Eagles' first bye week move hints at something brewing before trade deadline

Usually, going into a bye week, that's when the least news is featured, with teams leaving early for the long weekend and break. The Philadelphia Eagles could end up being a lot busier with the trade deadline about a week away.

Starting the bye week, the Eagles announced the release of veteran cornerback Parry Nickerson from the active roster and edge rusher Titus Leo from the practice squad. Nickerson played in five games this season, and most of those snaps were on special teams as he made two tackles. Leo was just signed to the practice squad two weeks ago.

What do the moves mean for the Eagles for the rest of the bye week and the season

One obvious sign is that the Eagles are set to make room for Brandon Graham, who needs to be officially active on the roster by November 3 after unretiring and signing with the Eagles. The NFL gives teams two weeks to get returning players from retirement onto the roster and as roster exemptions.

Graham's presence is much needed in a game, as the edge rushers have struggled to create sacks this season. During the Eagles' 38-20 win over the New York Giants in Week 8, Jalyx Hunt had seven pressures and a sack, while Josh Uche was able to get a quarterback hit and had a strip sack taken away from him on a reversed call by the referees.

Nickerson's release is also a good sign that the secondary will be getting healthier. Adoree' Jackson was out with a concussion and is hoping to make a full recovery after the bye. Jakorian Bennett should also be ready to go after just coming off the IR recently.

There are questions about whether the Eagles are making roster moves to prepare for new players joining the team. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is expected to be very busy at the trade deadline, bringing in new talent to boost the roster. This might be the first step in doing that.

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Philly will make more moves like this throughout the week, so don't expect this to be a typical bye week for the Eagles. Roseman will be working the phones and keeping fans on the edge of their seats.