An Eagles player you probably didn’t even know was on the roster retired

Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Tyreek Burwell announced he’s retiring from the NFL. The 27-year-old posted the following message on his verified Instagram account:

Man it’s hard for me to sit here and put this into words but after careful consideration I’ve made the decision to retire from the NFL. This journey has been unbelievable! I’ve been blessed to have been able to play this game since I was 7 years old. Playing in the NFL has been a dream come true and this game has taught and given me so much. I want to thank GOD especially for without you none of this would be possible. I want to thank my fiancé and my family for being my number 1 supporters and my motivation. I also want to thank my friends, teammates, my agency (@mbk_sports ) and everyone that I’ve crossed paths with that has helped me along this journey. Thank you to the Chargers, Colts and Eagles for giving me the opportunity to continue to play the game that I love. I’m excited to see what the rest of this journey brings! #retired #NFL #thankyouGOD

Wow. The end of an era.

Just kidding. You probably didn’t even know a guy named Tyreek Burwell was on the roster.

In case you were wondering, the Eagles originally signed Burwell to a reserve/future contract back in January. He did participate in Philadelphia’s OTAs/minicamp practices, wearing the No. 66 jersey.

But now Burwell — who was always a long shot to make the Eagles’ 53-man roster — is calling it a career. Best wishes.

Burwell’s retirement means the Eagles will have an open roster spot ahead of training camp. The team could look to bring in a veteran (Connor Barwin, perhaps?) or just sign a camp body to help fill practice reps. We’ll soon see since players report to Philly for camp next Wednesday, July 24.