Eagles sign former Villanova linebacker to practice squad

The Philadelphia Eagles made a change to their practice squad on Wednesday evening. The team officially released defensive Alex McCalister (as previously noted) and signed former Villanova linebacker Don Cherry to take his place.

Cherry signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent during the 2016 offseason. He was on Philadelphia’s practice squad all season before competing for a roster spot in training camp this summer. Cherry had some nice moments in training camp but his limitations were also on display.

The Eagles were clearly looking to add more depth at linebacker following the season-ending Achilles injury suffered by Jordan Hicks. Cherry mostly projects as a special teams player in the NFL, though.

Philadelphia is currently carrying seven linebackers on their roster: Hicks, Nigel Bradham, Mychal Kendricks, Najee Goode, Joe Walker, Kamu Grugier-Hill, and Nate Gerry. That figure will drop to six when Hicks is placed on injured reserve, but the presence of Cherry gives the Eagles seven for practice.

UPDATED LOOK AT THE 2017 EAGLES PRACTICE SQUAD

LB Don Cherry

WR Rashard Davis

CB D.J. Killings

WR Greg Ward Jr.

CB DeVante Bausby

QB Nate Sudfeld

C/G Josh Andrews

TE Billy Brown

OT Dillon Gordon

RB Byron Marshall