Eagles sign practice squad quarterback to 53-man roster

The Philadelphia Eagles have signed practice squad quarterback Nate Sudfeld to their 53-man roster. His agent first broke the news on Twitter and the team has since officially confirmed it. In order to make room for Sudfeld, the Eagles released defensive tackle Justin Hamilton.

This is ... an unexpected move. One would think another team offered Sudfeld more money and this is how the Eagles are getting him to stay in Philly. UPDATE: Yep, the Colts wanted him.

The Eagles originally signed Sudfeld to their practice squad after he was waived by the Washington Redskins during final cuts.

Some thought the team might just be using him to get extra information on a division rival but clearly that’s not the case. The organization seems to genuinely like his long-term potential as a backup behind Carson Wentz.

The Eagles already have two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster: Wentz and Nick Foles. Foles could potentially be traded after this season (for $5.2 million in savings) to a quarterback-needy team, so perhaps Philly is planning for him to be gone. Sudfeld, a sixth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, could be his replacement.

As for Hamilton, the 24-year-old lineman started this season on Philly’s practice squad before being promoted to the active roster. Now that the Eagles are healthy at defensive tackle, he’s not needed as much.

The Eagles could look to bring Hamilton back to their practice squad assuming no one claims him.

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

C/G Josh Andrews

TE Billy Brown

OT Dillon Gordon

RB Byron Marshall