First Changes

Posted: August 27th, 2025 | Author: Tommy Lawlor

The Eagles initial 53-man roster did not even last 24 hours before the changes started being made. Howie Roseman made it clear on Tuesday that he would be making changes so none of this came as a surprise.

The first news we got was a waiver claim that the Eagles made, picking up C/G Willie Lampkin, one of the most fascinating players to come out of the 2025 draft. Lampkin played in the Senior Bowl. He measured in at 5103, 270. That means he is just a shade over 5-10 and only weighed 270 pounds. That was shockingly small. Here is what I wrote about him back in January.

UNC center Willie Lampkin is 5-10, 270. That is tiny for an OL. But the dude can play. He has good feet. He plays with good leverage (you can’t help that at his size). Lampkin anchors well despite the lack of bulk. Fran Duffy and I were talking about what to do with him. He can obviously play, but that’s too small for the NFL. We’ll see if he can add weight between now and the Combine or his Pro Day.

Lampkin went undrafted and signed with the Rams. They listed him at 290. I don’t know how accurate that is, but he did bulk up from what he was down in Mobile. Lampkin looked really good this summer.

Why did the Rams let him go? Lampkin had a knee injury. They took a chance in waiving him. 30 teams passed on claiming Lampkin, but the Eagles snatched him. I love this move.

Lampkin is undersized, but he is a good player. He uses his size to his advantage, playing with great leverage. He’s strong. He uses his hands well and has active feet. Lampkin has good movement skills. I’m excited to see what he does under the tutelage of Jeff Stoutland and in the Eagles scheme.

The Eagles also signed LS Charley Hughlett to the active roster. I think they were hoping to have him on the practice squad for a few weeks, but obviously got concerned he might go elsewhere so they made the move.

In order to make room for Lampkin and Hughlett, the team let go of Tristin McCollum and Trevor Keegan. They might bring one or both back to the practice squad. We’ll see about that. Lampkin replaces Keegan, OL for OL. Lampkin has higher upside and looks like a better player already. The McCollum cut is interesting because the Eagles only have three safeties on the roster. One of them is Andrew Mukuba, who is hurt right now. The McCollum cut makes you think Mukuba must be close to returning.

The Eagles announced most of their practice squad signings.

QB Kyle McCord
WR Elijah Cooks
WR Terrace Marshall
TE E.J. Jenkins
TE Cameron Latu
G Kenyon Green
T Hollin Pierce
OLB Patrick Johnson
OLB Antwaun Powell-Ryland
LB Chance Campbell
CB Parry Nickerson
CB Brandon Johnson
CB Eli Ricks
S Andre Sam

That covers 14 spots. The PS has multiple functions. First, they are needed for gameday depth. Andre Sam is on the PS in case you need to elevate him for a game. The same is true of someone like Patrick Johnson. The PS is also helpful for practice. You need some of these guys to be on the scout team as it goes against the starting offense or defense. That’s why you see a variety of positions.

The PS is also important for player development. Hollin Pierce didn’t play his way on the PS with anything he did this summer. He’s here because of his raw ability and the team’s hope they can develop him into something. The same is true for Antwaun Powell-Ryland and Kyle McCord. The Eagles liked them enough to draft the guys, but neither is ready to play now. The PS allows them to develop and see if they can be at a different level next summer.

The Eagles weren’t done.

Estime is 5-11, 221. He’s a power runner who lacks ideal speed and athleticism. I did like him coming out in the 2024 draft. Here are my notes from that.

Big, physical runner. Plays faster than he times. Just watch the long TD run vs NC State. He looked plenty fast. Good pass catcher. Good pass protector. Runs behind his pads. Will run over defenders when he can. Downhill runner. Not very elusive. Does a good job of reading blocks. Probably not a starting RB, but could be good backup. Doesn’t have great feet and that could limit him. Broke a lot of tackles in college. Tough to bring down once he gets going.

The Broncos waived Estime, which surprised some people. No one claimed him, but the Eagles were happy to add him to the PS. I think he can be a good fit in the Eagles offense.

More changes could be coming to the roster and the practice squad. This is a very fluid situation. The Eagles put in a claim on CB Jalyn Armour-Davis, but he was awarded to the Titans since they were first in the waiver claims order. The downside of winning the Super Bowl is that you’re 32nd. That attempt at least shows the team was interested in addressing the CB position. We’ll see if anything happens there in the next few days.

http://igglesblitz.com/2025/08/first-changes/

Not sure I get the move for Lampkin? I mean I know we like our smaller more athletic centres but that dude is tiny! Maybe Stout thinks he can work with him and they can add some weight to his frame? Sounds like he’s got some tools but I do think ultimately that’s a small dude and he’s going to find it hard to put on and keep on size together with that athleticism.

As for Estime… A friend of mine was really high on him coming out of college. Think that’s a really good and interesting move.