Eagles
Jatavis Brown Placed On Retired List
Penn State Great Valley MBA, Penn State Berks Undergrad, Eagle Scout and Vigil Honor, IT Service Manager. I joined Sports Talk Philly in 2017 and root for all the Philly teams (as well as their minor league counter parts).
All posts by Paul BowmanPublished09 Aug 2020
By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor 
The Eagles may have added depth at defensive end with the Vinny Curry signing earlier this week, but on Sunday they lost depth at linebacker.
In free agency, the Eagles made a single move to address the linebacker position by signing Jatavis Brown to a low-cost, low-risk deal that could pay off if he returned to the way he was playing just a few seasons ago.
Instead, it appears he will never don the Eagles uniform for a game as the team placed Brown on the reserve/retired list Sunday afternoon.
Roster Move: #Eagles have placed LB Jatavis Brown on the Reserve/Retired list. pic.twitter.com/bXCzIGzWr6
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 9, 2020
The move comes with little context and Brown has not made a statement. The 26-year-old would be entering just his fifth season in the league, so it is not like age played a factor with him.
There is a possibility that it could have been in response to his missing the COVID-19 opt-out deadline, but an official statement will be needed to clarify.
The Eagles just got Nathan Gerry back from the COVID list today and this move would seem to solidify he and TJ Edwards as the starters at linebacker, but Duke Riley and third-round pick Davion Taylor will be looking to take one of those spots and/or serve as the third linebacker.
The move also leaves room for standout undrafted free agent Dante Olson and Temple product and 2020 draft pick Shaun Bradley to make their cases for a spot on the 53-man roster. It may come down to who can learn the defense the quickest in that case.
The Eagles may make a move to address the lack of depth by signing free agents that have previously spent time with the team like Mychael Kendricks, Najee Goode, DJ Alexander, Joey Alfieri or perhaps even Corey Nelson.
More notable free agents at the position include Darron Lee, Alec Ogletree, Clay Matthews and Terrell Suggs, but the front office deciding to roll with what they have would not be a major shock.
