Predicting who makes this Philadelphia Eagles 2020 practice squad
By Hunter Doyle
54. . . . Grayland Arnold, defensive back. . player
These defensive backs look promising for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Grayland Arnold probably should’ve made the 53-man roster after the show he put on in training camp. The Eagles decided to keep Marcus Epps who played in three safety sets last year and Rudy Ford who was the starting gunner on the punt team. With Will Parks missing time, keeping Epps does make sense.
The coaches love Ford and he did make a big impact on special teams, but the ceiling feels higher for Arnold. His versatility in the defensive backfield is something Jim Schwartz has to be intrigued by. He performed against top-tier talent while at Baylor. He’s a true ball hawk.
While now isn’t the time for him to shine, his time should come soon enough. Expect him to get on the field by the end of the year.
. Michael Jacquet, defensive back. . player. 54. .
Michael Jacquet is a lock for the practice for the staff here at ITI. He has good size coming in it six-foot-one and 195 pounds, and he possesses an 82-inch wingspan which is unheard of. He’ll be able to reach and break up more passes than most.
If the Eagles can improve his technique, he could potentially see time in the secondary in the near future. The only problem is that he switched from wide receiver to defensive back in his junior year of college so he lacks experience. He didn’t appear to lack experience when he was on the field, but he evidently needs more time before he’s NFL ready.
player. 54. . . . Elijah Riley, defensive back.
Like Arnold and Jacquet, Riley made it pretty far into camp before he got cut on Thursday. Riley is a sound tackler and likes to get his hands on his opponent early and often to throw them off balance. The confidence out of the young man is respectable.
He’s another guy who could play multiple spots in the secondary and earn a role in a couple of years. The skills are evident, they just need to be honed for quite some time.