On Monday night, it was reported that Brett Kern and Anthony Harris were visiting the Eagles. It was also reported that Kern planned to sign with the team.
Reports Monday morning said that the Eagles planned to bring Harris back to the squad, as well. They made both moves official on Tuesday afternoon.
The moves make it clear that neither Harris nor Kern will be joining the 53-man roster at this time, but each player could be elevated from the practice squad.
Harris was, of course, with the Birds for their 2021 campaign, starting at safety alongside Rodney McLeod. He was also in training camp with the team and a favorite to start opposite Marcus Epps before he was released in final cuts and the Eagles traded for Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
In 2021, he registered 72 tackles, three passes defensed and an interception. In 2022, Harris played with the Broncos, mainly as a special teams player. He was elevated to the active roster from the practice squad twice then spent a month on the active roster with the Broncos before his release on December 6. He appeared in just three games this season.
Harris may not be a game-changer for the Eagles, but with Gardner-Johnson on the injured reserve for at least two more games and Reed Blankenship expected to miss some time with his own injury, the Eagles are down to just Marcus Epps and depth at the safety spot for the immediate future.
K’Von Wallace would otherwise lineup as the second safety for the Eagles, but each snap he plays is just further proof he shouldn’t be on the field.
More surprising is that Brett Kern was added to the practice squad, which would allow him to be elevated for just two games. It’s possible that the Eagles are taking a slightly longer-term approach with the thinking that they may not need to worry about a punter (really the result) of their final two games in the regular season, but Arryn Siposs landing on IR ensures he will miss the final four games of the season.
The move also leaves an open roster spot, something the Eagles may intend to use to activate Dallas Goedert without having to release any depth from their 53-man roster right away.
The roster crunch will be interesting if and when Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is ready to return as well as if/when the Eagles need to create a spot for a punter to be active on their game days.
