Eagles Place Travis Long On IR, Marcus Smith Has Chance To Shine
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Travis Long tore his ACL for a second straight summer and once again, Chip Kelly said Long would have made the team if he wasn't injured. The outside linebacker was poised to be a contributor behind Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin.
On Wednesday, the Eagles placed Long on the injured reserve list, officially ending his season once again.
To replace Long, the Eagles announced the signing of Diaheem Watkins. The undrafted rookie linebacker played his college football at UAB.
Watkins was tied for the Conference USA lead with 10 sacks in 2014. He started every game of his collegiate career.
The significance of the signing is to fill a spot on the 90-man roster. Watkins will not be tasked with replacing Long's presumed role.
That opportunity will more than likely be afforded to last year's top pick, Marcus Smith.
Expectations were high for Smith last season, not because he was a highly regarded prospect, but because the team used their first round selection at No. 26 to take him when many experts said he'd be available possibly into the third round.
Smith only played in eight games in his rookie season and recorded just one assisted tackle. Kelly made it clear all season long that Smith would have to earn his way onto the field regardless of where he was selected.
The word around camp is that Smith has bulked up throughout the off-season and is ready to flash some of that athleticism that is evident in his college tape. If Smith shows he can get to the passer consistently, he could be a serious new wrinkle to an already strong front-seven for the Birds.
Sometimes all you need is an opportunity. This could very well be Smith's time to shine.