Earlier on Sunday afternoon, the Eagles announced several roster moves, including the return of offensive lineman Josh Andrews.
Just a short time before the Public Practice at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles announced two more roster moves, agreeing to terms with two veteran linebackers on one-year deals:
LB Zach Cunningham
A 2017 second-round draft pick by the Houston Texans, Cunningham was an immediate starter at inside linebacker for the Texans and was a starter for the most part in the four seasons he played there. Cunningham signed a contract extension with Houston prior to the 2020 campaign, making him one of the highest-paid linebackers in the game, and Cunningham started all 16 games and led the NFL with 164 total tackles, including an NFL-best 106 solo tackles. The 2021 season was a rocky one all around for Houston and Cunningham was no exception – he was waived in December. Tennessee claimed Cunningham off of waivers the next day and he started four games for the Titans to finish out the season. In 2022, Cunningham battled an elbow injury that limited him to six games. Tennessee released Cunningham in February.
LB Myles Jack
The 36th overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars after an outstanding career at UCLA, Jack played with the Jags through the 2021 season and started 82 of the 88 games he played in those six years, amassing 513 total tackles, including 335 solo hits. Jack also added 6.5 quarterback sacks and three interceptions. Jack began his career in Jacksonville as a strongside linebacker before moving into the starting role at the middle linebacker position. In the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Jack played 98 percent and 100 percent of the Jags' defensive snaps, which helped him land a lucrative four-year contract extension prior to the 2019 season. However, a knee injury in December of 2019 ended his season after just 11 games. Jack returned to start 14 games for Jacksonville in 2020 and 15 games in 2021, and then Jacksonville's new coaching staff released Jack in March, 2022. It didn't take long for Jack to find work, however, as he landed with Pittsburgh for the 2022 season. Jack had 13 starts in 15 games for the Steelers last season, contributing 104 total tackles, three passes defended, and three tackles for loss. The Steelers released Jack in March and he's been an unrestricted free agent since then.
"We really do feel good about the room," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said shortly after the announcement. "We just wanted to bring in some extra competition to let things shake out and see. At the end of the day, the best guys will play."
The moves have nothing to do with Nakobe Dean, per Sirianni. Dean has played well this summer, but is dealing with an ankle injury. Sirianni would not put a timetable on Dean's return, but noted that he is close to returning to the field.
Sirianni is familiar with Cunningham and Jack from when he was the offensive coordinator for the Colts. Both were division rivals, Cunningham with the Texans and Jack with the Jaguars. Sirianni remembers them as "really good players" who always had him on high alert. Cunningham was part of a good Texans team that was backed by a strong defense. Jack was a member of a dominant Jaguars defense that shutout Sirianni's offense in a low-scoring 2018 game. Cunningham and Jack will bring valuable experience and competition to the linebacker corps.
