Philadelphia Eagles release Jason Phillips

In what turns out to be the team's first transaction since May 20, the Philadelphia Eagles announced they have released veteran inside linebacker Jason Phillips.

Phillips, 28, was originally signed by the Eagles during the 2013 NFL offseason. He figured to be a key backup inside linebacker as well as a special teams contributor. Phillips never had the chance to suit up for the Eagles during a regular season game, however, because he suffered an ACL tear during training camp last summer on July 29, 2013. Shortly after the injury, Phillips was placed on injured reserve.

The timing of Phillips' release is a little curious but the move is not altogether unexpected. Phillips has struggled during the team's training camp and preseason games. The remaining insider linebackers on the Eagles roster include starters DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks as well as backups such as Najee Goode, Emmanuel Acho, Casey Matthews, and Jake Knott (four game suspension). Jeff McLane notes that Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis has said the Eagles are cross-training outside linebackers Travis Long and Josh Kaddu to also play on the inside.

The Eagles roster now stands at 89, which means they are one player shy of the 90 man limit. They may look to sign another player to fill that vacancy soon. Remember that all teams must reduce their rosters to a maximum of 75 players on the active list prior to 4PM EST on Tuesday, August 26.