EAGLES: Players try to de-stress as final cuts loom

PHILADELPHIA — This time of year, for a football player on the bubble of an NFL roster, is a time to get philosophical, even spiritual.

After all, with the third and final preseason game in the bag — a disconnected, 26-3 Eagles loss to the Minnesota Vikings, in which virtually no starters even dressed, on Saturday afternoon — it is a time that can either fulfill a dream or shatter it.

Whichever happens, the result can be life-altering. Final cuts are Tuesday.

“God has His hands on everything, so I’m just going to let Him take control,” Ainias Smith, who is competing for one of the Eagles’ last one or two wide receiver positions, said while he stood at his locker after the game. “I just go out there, control what I can control, and really let God do the rest. My faith is everything.

“My faith has always been part of my life, but recently, I feel like it has been a little bit more elevated because of certain circumstances,” said Smith, who had six catches for 36 yards and a 14-yard punt return against the Vikings. “The first couple weeks, I really wasn’t having the success that I wanted. But I feel like God was just putting me through the fire, and I came out untouched.”

Smith, an Eagles fifth-round pick (152nd overall) out of Texas A&M, was the only SEC player to surpass 2,000 receiving yards, 250 rushing yards, 250 punt return yards and 250 kick return yards in his college career. But he is at risk of becoming the first Eagles draft pick not to make the initial 53-man roster since Jacoby Stevens, a sixth-round pick in 2021.

Fellow receiver Parris Campbell, who appeared in 44 games with the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants during the first five years of his pro career, seemed like a good early bet to make the Eagles’ roster. But then he injured his groin and missed time this preseason.

Also, the acquisition of Jahan Dotson, who will slide into the third receiver slot, bumped Campbell down a level.

“I’m at peace,” said Campbell, who had a pair of catches for 34 yards and a kick return for 18 against Minnesota. “I had that injury in the middle of camp that kept me out for a little bit. Human nature, you’d say that would stress me out, but I’m a guy that stands on faith, that leans on God. I truly believe that whatever is supposed to happen will happen.

“Obviously, missing that time, it sucked,” he said. “But I got to come back and play in this game today, and made a couple plays. … At the end of the day, football is just what we do, it’s not who we are. Everybody in this room is blessed to be in this room. We were chosen to be in this room. Not everybody gets to do what we do. This is the 1 percent of 1 percent.”

Safety Tristin McCollum is another player on the bubble. Since being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Texans in 2022, he has existed in a rotating purgatory of being waived by the Texans, picked up by the Eagles on a reserve/future contract, waived by the Eagles, signed to the Eagles’ practice squad, temporarily elevated twice from the practice squad, and signed again to a reserve/future contract.

This August, McCollum has been outstanding. Against the Vikings, he was a bright spot on an otherwise concerning defense, with nine tackles and a pass defended. He fits the description of a “high motor” guy.

“I’m just blessed for any opportunity the coaches give me, and I’ll help this team any way I can,” McCollum said. “(This process) is nerves, it’s anxiety, it’s stressful. I’m sure all the guys feel that way, whether they say it or not.

“This can be a stressful time for a lot of players, especially bubble players like myself,” he said. “So, I just have to keep taking every single day with everything you’ve got. You never know when it’s going to be your last. Just work, and don’t worry about what you can’t control.”

Speaking of safeties, embattled veteran James Bradberry, who has been attempting to transition from cornerback to safety, surprisingly didn’t dress against the Vikings. He was an All-Pro corner in 2022, but his performance dramatically dropped off last year.

Why was he held out on Saturday? Does that mean he already has made the team, or do the Eagles want to keep him healthy so they can cut him?

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was non-committal when pressed postgame.

“Everybody had different reasons for why they didn’t play, and with James, same deal,” Sirianni said. “We felt like he was in a position where we were comfortable, and that’s why he didn’t play.

“James has had some really good moments here,” he said. “He’s been a great teammate and made some great plays here. I’m excited that he’s here and has the versatility that he has.”

Hmm…

Tuesday will provide the real answer, for all these guys.

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Christiaan DeFranco covers the Philadelphia Eagles, preps and other sports for MediaNews Group. Follow him on X at @the_defranc.

Source: Berkshire mont