Report: Eagles release T.Y. McGill

The Philadelphia Eagles are releasing veteran defensive tackle T.Y. McGill, according to a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport. UPDATE: The Eagles officially confirmed they released McGill after activating him from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

This news comes as a little bit of a surprise given how McGill had a really good training camp and preseason. He regularly made plays in the backfield and pretty much did everything he reasonably could to make the team.

McGill did not open the season on the 53-man roster, however, due to being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. It seemed like the Eagles would activate him when he was cleared to return but that’s clearly not going to be the case.

One could imagine that Hassan Ridgeway’s performance against the Atlanta Falcons inspired the Eagles to move on from McGill. After having a quiet summer, Ridgeway logged one sack, one tackle for loss, and three quarterback hits in Philly’s Week 1. victory. Big Ridge also forced Matt Ryan into an intentional grounding penalty that was originally ruled a strip-sack recovered by Javon Hargrave. (On the downside, Ridgeway graded out poorly as a run defender by Pro Football Focus. For what it’s worth.)

Based on how he looked this summer, McGill shouldn’t struggle to find a new NFL home. Especially since teams won’t have to guarantee his 2021 salary by signing him after the season’s first Sunday.

If McGill does remain available, the Eagles could easily look to bring him back down the road. Maybe even use a practice squad spot on him if they wanted to. McGill might not possess the theoretical upside that the younger Marlon Tuipulotu does but there’s no question the vet is more equipped to contribute this year.