Eagles practice squad news: Two in, two out

Philadelphia is adding a pair of former draft picks to their team.

By Brandon Lee Gowton@BrandonGowton Sep 7, 2022, 10:34am EDT

/ new

The Philadelphia Eagles officially announced some practice squad changes on Wednesday morning. Here’s an overview:

WR Auden Tate and TE Dalton Keene were signed to the practice squad.
QB Reid Sinnett and RB La’Mical Perine were released from the practice squad.

Let’s sort through this news on a player-by-player basis.

AUDEN TATE

Word of Tate’s signing first broke on Tuesday evening. Jordan Schultz originally had the scoop:

Here’s a phenomenal Auden Tate TD grab from #Falcons’ camp, via ESPN. Talented young WR that the #Eagles can further develop. https://t.co/cw80lSGfuq pic.twitter.com/X9U1VJrFxP
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 7, 2022

Tate is a relatively intriguing addition to the practice squad. He’s young enough to believe he still offers some level of upside. He boasts 95th percentile height (6’4⅞”), 95th percentile weight (228 lbs), and 92nd percentile arm length (33¾”) for his position. He brings NFL experience to the table with 118 career targets for 61 receptions, 799 yards (13.1 average), and two touchdowns in 35 games played (12 starts).

Tate spent four seasons in Cincinnati after the Bengals selected him with a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He left Cincy to sign with the Falcons earlier this year but Atlanta cut him to trim their roster down to 80 players. He only logged one reception for seven yards in the preseason.

Tate isn’t likely to amount to much in Philly but there are worse ways to spend a practice squad spot. He’s the fourth receiver on the PS along with Deon Cain, Britain Covey, and Devon Allen.

DALTON KEENE

Keene was a third-round pick (No. 101 overall) by the New England Patriots in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Pats liked him enough to trade up for him.

Injury issues have limited Keene, who turned 23 in April, to just three career receptions for 16 yards. Despite such limited production, the Eagles seem to be interested in his upside.

Here’s his pre-draft scouting report from NFL.com:

Swiss Army Knife versatility performing in-line, as a wingback, from the slot, as a fullback, and even as a personal protector in pass protection. He’s lean but well-defined and his play speed and competitiveness are both a plus. He will struggle against NFL power at the point of attack, but his ability to block in space and catch the football make him naturally suited for the H-back role, where teams can align him around the formation as needed. He should fit into a core special teams role even though he is surprisingly inexperienced in that area. He has the make-it-in-the-league play traits and mental makeup of a Day 3 target.

Sounds like an interesting player to have around.

REID SINNETT

Sinnett was QB4 with the Eagles claiming Ian Book to keep on the roster as QB3. He was expendable.

LA’MICAL PERINE

News of the Eagles adding Perine to their practice squad emerged before news that they claimed Trey Sermon off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers. Perine was expendable as the fifth running back at best. The Eagles still have Kennedy Brooks on the practice squad behind Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell, and Sermon on the roster.