The Philadelphia Eagles' talked-about receiver position is starting to clear up after a few surprising cuts on Sunday.
The team announced that wideouts Rueben Randle and Chris Givens were among the players released as the team reduced their roster from 90 to 75 players. This initial cutdown doesn't often include well-known names, but perhaps the Eagles wanted to give these two veterans a chance to land a job elsewhere.
Randle had the most career production on this unproven depth chart, but his reputation for mental errors and uneven effort followed him to Philadelphia. With that said, there was still some belief during training camp that he could wind up starting for the team.
Givens' release is less of a surprise, although he was taking snaps with the Eagles starters just a day before the release. (Sam Bradford's first completion Saturday against the Colts was a 19-yard gain to Givens.) Givens, who played with Bradford in St. Louis, spent most of last season on the Ravens.
With Randle and Givens out of the picture, Philly's wideout depth chart looks pretty clear. Nelson Agholor, Josh Huff and recent trade acquisition Dorial Green-Beckham figure to all get snaps behind No. 1 wideout Jordan Matthews. Since Matthews is best in the slot, Agholor figures to get continued chances to prove he was worth Philly's first-round pick a year ago. Huff made a few big plays in Saturday's game and undrafted free agent Paul Turner has an improved shot to make the team.
The Eagles also cut long snapper John DePalma, cornerback Randall Evans, offensive lineman Andrew Gardner, defensive tackle Mike Martin, safety Nick Perry and cornerback Denzel Rice. They placed defensive end Alex McCalister (calf) and linebacker Joe Walker (knee) on injured reserve.
