Eagles Defensive Tackle Motivated By Raiders Release: "I Was Completely Blindsided"

He was the last man added to the Eagles' 53-man roster, so it may take some time for him to develop, but he is an intriguing prospect.

Nov 12, 2022; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Byron Young (47) sacks Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart (2) at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 30-24. Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports / gary cosby jr.-usa today sports

PHILADELPHIA – He was the last guy added to the 53-man roster, arriving on Aug. 29, so don’t expect Byron Young to suit up in Brazil. He will likely be one of the gameday inactive players.

Still, the 6-3, 295-pound defensive tackle is an intriguing prospect. So much so, that the Eagles claimed him when he was released by the La Vegas Ridiers after training camp was over and cut veteran Marlon Tuipulotu.

There were only 69 players taken ahead of Young in the 2023 draft, who entered the league out of the University of Alabama.

"I was completely blindsided,” he said. “It seemed like everyone else was, too. Sometimes things just happen. It's part of the business.”

Cutting a player just one year after drafting him is either a colossal blunder on the Raiders’ part or a gamble for the Eagles that won’t work. It’s probably a safe bet, though, that the Eagles will give Young longer to reach his potential than the Raiders did.

Young still has three years left on his rookie contract, so he figures to be staying put for a while, unless he is a total washout.

"It's a lot of motivation,” he said about the change of scenery and how it happened. “It's a lot. I wanna come here and I wanna make an impact. There's a chip on my shoulder because (the Raiders) kind of just threw me to the wayside, but I feel like I'm in a much better situation here with a much better team. I'm excited to be here.”

Young said the Raiders didn’t give him any reason for his release.

“Not really anything too specific,” he said. “They didn't even ask me to bring the playbook. They asked me to come see the GM and the GM just said we're going to move on, go in a different direction. The head coach said that too, so I left and came here.”

The process after heaing the bad news went down quickly.

Young flew back to his home in Mississippi after being cut. Not long after he landed, he got the news from his agent, Nicole Lynn, that the Eagles claimed, so he was right back on a plane flying to Philly the next day. Lynn also represents Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.

“Right now, I'm just trying to learn everything,” said Young, “learn the basis of the defense and if my name is called Friday, I'll be ready to go.

"I hope to be another key piece for the next few years. That's really what I wanna be. I wanna be able to make an impact right away this year.”

It may take a few weeks to get up to speed, but life in the NFL moves fast and Young could be on the field sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, he has another adjustment to make, and that is living out of a suitcase in a hotel room until he gets his bearings.

"I’m just going to continue doing what I'm doing, continue to do what I was doing in Vegas," he said. "A lot of guys over there saw my progress, a lot of coaches did. Just continue doing what I was doing.”

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