With the deadline for finalized 53-man rosters just hours away, the Philadelphia Eagles have gotten a start on their mandatory transactions this afternoon.
Linebacker Quentin Gause, defensive end Jake Metz, receiver David Watford and quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson have been released by the team according to various reports.
Metz was signed earlier this week after playing a key role in the Philadelphia Soul’s 2016 championship run. The 6’6”, 265 lb. defensive lineman provided solid pressure along with Brian Braman in the preseason finale against the Jets last Thursday, but it wasn’t enough for the longshot to solidify a spot on the 53-man roster.
The Eagles now have just two quarterbacks on the roster after waiving Bethel-Thompson and sending expected starter Sam Bradford to the Vikings for two draft picks this morning. Bethel-Thompson was an efficient 13-16 in the preseason finale against the Jets, but most of the completions were for minimal yardage against the New York backups. Howie Roseman will now look to acquire a third quarterback when many become available later this afternoon.
Gause was second on the team with four tackles for the Eagles last Thursday, but the recent signing of Steven Tulloch has limited the available linebacker spots on the 53-man roster.
According to a report from Elliot Shorr-Parks, the Eagles would like to keep Watford around in a different capacity.
The #Eagles have waived WR David Watford, but plan to bring him back to the practice squad if he clears waivers, per source.
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) September 3, 2016
Currently the Eagles roster consists of 69 players, the team has until 4 p.m. to trim down to the final 53.
UPDATE: Running back Byron Marshall, receiver Marcus Johnson, defensive end Aziz Shittu and cornerback Blake Countess have been cut by Philadelphia, though the team hopes Marshall will clear waivers and be re-signed as a practice squad player.
Marshall carried the ball 34 times for 86 yards in the 2016 preseason, but faced an uphill battle to make the final roster behind Darren Sproles, Ryan Mathews, Kenjon Barner and rookie Wendell Smallwood on the depth chart.
Countess ruffled some feathers in the Eagles locker room last month after a low hit injured Jordan Matthews during a practice that included "live" tackling. Zach Ertz was also sidelined following on a similar hit by rookie cornerback Jalen Mills in the same session.
Patrick Del Gaone is a staff writer for Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Del_Gaone.
