There are some Philadelphia Eagles tidbits that probably aren't worthy of their own articles, but we'll round them up here.
The Eagles activated the 21-day practice window for S Marcus Epps' return from injured reserve
Some of you may be thinking, "Wait, Marcus Epps is back on the team? When did that happen?" Well, after 53-man cutdowns, Epps reportedly asked for his release from the Patriots, was granted it, and he then signed with the Eagles' practice squad. He was elevated on game day each of the first three weeks of the season, before being added to the 53-man roster leading up to Week 4. Epps actually appeared in eight games for the Eagles this season before he landed on IR with an undisclosed injury.
Of course, Epps formerly played for the Eagles from 2019 to 2022, and he started on the 2022 team that lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. The following offseason, Epps signed with the Raiders in free agency. He started all 17 games once again in 2023, but tore an ACL in the Raiders' third game in 2024, causing him to miss the rest of the regular season. He signed with the Patriots in free agency in March.
The Eagles are presently thin at safety, with rookie starter Andrew Mukuba on injured reserve. In Week 13 against the Bears, third-year pro Sydney Brown got the start.
Brown was the team's third safety early in the season, and he had a regular role, mixing in at times in the base defense. However, his snaps dried up after Week 3. In the Eagles' Week 6 loss to the Giants, it's worth noting that Reed Blankenship left with an injury and it was Epps, not Brown, who filled in. In other words, before he went on IR, Epps was the third safety.
If he is ready to go by Monday night, Epps could be in line to start against the Chargers.
The Steelers waived former Eagles CB Darius Slay
The Steelers announced on Tuesday evening that they waived Slay, more or less to make room for the recently signed Asante Samuel Jr.
We have signed CB Asante Samuel Jr. to the Active Roster from the Practice Squad, claimed WR Adam Thielen off waivers from the Vikings, and waived CB Darius Slay from the Active Roster. @BordasLaw https://t.co/AkTKhw9Ai8
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 2, 2025
Slay is not a free agent. Every player is subjected to waivers after the trade deadline.
After the Eagles released Slay in a cost-cutting move this past offseason, he signed with Pittsburgh on a one-year deal worth $10 million, roughly $8.75 million of which was paid as a signing bonus. If another team claims him on waivers, they will only be on the hook for the unpaid portion of his roughly $1.25 million salary. He will be extremely cheap.
Slay's tenure in Philadelphia lasted five seasons, three of which resulted in Pro Bowl nods. During his time with the Eagles, he had nine regular season INTs, two of which he returned for TDs, as well as a pair of fumble returns for TDs. He saved some of his best play for the Eagles' Super Bowl playoff run following the 2024 season, when he had 14 tackles, a league-leading five pass breakups, and an INT in the Wildcard Round against the Packers.
I won't pretend to have watched a lot of Slay this season, but if the Steelers waived him while they are still in contention for an AFC North title, spoiler, he was not having a good season, even if Drew Rosenhaus' PR wing called it a "mutual parting."
Steelers and CB Darius Slay have mutually agreed to part ways, Slay’s agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey told ESPN. Slay is interested in continuing to play, and will consider signing with other teams. But his time in Pittsburgh has come to an end. pic.twitter.com/hyHdBotxkm
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 2, 2025
Obviously, Slay knows Vic Fangio's defense, and he has experience playing with the Eagles' other defensive backs. It's also worth noting that a month ago, the Eagles were interested in adding to their corner depth when they traded for Jaire Alexander, who then retired shortly thereafter. They feel like strong candidates to lob in a waiver claim on Slay.
'Hard Knocks' revealed a Jalen Hurts' accountability for his miscommunication with DeVonta Smith on the big missed third down opportunity against the Bears
You saw this play highlighted during the telecast, but Hurts missed Smith on what should have been an easy throw and catch for a big play.
There seemed to be some kind of miscommunication on the play, which simply can't happen in Week 13 between two guys who have played together for as long as Hurts and Smith have.
"It was two guys on two different pages, and that’s a bit of the issues that we’ve been having," Hurts said after the game. "We weren’t detailed enough on that, I wasn’t detailed enough in instructing him what to do as we prepared and making myself clear on that. I’m trying to find as many particulars as I can when it comes to the level of execution we have, and that’s a group effort that has to be there."
I can't decide if Hurts was truly taking full accountability there. On the one hand, he said he wasn't detailed enough. On the other hand, one could interpret that Hurts believed Smith was in the wrong because Hurts "wasn’t detailed enough in instructing him what to do," sort of like a parent who says, "I don't blame you, I blame myself for not raising you right."
Hurts probably just worded his post-game answer a little awkwardly, because on the field he clearly took accountability for the missed opportunity, and told Smith to keep doing what he's doing.
Hurts also later also voiced accountability for his fumble on the Tush Push. He's not playing well at the moment, but I do think Hard Knocks revealed some of his leadership qualities.
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