Three Eagles Who Anxiously Wait To See If They Made Roster "Try To Find Peace"

These three Eagles made compelling cases to find a home on the tea's 53-man roster, but did they do enough?

Aug 15, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV (59) sacks New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III (19) during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA – It’s out of their hands now, just as it is with so many Eagles on the roster bubble. They have made their cases, and now it’s time to sit and wait and, in the words of safety Tristin McCollum, “try to find some peace.”

Easier said than done, as many nervously await their fate, which could be learned any day, but defintely by Tuesday at 4 p.m. when NFL teams have to have their 53 players in place.

“It’s hard not to think about because it’s looming, but at the same point, my family’s here right now, so I always have my village around me,” said defensive tackle Thomas Booker.

Most on the bubble will try to lose themselves in the joy of being with family, sharing the company of those closest to them until such time that their cell phone rings with news – good or bad.

Offensive lineman Nick Gates was going out to dinner Saturday night with his brother and sister-in-law.

"I’m going to hang out with them,” he said. "I'm glad they’re here and be able to talk to them, have that moment, and time will tell.”

Gates spent four seasons with the New York Giants, but in 2021 suffered a lower-left leg fracture so severe, he would need seven surgeries. He signed with the Eagles a week after training camp began, forced to play catch-up, forced to perhaps to try to make a good impression before he was ready.

“If I was younger, it (a late training camp start) would definitely be more difficult, but this being my seventh year, it’s not super hard learning the playbook and they did a good job teaching me it, but (making an early impression) was definitely on my mind," he said. "I just wanted to go out there and be me and do what I do. It’s kind of the way I went about it and went about my business.”

Booker and McCollum have been through this cutdown hell before.

Aug 9, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Philadelphia Eagles safety Tristin McCollum (36) stands on the sidelines during the first half of a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

McCollum was cut last year by the Eagles but added to the practice squad. He was elevated three times during the season, making it into three games and finishing with six tackles in 29 snaps over those three games. Four tackles came in the regular-season finale against the Giants.

“Ever since that game, the confidence has been boosted,” he said. “It sets in, like, yeah, you can play with these guys. You can run around with these guys. You’re just doing the same thing you’ve been doing your whole life.”

Having a twin brother, Zyon, who has played in 30 games with 12 starts at cornerback for the Buccaneers, helps, too.

“You look at that and you’re like he’s doing it over there, why not me?” he said. “We call each other all the time, every single day. We talk ball, we talk as friends, as brothers, it’s very, very valuable having a guy like that in your circle.”

McCollum will spend time with his girlfriend while he waits the call, but his brother is on a different schedule so they won’t be together. They will Facetime and maybe, Tristin said, hop on a video game together.

For Booker, he was released by the Houston Texans after last year and feels like, after his third training camp, his time is now.

“For me, I try to put in a lot of work in the offseason on run defense, pass rush, having a plan with pass rush,” he said. “They talk about wide receiver shaving three different routes they can run out of one stem, I try to do that out of my pass rush plan and make everything look the same, and just in general, this is my third year in the league. I think the third time is the charm. I’ve done it twice now and now I’m starting to feel comfortable, and things are starting to slow down.”

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said in a recent press conference that Booker had been doing some nice things. Nice enough to earn that sixth defensive tackle job or supplant Marlon Tuipulto as the fifth DT on the roster?

“My mentality is that, I appreciate things like (Fangio’s comment), but it doesn’t change my mentality about the way I have to come out and work because football’s a business,” he said. “Nothing’s guaranteed. The only thing that is guaranteed is when you’re actually down there trying to make a play. If you make it, it helps you, if you don’t, it doesn’t.

"That’s where I’m at, trying to be present down to down. I appreciate those things (Fangio's comment), but I try not to let negativity or positivity get into my psyche.”

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