Eagles Waive Ja'Quinden Jackson With Injury Settlement, Release Three Time All-Pro On Special Teams

The Philadelphia Eagles are starting to trim their roster heading into the fianl week of training camp.

In a series of roster moves prior to the start of the final week of training camp, the Eagles waived running back Ja'Quinden Jackson with an injury settlement and released safety J.T. Gray.

Jackson suffered a major injury scare on the opening kickoff of the Eagles' preseason game against the Patriots on Saturday night. He left the field in an ambulance and had feeling and movement in all extremities -- per the Eagles. Jackson was taken to the hospital for further evaluation and traveled home with the team.

Since the Eagles waived Jackson with an injury settlement, Jackson will be off the roster and another team will have 24 hours to claim him. If no team claims Jackson, the Eagles will have a short period to reach an injury settlement with him -- usually compensates for the expected amount of weeks he'll miss.

Once the injury settlement is finalized, Jackson immediately becomes a free agent once he's medically cleared. Jackson can sign with any other NFL team then, but can not re-sign with the Eagles until the injury settlement weeks expire plus an additional three weeks as a "penalty."

Gray signed with the Eagles in March and was a contender to make the roster as a special teams standout. He's a three-time All-Pro on special teams, the most recent coming in 2024 with the Saints. Gray is still regarded as one of the top gunners in the game.

The Eagles gave Gray an opportunity to win a job at safety this summer, but he fell behind on the depth chart and out of the mix in recent weeks. Gray has played 103 games in eight seasons.

So what does the Gray move mean in terms of roster construction? There are some ramifications.

Kelee Ringo likely made the 53

Ringo plays another position than Gray, even though both are defensive backs. How does releasing a safety ensure Ringo is essentially a roster lock?

Both Ringo and Gray are special teams standouts, and it was difficult for the Eagles to keep two of them in the same secondary. Ringo is one of the best gunners in the league, and so is Gray.

The difference? Ringo is a contender in his battle for the final cornerback spot and Gray faded in the battle for the final safety spot.

The injuries at cornerback in recnet weeks for the Eagles helped Ringo state his case for the final cornerback spot. Ringo made a few highlight plays this preseason, getting an opportunity after Jonathan Jones was sidelined with a shoulder injury.

The Eagles need proven depth at cornerback and Ringo knows the system. Also helps he was a standout special teams player.

Gray faded out of the safety picture in recent weeks. Playing late in preseason games was the sign, as Cole Wisniewski, Andre Sam, Maximus Pulley, and Kapena Gushiken were ahead of him in the competition.

For the Eagles, it made sense to release Gray with a week remaining in camp. This gives Gray an opportunity to latch on with another team prior to cutdown day -- or immediately after the roster deadline. Gray doesn't have to go through waivers like the younger players that are cut, so he could latch on with another team sooner rather than later.

Roster down to 89 -- who's playing in finale?

The Eagles didn't sign any players for Jackson or Gray yet, which makes sense pending on who they want to see in the preseason finale. Even though the Eagles need bodies to get them through the final preseason game, the roster is still at 89 players.

Philadelphia could always add players for Friday's game, but let's look at who's available at running back and safety this week.

Will Shipley could play in the preseason finale, even if it's just for a few snaps. He did make the 53, so perhaps the Eagles don't want to risk that. Dameon Pierce (hamstring) upgraded to a limited participant Monday, so perhaps he may be ready for Friday. The Eagles may want to give a long look at Carson Steele as he's battling for a roster spot.

There are plenty of candidates that could win the No. 4 safety spot -- and they are highly likely to play Friday. Andre Sam, Maximus Pulley, Cole Wisniewski, and Kapena Gushiken are all are expected to see time in the secondary -- as all four are battling for the final safety spot.

In Gushiken's case, an extra defensive back who can play the slot, safety, and special teams. Perhaps Gushiken was why the Eagles moved on from Gray.

These are the first of many roster moves the Eagles will make over the next week. Let's see if the Eagles add any players for Friday, but they may have enough at running back and safety to get them through the preseason finale.

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