Remove Luke Lawton's name from the list of candidates looking to nail down the team's fullback job. A competition that has included the likes of Jason Davis, Dan Klecko, rookie Jed Collins, and most recently, halfback Tony Hunt, was trimmed by one Saturday as Lawton was among three players released by the Eagles.
A day after a 27-17 win over New England, the Eagles cut Lawton, receiver Frantz Hardy and offensive lineman Cameron Stephenson.
The roster now stands at 77 players. Andy Reid and his staff have until 4 p.m. (ET) Tuesday to trim the roster to the mandated 75-player limit. We'll have more on the cuts and an update on free safety Brian Dawkins on Sunday at 11 a.m. on Eagles Live!
Meanwhile, the competition at fullback figures to go right down to Thursday's preseason finale against the Jets. It was Davis' job to lose in the spring. The team added the versatile Klecko in the offseason in hopes of converting him into a full-time fullback, but that experiment ended in the early summer and Klecko was moved to his natural position of defensive tackle, where he has excelled.
Davis caught a touchdown pass in the preseason opener against the Steelers. Collins, an undrafted rookie free agent out of Washington State, started the Carolina game, and Hunt was inserted at the position last week and started at fullback against the Patriots. Both Collins and Hunt have made plays on special teams during the preseason, and special teams coordinator Rory Segrest said recently that the fullback must contribute on special teams.
