Eagles Quietly Re-Signed Former Patriots DE
The Philadelphia Eagles were active throughout the week ahead of their Week 11 matchup against the Detroit Lions.
Philadelphia announced earlier in the week that the franchise was re-signing defensive end Titus Leo to the practice squad after a brief stint with the practice squad earlier in the season. In response, the Eagles released defensive back Ambry Thomas, per the team"The Eagles signed defensive end Titus Leo to the practice squad and released defensive back Ambry Thomas," the Eagles announced. "Leo, who had a brief stint on Philadelphia's practice squad earlier in the season, played his college ball at Wagner, where he was a two-time conference Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team FCS All-American in 2021. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Colts.
The Eagles made a move before the Lions game
"The 6-foot-3 Leo played in four NFL games last season with the New England Patriots, registering four tackles, one for a loss, and a pass defensed. Leo was claimed off waivers by the Titans in April before getting waived in early August. The Eagles signed Thomas to the practice squad in late August. He was a third-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2021."
Philadelphia's pass rush has been under a microscope for weeks. Leo is a depth piece for the practice squad with four games of NFL experience last season as a member of the New England Patriots.
The Eagles' pass rush is pretty set right now after the addition of Jaelan Phillips to go along with the return of Brandon Graham and Nolan Smith returning from injury.
Thomas has 42 games of NFL experience under his belt as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, but hasn't appeared in a game since 2023.
This is the type of move that likely won't impact the team much in the short-term, but it's another flier for the practice squad just in case the team needs to add another pass rusher at some point.
Saints Urged To Cut Ties With Young QB In Trade Deadline Buzzer-Beater
The New Orleans Saints lost Derek Carr to retirement during the offseason, which left them with a massive hole at the quarterback position for this season. After a quarterback battle, the Saints opted to start Spencer Rattler to begin the season as rookie signal caller Tyler Shough was thrown on the bench.
After a few weeks with Rattler at the helm, the Saints opted to bench him in favor of Shough. Rattler wasn't bad in his time as the Saints starter, but they have nothing to lose at this point, so starting Shough isn't a bad idea. But what does that mean for Rattler?
John Sigler of Saints Wire recently suggested the Saints could look to move on from Rattler in a trade ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline. Sigler listed Rattler as somebody "on the trade block" for the Saints.
Spencer Rattler could be a last-minute trade candidate for the Saints
"one of these guys would clear waivers if the Saints let them go, so it's worth fielding calls to see just how highly-valued they are by those on the outside looking in," Sigler wrote. "If the Saints could get a better pick than they used to draft one of them, it's definitely worth considering. But that doesn't mean we're necessarily shopping them. Rattler has value as a backup with experience starting games.
"Until the Saints know what they have in Shough or they have invested in a surefire starter, he's worth keeping in the quarterbacks room. Ford is a good special teamer. Boyd has unfulfilled potential, so it's kind of a mystery why he's a healthy scratch most weeks."
Trading Rattler wouldn't be a bad idea if the Saints were to get some attention for the star. Shough is seemingly the starter for the rest of the season, and the Saints will likely draft another quarterback at the top of the first round in the 2026 NFL Draft. This means either Shough or Rattler will be out of a job as the backup next season and all signs point to it being Rattler who's the odd man out.
It's unclear if the Saints will get any trade interest in Rattler, but if they do, there's a good chance they pull the trigger on a deal.
