Eagles place Davion Taylor on injured reserve, bring back practice squad linebacker

A hit to Philadelphia’s LB corps.

The Philadelphia Eagles officially announced some roster news on Wednesday. An overview:

• LB Davion Taylor was placed on injured reserve.
• LB Christian Elliss was re-signed to the practice squad.
• WR John Hightower, OT Brett Toth, and S Jared Mayden were designated as practice squad protections.

Let’s sort through these transactions on a player-by-player basis.

DAVION TAYLOR

Nick Sirianni previously said Taylor was expected to go on IR, so, no surprise here. Taylor suffered a knee injury during the Eagles’ Week 11 game that caused him to have surgery. Sirianni said Taylor might still be able to return later this season. By going on IR, he’ll miss at least three games.

Taylor’s injury is disappointing. Though far from perfect, the 2020 third-round pick has flashed some potential this season. Taylor rose up the ranks to become a top two linebacker on this team, paired with fellow current starter T.J. Edwards.

Alex Singleton replaced Taylor in Week 11 and he’s expected to be the top guy next to Edwards moving forward. The Eagles also have Shaun Bradley, Patrick Johnson, and Genard Avery on the roster at linebacker.

CHRISTIAN ELLISS

Elliss has bounced on and off the Eagles’ practice squad this year. His return was prompted by the need for more linebacker depth.

JOHN HIGHTOWER

Hightower leads all Eagles practice squad players in protections. One could think he might be able to be more helpful than Jalen Reagor right now, who isn’t really giving this team anything positive. Then again, Hightower hasn’t exactly shined in limited playing time. Regardless, the Eagles don’t want to lose him.

BRETT TOTH

The Eagles still value Toth’s long-term potential.

JARED MAYDEN

The Eagles only have four safeties on the roster so Mayden gives them a fifth body for practice purposes.

See below for a current look at the Eagles’ 2021 practice squad.

Format: Position, player, (times protected this season), [times elevated this season]*

*Not counting COVID-19 elevations.

WR John Hightower (9) [1]

OT Le’Raven Clark (6)

G/T Kayode Awosika (3)

CB Craig James (3)

T/G Brett Toth (2)

S Jared Mayden (2)

TE Noah Togiai (2)

DT Marvin Wilson (2)

TE Richard Rodgers (1) [2]

RB Jason Huntley

WR KeeSean Johnson

WR Deon Cain

DE Cameron Malveaux

DT Raequan Williams

LB JaCoby Stevens

LB Christian Elliss

{DE Matt Leo — international exemption – doesn’t count towards limit}