The Eagles love the fact that they multidimensional players in the secondary. That versatility has helped already this season, as Jaylen Watkins chipped in at cornerback in the first two games, and it could be a factor for the defense on Sunday against the Giants.
With Watkins (hamstring) and safety Rodney McLeod (hamstring) "day to day," according to head coach Doug Pederson, and with safety Corey Graham also nursing a hamstring injury – he did not practice on Wednesday, but watched from the sidelines – the Eagles are down to only a few options. With that in mind, they were glad to be awarded safety Trae Elston off of waivers from Buffalo on Wednesday.
Elston, who will wear No. 35, is at the NovaCare Complex learning a crash-course version of the defense and special teams in preparation for Sunday's game. He's in game shape, having appeared in both of the Bills' contests this season. Elston has good size at 6-0, 190 pounds and he's known as a physical player.
Originally signed by New Orleans after the 2016 NFL Draft, the University of Mississippi product was released by the Saints in September of 2016, added to Tampa Bay's practice squad that October and released a month later. Elston joined Cleveland's 53-man roster last December but stayed there only two weeks. He finished the 2016 campaign on the Browns' practice squad and signed a futures contract with the team after the season.
After being released by the Browns, Elston hooked on with Buffalo and stayed with the Bills until earlier this week.
Elston is now in the safety mix with the Eagles.
What does it all mean for Sunday? Well, with McLeod and Watkins facing a battle to play and with Graham a question mark, the Eagles have Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Maragos and now Elston healthy. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Graham start alongside Jenkins, however, if his hamstring injury progresses well this week
It may not be a long-term concern, but depth at safety is an issue for this week against a Giants team with a potent passing attack.
The Eagles will take on division rival New York Giants in the Week 3 home opener. Check out their key players to watch.
QB Eli Manning led the Giants to their first postseason appearance in five years in 2016. Manning has two Super Bowl MVPs to his resume and ranks among the top 10 all-time in passing yards.
WR Odell Beckham Jr.'s status for the Week 3 contest is still undetermined. If he's healthy, the Giants will have one of the league's most lethal playmakers on the field. In six games against the Eagles, Beckham Jr. has raked in 524 yards and four touchdowns.
WR Sterling Shepard caught 8 touchdown passes as a rookie in 2016. Shepard pulled in two of those touchdowns against the Eagles.
WR Brandon Marshall joined the Giants in the offseason. The six-time Pro Bowler climaxed the 1,000 receiving yard plateau eight times out of his first 10 NFL seasons.
DE Olivier Vernon led the Giants in sacks last season with 8.5.
CB Janoris Jenkins has started 74 out of a possible 76 games in his career. Jenkins was named second-team All Pro after defending 16 games and three interceptions last season.
CB Dominique Rodger-Cromartie earned second-team All-Pro honors alongside Jenkins. He notched a team-high six interceptions and 21 passes defended.
S Landon Collins earned a first-team All-Pro nod after his sophmore campaign for the Giants. Last season, Collins had five interceptions and returned one of them for a touchdown.
DE Jason Pierre Paul lines up for his eighth season in New York. In that span, he's accumulated 50 sacks which ranks seventh-highest in Giants history.
