The news came with congratulatory handshakes and hugs from teammates. After being drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round, showing flashes in Training Camp and ultimately being added to the practice squad, wide receiver Marvin McNutt's day finally came. On Friday, McNutt received a call from his agent that the Eagles were adding the Iowa product to 53-man roster.
"When you put in the work that all of us put in all year long, and to be a part of it, even if you're just on the practice squad, finally getting called up is still a great opportunity and a great feeling," McNutt said after practice Friday. "It's really just a blessing, going through your adversity in college and still being able to get to the goal that you wanted to start in college."
McNutt started his college career as a quarterback before being converted to wide receiver by Iowa's receivers coach Erik "Soup" Campbell. In just over two seasons, McNutt became Iowa's all-time leading receiver, finishing with 170 receptions, 2,861 yards and 28 touchdowns.
On Tuesday, the Eagles released defensive end Jason Babin and placed wide receiver DeSean Jackson on Injured Reserve, opening up two spots on the roster. McNutt tried not to think too much about getting one of them.
"Really, you just have to play it by ear and just keep continuing to practice, keep not really trying to think about it too much," he said. "I was just waiting for the time when the coaches told me."
It's unclear whether McNutt will dress for the game Sunday night. The Eagles have only four receivers on the active roster who have been with the team longer than two weeks: Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Riley Cooper and Damaris Johnson. Greg Salas is on the roster, but first arrived to Philadelphia last Friday. If the Eagles want to use McNutt, he would provide another big target for quarterback Nick Foles.
McNutt is just happy for the chance and eager to help wherever he can.
"My thing is to do whatever I can to help the team," he said. "Whether it's being in for one play or if it's just even for moral support, but if they have me up in to play, my goal is to know what I'm doing and to do my job."
Make sure to follow us on Twitter @EaglesInsider
