Predicting who makes this Philadelphia Eagles 2020 practice squad

Who should the Philadelphia Eagles keep in the trenches on defense?

Last year, Joe Ostman was making progress but was carted off the field in early August after suffering a season-ending knee injury during Philly’s open practice at Lincoln Financial Field. This year, he came close to making the cut but the emergence of seventh-round pick Casey Toohill in camp and Philly’s decision to stick with Genard Avery took away his chances of making the roster.

The ‘Birds’ like Ostman’s work ethic and determination. He’s had his moments the past two Summers and many want to see if he get on the field for a real game. Philly needs to keep him around because, if Genard Avery doesn’t perform, Ostman could take advantage of the opportunity.

Matt Leo has an International practice squad exemption that allows him to be on the practice squad without it counting against the 16-player limit. He’s built pretty well but just hasn’t played much at all. At best, the Eagles will have to see if they can develop any of his traits and give him a role down the road but don’t expect anything big from him.

Once Malik Jackson went down last year, the Birds couldn’t find a suitable partner for Fletcher Cox’s in the middle of the Eagles defensive line. Hassan Ridgeway played well but got injured and Timmy Jernigan was mediocre once again.

Anthony Rush didn’t completely fill Jackson’s void but showed that he can play in the NFL. He saw the field for nine games and 149 snaps and tallied a mere nine tackles, three for a loss of yardage, and two pass deflections. The 350-pound beast was constantly clogging up the interior and closing running lanes to allow his teammates to make plays. He’s the next man up if anything happens to the four defensive tackles on the 53-man roster.

Raequan Williams was another guy who turned some heads at training camp. He was the second-highest-paid undrafted rookie behind Juriga. The Michigan State product was a dominant force in the run game in college and played against high-level competition in the Big Ten conference.

There’s a chance he becomes a rotational defensive tackle in a few years if he continues to do what he did well this past summer. Learning under Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and Jackson will be a major benefit for Williams and Rush.