Defensive end Patrick Johnson has spent the past four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, but when Week 3 hits, he’ll be wearing a New York Giants uniform.
Philadelphia placed Johnson on waivers to make room on the 53-man roster for veteran offensive lineman Nick Gates ahead of its Week 2 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The Giants claimed him on September 17.
Due to an injury to top wideout A.J. Brown, the Eagles had to add a few pass catchers to their roster when Atlanta came to town. They brought wide receiver Parris Campbell and tight end E.J. Jenkins up from the practice squad for the game, which affected the roster count and resulted in Johnson getting waived.
The Eagles knew it was a risk placing Johnson on waivers, and they paid the price, as their NFC East rival scooped him up.
What Are Giants Getting in Ex-Eagles DE Patrick Johnson?
The top five Eagles in special teams snaps during the Nick Sirianni Era are no longer on the 53-man roster:
Patrick Johnson: 892
Zech McPhearson: 687
Jack Stoll: 616
Shaun Bradley: 594
Josh Jobe: 543
The Eagles selected Johnson in the seventh round of the 2021 draft (234th overall pick), and while he hasn’t been a significant contributor on the defensive side, he has been a standout performer on special teams.
Johnson has appeared in 49 games (two starts) and has accumulated 35 total tackles (one for loss), 3 quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery over his time with the Eagles. Including his appearance in the Eagles’ first game of the year against the Green Bay Packers, Johnson has played 892 snaps on special teams and 362 snaps on defense.
Considering what a key role player he has been for Philadelphia, it’s a tad surprising the Eagles would risk losing him by placing him on waivers.
“The hope was that Johnson would clear waivers and return to the Eagles’ practice squad but an NFL source told Eagles on SI that was unlikely,” John McMullen of Sports Illustrated reported.
Eagles Could’ve Made ‘Other Moves’ Instead
While the loss of Johnson will not be a devastating one for Philadelphia, it’s still a tad baffling to see the team sacrifice a capable and proven veteran when it wasn’t a necessary move.
“There are other moves they could’ve made to avoid this from happening,” Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation wrote.
“Did they really need to keep Byron Young around as a sixth defensive tackle who’s been a healthy scratch since joining the team? Why couldn’t they cut a vested veteran like, say, Oren Burks, who isn’t subject to waivers and then bring them back on the practice squad? It didn’t seem like there was a need to risk losing Johnson. But the Eagles did.”
Keeping Young over Johnson was arguably the team’s most head-scratching decision, but keeping Burks over Johnson is also worth discussing. The Eagles signed the 29-year-old Burks to a one-year deal worth just over $1 million. The veteran linebacker has primarily played special teams over his career, but he’s new to Philly, whereas Johnson was a familiar face.
Again, it isn’t a huge loss, but the team’s decision-making surrounding its roster has now resulted in a key special teamer heading to play for a divisional rival.
