PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles have made notable roster moves after losing several players to injury, including bringing back a member of the 2022 Super Bowl team.
Starting edge rusher Nolan Smith, cornerback Jakorian Bennett and wide receiver Darius Cooper were placed on injured reserve, the Eagles announced on Wednesday.
The hope is that all three players on IR — Smith, Bennett and Cooper — will be back around the Eagles’ Week 9 bye week.
In corresponding moves, the Eagles elevated safety Marcus Epps, tight end Cam Latu and cornerback Parry Nickerson from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
The Eagles also added linebacker Lance Dixon, corner Eli Ricks and wide receiver Quez Watkins to the practice squad.
Dixon and Ricks spent training camp with the Eagles and were cutdown day casualties. But Watkins, who worked out for the Eagles earlier this month, is an interesting addition.
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Watkins spent four seasons (2020-23) with the Eagles after the front office selected him with the No. 200 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of Southern Miss.
Watkins had a relatively productive Eagles tenure as a sixth-round pick, logging 98 receptions for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns in 49 regular-season games (25 starts). He was the team’s WR2 in 2021 behind DeVonta Smith — and later dropped to WR3 after the addition of A.J. Brown.
Watkins’ time with the Eagles came to an unceremonious end. He had a costly drop in the Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs. In 2023, he missed five games due to injury.
Watkins signed a one-year deal with the Steelers in April 2024, was cut from the roster last August and spent the rest of the season on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. Watkins signed a futures contract with the Cardinals in January but was released by Arizona last month.
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