The Philadelphia Eagles announced some unexpected news on Sunday when the team announced that they had place linebacker Jatavis Brown on the reserve/retired list.
Here are three takeaways from the move.
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1. Brown may have wanted to opt-out
Signed early on in free agency, Brown went from would-be starter to unlikely to make the roster, and his love for the game likely dwindled from there. The timing is definitely odd and Brown was one of the linebackers mentioned in Jim Schwartz’s recent zoom meeting with the media. Schwartz described Brown as a player he was “excited” to add to the position because of his speed, along with draft picks Davion Taylor & Shaun Bradley.
2. Inexperience is the name
Scarcely used reserve Alex Singleton now becomes the oldest linebacker on the roster at 26 years of age. In terms of actual in-game experience, that distinction now belongs to Nate Gerry, who immediately becomes the de facto leader of the group based on playing experience alone.
3. Dante Olson should make the roster
Browns’ move to retire will pay huge dividends for rookie linebackers Davion Taylor and Shaun Bradley. The late-round draft picks just accrued more training camp reps and definitely at least nailed down spots on the special teams. For undrafted rookie Dante Olson, the Brown retiring should give him even more of a chance to avoid the practice squad and land on the 53 man roster.
