (shoulder), LB Joe Walker (knee)
Wendell Smallwood: Smallwood had a nice kick return, but was knocked out of the game with a concussion after just his second carry of the preseason. For a guy who was expected to have such a big impact in 2016, his health has become a major concern and it is worth wondering if his roster spot is in jeopardy. If he is unable to play on Thursday night, he may find himself on the IR or practice squad after the final round of cuts.
Vinny Curry: The Eagles announced Curry suffered a knee injury and wouldn't be able to return to the game, despite the first-team defense already being on the bench. Curry reassured reporters and fans after the game that his injury is minor and he should be fine in a couple days. Chances are, he will be held out of Thursday's game as a precautionary measure, although it doesn't seem like the first-team defense will get much time anyway.
Taylor Hart: Hart sprained his knee in Saturday's game, but with Martin out of the picture, it seems like he has the fourth defensive tackle if he is healthy in time for Week 1.
Chris Pantale: Pantale got a lot of snaps Saturday night, but left the game to be evaluated for a concussion. His extended time seemed like a good sign that the coaches believe he can be their fourth tight end/fullback, but like Smallwood and Hart, he could be on the wrong side of the roster bubble if he is forced to miss any time in the regular season.
Numbers Game
8.46 – The Eagles quarterbacks averaged 8.46 yards per attempt in Saturday's win over the Colts, a far cry from the 4.4 yards per attempt they averaged over their first two preseason games. Granted, the Colts secondary was decimated by injuries, but it was nice to see Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel push the ball down the field.
3 - A lot of noise has been made about the Eagles defense creating turnovers, but the offense has been equally impressive in that category — just two interceptions and one fumble through three games. That's almost as good as Pederson's Chiefs last year, who turned the ball over just 15 times all year. If the Eagles want to be a competitive team, they can't afford to give the ball away. They've done a good job thus far.
11 - Through three games, the Eagles defense has posted 11 sacks. Three of those came on Saturday, and if the Eagles can keep this pace up, that would lead to 58 sacks over a 16-game schedule. For reference, the Denver Broncos led the NFL with 52 sacks a season ago. Impressive stuff from Schwartz's squad.
Quotables
"Anytime that we can get him matched up one on one back side and take advantage of that, it’s huge for us. It just gives us another weapon to make a play down there and just trusting him to go make a play, you know it’s nice to have someone like that down in the red zone."
-Sam Bradford on Dorial Green-Beckham
It was incredible how easily DGB caught that red zone fade Saturday night and it made it even more obvious how much the Eagles have missed having such a big red zone target these past few years. If nothing else, Green-Beckham offers that value while he tries to work out the kinks in the rest of his game.
"This defense is built for us."
-Brandon Graham on Schwartz's scheme.
Eleven sacks. Ten interceptions. Graham may be on to something here.
Bullish
Josh Huff: One week after looking like a guy who had all but lost his roster spot, Huff had a touchdown run on an end around and added a 38-yard catch. It was the performance we have been waiting for since Huff joined the Eagles two years ago and I'm sure his night gave Pederson and his staffers confidence they could let go of Givens and Randle without skipping a beat.
Beau Allen: He's sort of been the forgotten man among the Eagles defensive linemen, but the second-year defensive tackle picked up a sack last night and looked like a force up the middle. Right now, he's third on the depth chart behind Fletcher Cox and Bennie Logan, but Allen should get a lot of snaps this year and could be in line for a breakout season.
Trey Burton: He was invisible during the Eagles first two preseason games, but Burton snagged five balls for 35 yards and a touchdown on Saturday, proving once again, he can be an effective weapon in the Eagles offense. If anything, Saturday showed that Pederson hasn't forgotten about Burton and he could have a legitimate role in their offense, instead of being stuck on special teams duty.
Bearish
Nelson Agholor: One step forward, two steps back. Agholor added another drop to his total, this one resulting in an interception, and once again left everyone shaking their heads at last year's first-round pick. With each passing week, Agholor has become more and more frustrating, and although it is incredibly early to give up on him, it is worth wondering how long it is going to take until he starts to string together decent performances.
C.J. Smith: With Grymes out with a shoulder injury, Smith was forced into action with the first-team defense and struggled mightily. Andrew Luck picked on him a few times, and although he didn't give up any huge plays, he certainly looked overmatched. On a night where a lot of players shined, Smith was not one of them.
Three-Step Drop
1. It will be interesting to see what Pederson and Howie Roseman do with the next round of cuts, especially when it comes to injuries. Smallwood, Grymes and Pantale all seemed like locks as recently as Friday, but as their health continues to be in question, it is worth wondering if the Eagles brass think they can be counted on. With the cut of Martin, the Eagles have shown they will respect health over history.
2. Caleb Sturgis all but ended the kicking competition Saturday by nailing a 47-yard field goal. Sturgis made all of his kicking attempts, but Cody Parkey missed an extra point. Sturgis has remained ahead of Parkey this entire preseason, but the former Pro Bowler may still have some value in a trade. Expect the Eagles to try to unload Parkey sometime during the next week for a late-round pick or another fringe player at a position of need.
3. Some analysts have theorized that teams will counter the Eagles elite pass rush by running and playing conservatively. That makes some sense, considering the Eagles offense doesn't have a huge track record of success, but people may also forget the Eagles run defense could be even better than their pass defense. Through three preseason games, the Eagles have held each of their opponents under three yards per carry. The Buccaneers, Steelers and Colts have picked up 110 yards on 40 carries. That's 2.75 yards per carry, for those of you keeping score at home. That's pretty much what Ahmad Bradshaw got on each carry last year. Pretty damn good.
Who's Next
The Eagles have a short week before playing their final preseason game, at home, against the New York Jets. With the performances turned in by the Eagles' offense and defense, it seems unlikely that either of the first-team units will touch the field, or if they do, it won't be for more than a series or two. Expect a lot of back ups and young guys fighting for their shot at the 53-man roster and possibly the return of Carson Wentz.
