Eagles sign former first-round pick, open Byron Young’s practice window

The Philadelphia Eagles officially announced two roster moves on Wednesday afternoon. An overview:

S Lewis Cine was signed from the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad to the Eagles’ active roster.

DT Byron Young’s 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve was opened.

Let’s sort through this news on a player-by-player basis.

LEWIS CINE
You probably recognize Cine’s name since he was a first-round pick (No. 32 overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Cine suffered a compound fracture as a rookie that limited him to just three games. He then appeared in just seven games in 2023. All told, he played just 10 defensive snaps and 118 special teams snaps before the Vikings waived him prior to the 2024 regular season.

Cine wasn’t out of a job for long; he signed with Buffalo’s practice squad shortly after leaving Minnesota. The Bills temporarily elevated him for one game in 2024. Cine did not appear on defense but he did log 16 special teams snaps.

By virtue of signing him away from another team’s practice squad, the Eagles are giving Cine a guaranteed three-week salary. He will also automatically count against the 53-man roster for at least three weeks even if he’s waived before then.

The Eagles signing a fifth safety wasn’t expected but they seem to value Cine’s long-term potential. He’s only 25. Perhaps the Birds will be able to get the best out of him while he’s surrounded by a number of his former Georgia Bulldog teammates in Philly.

The Eagles had an open roster spot to fill after waiving Ian Book on Tuesday.

Cine’s college scouting report via NFL.com:

Cine plays with a willing aggressiveness that fit right in with Georgia’s talented stop unit. He plays with an urgent, downhill approach, which leads to memorable collisions but he’s not always under control in getting there. He doesn’t have desired mass and stopping power for his style of play, but the work gets done. Cine lacks range and instincts to play over the top and is better suited to split safety and down safety alignments. He can handle man coverage underneath but doesn’t have the hips to swing and sway with talented receivers down the field. Cine has future starting potential as a zero flinch safety, but has limitations for defenses to consider.

Highlights video:

Spider graph via Mockdraftable:

The Eagles opening Young’s practice window to return wasn’t an expected development. The 2023 third-round pick was essentially a glorified practice squad member when he was on the roster earlier this season since he wasn’t active for a single game.

The Eagles placed Young on injured reserve back in late October. He purportedly suffered a hamstring injury during practice.

The Eagles opening Young’s practice window doesn’t necessarily guarantee they’ll eventually open a roster spot for him. It’s possible they just want to get him practicing in the event that he can be ramped up and ready to play if they suffer a defensive line injury.

If the Eagles reach the end of Young’s practice window and they determine they don’t need to activate him, they can just keep him on IR and shut him down for the rest of the season.