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When the Eagles waived Christian Elliss on Wednesday, they expected him to clear waivers in order to bring back to their experimental team.
Oh.
Instead, they lost him. The Patriots released Elliss on waivers. And six teams (Patriots, Cardinals, Titans, Falcons, Broncos and Dolphins) placed a claim on the 24-year-old linebacker, ESPN’s Field Yates reported.
“We knew he had some good special teams out there, I thought he had a good game the other day. We were hoping (he would pull off the suspension),” the coach said. Eagles Nick Sirianni. “But you know, happy for Christians to stand on their feet. But, obviously, we hoped to bring him back. It is in a good location. And I wish him well.”
Ultimately, this appears to be a miscommunication by the Eagles front office. The team waited until Wednesday to release Elliss, perhaps hoping to get a hold of him.
The Eagles have other roster options for incoming linebacker Shaq Leonard. First, they could have put Leonard on the practice squad to begin with. But they also managed to cut Albert Okwuegbunam, who is now back in fourth place.
Instead, they cut a 24-year-old linebacker who is coming off some tough games on defense but is a special teams player. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. The Eagles are 10-2 and losing a special teams linebacker can’t sink the season; but it is a curious conclusion.
The Eagles have four tight ends on their 53-man roster: Zach Cunningham, Nicholas Morrow, Leonard and Ben VanSumeren. Sirianni said Friday that he feels “good” about the Eagles’ position in the standings.
Where the Eagles may miss Elliss, though, is on special teams.
Had the Eagles had Elliss on the practice squad, he would have been eligible for three game day promotions. That’s likely why the Eagles cut him over VanSumeren, who has already been picked off three times this season.
In 2023, you have more special players playing Elliss than any other player on the roster. Elliss leads the Eagles with 238 special teams tackles, ahead of Kelee Ringo (225), Josh Jobe (212), Patrick Johnson (189) and Nolan Smith (166).
Who will fill the void on Michael Clay’s special teams roster?
“Obviously, one person isn’t always perfect for the other,” Sirianni said. “As for the other guys, there’s going to be a lot of different guys that have opportunities in all of his different teams. Very pleased with Ben and what he was able to contribute on special teams. But we’re going to miss Christian’s contribution to it and we’ve been really good on special teams this year.”
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