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Philadelphia Eagles add veteran safety Trae Elston to the roster

By Justin Grasso

FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 24: Trae Elston #36 of the Buffalo Bills is called for pass interference as he defends Rob Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots during the third quarter of a game at Gillette Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 24: Trae Elston #36 of the Buffalo Bills is called for pass interference as he defends Rob Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots during the third quarter of a game at Gillette Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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After working out a safety on Tuesday, the Philadelphia Eagles decided to add a low profile player in former Buffalo Bills safety, Trae Elston.

The safety position has had all eyes on it for the Philadelphia Eagles throughout the duration of OTAs. Why’s that exactly? Simply because of the absence of Malcolm Jenkins. With Jenkins in the mix, the Eagles know who their starters are. Jenkins and Rodney McLeod when healthy. Unfortunately, Jenkins is anticipating a standoff with the front office for a new contract, and McLeod is currently still trying to get back to one-hundred percent after a season-ending injury.

So with the on-field absences of McLeod and Jenkins brings a deep competition to the back end of the Eagles’ secondary. Right now, their starters in minicamp would be Tre Sullivan and Andrew Sendejo. They have also added Blake Countess from the Los Angeles Rams recently and re-structured his deal, which indicated they might have bigger plans for him than initially expected.

As of right now though, the Eagles still aren’t set on the safety position for the offseason. On Tuesday, they brought in veteran safety, Johnathan Cyprien for a workout. While many speculated that Cyprien could be the short-term replacement for Jenkins in case of an emergency, that doesn’t really seem to be the case. The Eagles are confident that they will get Jenkins back in due time. Right now, it seems their moves at safety are nothing more than depth.

The Eagles bring in another body

On Wednesday, the Eagles have announced that they waived linebacker B.J. Bello in order to make room for former Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins safety, Trae Elston. Being in the league since 2016, Elston has been quite the journeyman. He was undrafted out of Ole Miss and signed with the New Orleans Saints shortly after the draft went down.

Next. Where does Malcolm Jenkins rank in terms of value?. dark

Elston wouldn’t make the Saints’ final roster after spending the entire summer with them in 2016. That year, he ended up on three teams, only cracking the final 53-man roster once, with the Cleveland Browns. Since then, Elston has managed to get onto four different rosters, one being the Philadelphia Eagles during 2017. It would be ideal for Elston to set up shop in Philly permanently, but unfortunately for him, he could potentially be on the move once again when the Eagles get both of their starters back onto the field.

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