The Philadelphia Eagles released veteran tight end Albert Okwuegbunam on Tuesday, just a few months after acquiring him in a trade with the Denver Broncos in August 2023. Okwuegbunam, who had been on Injured Reserve all season due to an abdominal injury, was activated to the team’s 21-day practice window on October 16. However, the Eagles were forced to make a decision this week about whether to activate him to the 53-man roster, place him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season, or release him. Ultimately, they opted for the latter. Since Okwuegbunam wasn’t part of the 53-man roster, this move does not free up any additional spots.
The 26-year-old tight end was drafted by the Broncos in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Missouri. Over his two seasons in Denver, Okwuegbunam appeared in 26 games, catching 54 passes for 546 yards and four touchdowns. He joined the Eagles last season, where he played in four games but didn’t register any receptions, despite seeing 57 snaps.
With the release of Okwuegbunam, the Eagles currently have three active tight ends on their roster: Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, and Jack Stoll. Goedert has missed the past three games due to a hamstring injury, and the team called up E.J. Jenkins from the practice squad for Sunday’s win over the Jaguars. Jenkins played 11 snaps on offense and eight on special teams. As Jenkins has now played the maximum number of games allowed as a practice-squad call-up, the Eagles may promote tight end C.J. Uzomah from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against Dallas. Uzomah, a 10-year veteran, has 192 career catches for 1,881 yards and 16 touchdowns but has not played since 2022 with the Jets.
