The Eagles made a flurry of moves on Tuesday to cut their roster to 53 players, but they were busy in the days prior.
Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman acquired three veteran players — wide receiver John Metchie III (Texans), quarterback Sam Howell (Vikings), and tackle Fred Johnson (Jaguars) — over the last eight days. Roseman also traded offensive lineman Darian Kinnard to the Packers for a 2027 sixth-round pick.
It has been a busy time for Roseman, but he was able to bring in three players he's high on.
WR John Metchie III
The first acquisition was trading Harrison Bryant and a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Texans for Metchie and a 2026 sixth-round pick.
The 2022 second-round pick joined the Eagles ahead of their second preseason game and worked in quickly with the first team during Training Camp. He's in a talented wide receiver room alongside A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, and rookie Darius Cooper.
"I liked a lot of things about his tape at Alabama," Roseman said at Tuesday's press conference. "Coach (Nick Sirianni) and I, when we were watching him, went back and watched his Alabama tape, too.
"He's a natural separator. He can play inside and out. He's really good at the top of the route. He's a really good route runner. He's got really good hands. Tremendous character. Tremendous character."
QB Sam Howell
After the final preseason game, the Eagles traded for Vikings quarterback Sam Howell and a 2026 sixth-round pick, sending Minnesota a 2026 fifth-round pick and 2027 seventh-round pick.
Howell is back in the NFC East after he spent the 2023 season as the starter for the Washington Commanders, where he threw for 687 yards and five touchdowns in two games against the Eagles.
Roseman said he did work on Howell while he was in college at North Carolina and ironically watched him play former Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett when he was at the University of Pittsburgh. He's a player Roseman has followed over the years and feels will be a strong addition to the Eagles in 2025.
"(I) had a lot of appreciation for him as a player and his talent level and the person that he was, spending time with him, so a guy who's always on our radar," Roseman said. "... In this instance, just felt like Sam had a lot of value for our team right now."
No. 2 quarterback Tanner McKee is dealing with a finger injury, but Roseman said he would have made the Howell trade regardless of the situation.
"With our first two quarterbacks, we just thought it was an opportunity to improve in the short-term quarterback position, which is obviously a hugely important position," he said.
T Fred Johnson
On Monday, the Eagles traded a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Jaguars in exchange for tackle Fred Johnson.
Johnson spent the last two seasons with the Eagles and started six games in 2024, but he departed for Jacksonville in free agency before Roseman made a move to bring him back. Johnson proved to be a versatile swing tackle last year, stepping in when needed and giving the Eagles a bunch of quality snaps.
"When the opportunity arose to bring him back, we jumped at it," Roseman said. "Just someone that we feel really good about having here. That offensive tackle position, just like the quarterback position, you can never have too many of those guys that come in and play for you over the course of a season.
"We're trying to play a lot of games here. And so over the course of those games, you're gonna need guys to step up in backup roles. And Fred has shown he can do it at a championship level. Just really excited to bring him back."
— Written by Matt Ryan
