Eagles sign T.Y. McGill to extension, 9 other players to futures contracts

The Philadelphia Eagles officially announced the following roster news on Monday evening:

• DT T.Y. McGill signed to one-year contract extension.
• RB Elijah Holyfield, WR Deontay Burnett, TE Hakeem Butler, DE Joe Ostman, DE Matt Leo, DT Treyvon Hester, CB Jameson Houston, CB Lavert Hill, and S Blake Countess signed to reserve/futures contracts.

Nothing too Earth-shattering here. It’s standard practice for teams to re-sign most of their practice squad players to non-guaranteed deals immediately after their season ends.

Still, we’ll run through this all on a player-by-player basis.

T.Y. MCGILL

And you thought tanking doesn’t pay? Well, it did for McGill! The Eagles rewarded the 28-year-old defensive tackle with a new contract despite the fact he committed a neutral zone infraction when Washington was facing 4th-and-1 from midfield with two minutes left in last night’s game. Great outcome for helping the Eagles pick No. 6 instead of No. 9 in the 2021 NFL Draft.

McGill logged three quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, and half a sack in seven games with the Eagles during the 2020 season. He’ll have a chance to compete for a roster spot as a fourth or fifth defensive tackle in 2021.

ELIJAH HOLYFIELD

The Eagles elevated Holyfield once but he didn’t see any meaningful playing time. He’ll compete for a roster spot at running back in 2021.

DEONTAY BURNETT

The Eagles protected Burnett four times and elevated him twice. The 23-year-old failed to make the roster despite having a strong training camp. Not sure what he can do to convince them to keep him around in 2021.

HAKEEM BUTLER

Remember when the Eagles ran a goal line fade to Butler on 4th-and-goal in Week 7? And how that was Butler’s first and only offensive NFL snap? Yeah. That happened. Anyway, the Eagles brought Butler in during the season to convert him from wide receiver to tight end. The 24-year-old will get an offseason to fight for a spot as the second or third tight end on the roster.

JOE OSTMAN

The Eagles’ 2020 Ed Block Courage Award winner will be back for his fourth offseason in Philly after playing just 29 defensive snaps in 2020. Maybe he’ll finally be able to crack the roster as a fifth defensive end.

MATT LEO

Leo didn’t count against the Eagles’ practice squad limit since he was part of the e NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. The catch is that he wasn’t eligible to play. Leo, who turns 29 in May, will need a strong offseason to earn a roster spot in 2021. The odds are against him.

TREYVON HESTER

You may have forgotten that the Eagles re-signed their 2019 playoff hero back to their practice squad. The 28-year-old will try to compete for a backup defensive tackle spot in 2021.

JAMESON HOUSTON

The Eagles added this undrafted rookie free agent to their practice squad in late November. Cornerback injuries forced him into seeing 22 defensive snaps and 22 special teams snaps. Long shot to make the team next year.

LAVERT HILL

The Eagles added this undrafted rookie free agent to their practice squad in early December. Small but strong player who will be a long shot to make next year’s team.

BLAKE COUNTESS

Countess was originally selected by the Eagles in the sixth-round of the 2016 NFL Draft and he finally played a snap for Philly in last night’s meaningless game against Washington. The 27-year-old has a chance to compete for a backup safety spot in 2021.

It’s worth noting that practice squad members Jordan Howard, Prince Tega Wanogho, and Casey Tucker were NOT signed to futures contract. This doesn’t mean the Eagles won’t reach agreements with them.

I would guess they’ll come to terms with PTW in the near future considering they used a 2020 sixth-round pick on him. Then again, maybe he’s looking at the team’s offensive tackle situation and thinking he could have more opportunity elsewhere? Howard and Tucker could be goners.