Eagles reportedly release Craig James

The Philadelphia Eagles are releasing cornerback Craig James, according to a report from Andrew DiCecco.

This roster move comes nearly one week before Eagles players report for training camp on Tuesday, July 26. James will have now the opportunity to catch on with another team.

It’s not surprising to see the Eagles move on from James. They were set to enter camp with 13 players listed at cornerback. They have a lot of young bodies at that position and James is a bit on the older side — relatively speaking, at least — since he turned 26 in April.

Though a long shot to make this year’s team, James’ departure is a bit notable. He originally joined the Eagles early during the 2019 season. He actually played a role in breaking up an Aaron Rodgers pass to force Nigel Bradham’s game-winning interception in Philly’s road win over the Green Bay Packers that year.

From there, James developed a reputation as a good special teams player. He was actually a co-captain with Duke Riley on that unit for the 2020 season. Injury issues limited James to just four games that year, however. He then spent time on Philly’s practice squad in 2021 before signing a reserve/futures contract earlier this year.

James’ departure leaves the Eagles with the following corners on the roster:

Darius Slay
James Bradberry
Avonte Maddox
Zech McPhearson
Kary Vincent Jr.
Tay Gowan
Mac McCain III
Josh Jobe
Mario Goodrich
Josiah Scott
Jimmy Moreland
Josh Blackwell

It also frees up the No. 31 jersey. One of the young corners trying to make the roster should try to take that number to upgrade their chances of sticking around (#JerseyNumberAnalytics).

It also also means that the Eagles now have open roster spot to work with. A Jessie Bates trade must be imminent! Except probably not. The guess here is the Eagles will look at add a camp body at another position. Perhaps they’ll sign someone from the USFL now that their season is over?