It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Dante Olson lands on the Philadelphia Eagles active roster, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
If we ranked each of the Eagles’ remaining seven linebackers, Dante Olson might be the seventh. That doesn’t mean that he can’t play. That doesn’t mean that he’s done something wrong. All that means is he’s an undrafted six-foot-three and 237-pound prospect from a small school who needed every opportunity to flash, especially on grass.
Obviously, with no preseason games, that limits the opportunities. Meanwhile, Alex Singleton has ten games of experience in Jim Schwartz’s system, and in 2019, Dave Fipp used him often on special teams. He only has 198 special teams snaps and five total tackles on his career resume, but the ‘Birds’ coaches like him. He figures to compete for a role.
Most of what we know about Duke Riley is the result of the 34 career games he spent with the Atlanta Falcons. That includes two playoff games of course.
Riley’s time in ‘The Dirty’ produced 93 total tackles and two pass breakups. Philly acquired him thanks to a trade that sent Johnathan Cyprien to Atlanta. Both franchises also swapped future late-round draft picks. Like Singleton, Riley was a welcomed addition to the Eagles special teams unit as he was on the field for 254 special teams snaps in 2019, roughly 56 percent of the team’s total.
He was also on the field for 28 defensive snaps. He’s racked up 107 total tackles, including 64 solo stops over the course of his 47-game career. Don’t be surprised if he makes this team in 2020.