One Of Three Eagles Sixth-Round Picks from 2021 Victim Of First Wave Of Cuts

The Eagles began the process of trimming their roster to 53 players, a number they must reach by Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Eagles defenders from left to right: Tarron Jackson, Brandon Graham, Darius Slay, and Jordan Davis / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA – The first wave began to crash ashore in South Philly on Monday, with the Eagles getting down to the business of trimming their roster to 53 players by Tuesday at 4 p.m.

The first wave doesn’t typically catch anyone off guard because it’s relatively easy to predict, but there was one notable name that was drowned in that first wave, and that is Tarron Jackson. The defensive end was one of three sixth-round draft picks in the Eagles' 2021 class. The release was first reported by Andrew DiCecco of insidethebird.com.

The other two sixth-rounders in that class were defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu and safety JaCoby Stevens. The plums that year, of course, were DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson, both of whom signed second contracts this past offseason. Milton Williams, Zech McPhearson, Kenny Gainwell, and Patrick Johnson all came that year, too.

Williams and Gainwell have roster spots sewn up while Tuipulotu, McPhearson, and Johnson are on the bubble.

Stevens never did anything in the league, but Jackson appeared to have a future carved out after appearing in 12 games as a rookie and playing 22 percent of the defensive snaps. He made 17 tackles with one sack, nine quarterback hits, and one forced fumble.

In Year 2, however, the Eagles brough in Haason Reddick as a free agent and drafted defensive tackle Jordan Davis. Jackson was limited to four games and just 27 defensive snaps and did not play in the postseason that year as the Eagles made their way to the Super Bowl.

Last year, Jackson spent the season on the practice squad. That is a fate that could await him again this year.

After getting their roster to 53 on Tuesday afternoon, the Eagles can begin stocking their 16-player practice squad at noon on Wednesday.

Others released per DiCecco and Aaron Wilson of a local TV station in Houston include receivers Austin Watkins and Griffin Hebert, offensive lineman Max Scharping, and undrafted free agent safety Andre Sam.

Any of them could end up on the practice squad. Either way, it’s unlikely that any of the players so far made anybody’ 53-man roster prediction.

That’s the way the first waves of cuts go, but there are still more to come before the bigger waves begin to land.

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