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Eagles Release Former 1st-Round Safety Despite Preseason Flashes

Philadelphia’s busy roster shuffle continued on Sunday. Just hours after acquiring quarterback Sam Howell, the Eagles made another move—this time in the secondary—by parting ways with an injured safety whose career has been derailed by setbacks.

The move was part of Philadelphia’s effort to trim the roster ahead of Tuesday’s final cutdown to 53 players. The team is expected to place the safety on injured reserve should he clear waivers, with an injury settlement also a possibility.

Once viewed as a high-upside athlete out of Georgia, he entered the league as a first-round pick in 2022. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 200 pounds, his 4.37-second 40-yard dash turned heads during the pre-draft process. Yet injuries—from a devastating leg fracture as a rookie to recent groin issues—have prevented him from finding consistent success at the NFL level.

That safety is Lewis Cine, a former Minnesota Vikings selection whom the Eagles had signed to their practice squad in January. Cine spent last season on Philadelphia’s roster during their Super Bowl LIX run, but struggled to climb the depth chart.

Cine was buried behind projected starters Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown, along with promising rookies Drew Mukuba, Tristin McCollum, Andre Sam’, and undrafted standout Maxen Hook. Despite returning for limited action in the preseason finale against the Jets—where he logged 10 defensive snaps and grabbed an interception—his flashes weren’t enough to secure a role.

With cutdown day looming, Philadelphia appears set to move forward with a younger, healthier safety group. As the season nears, the Eagles’ secondary will lean heavily on Blankenship, Brown, Mukuba, and McCollum, while versatile defensive back Cooper DeJean provides additional depth.

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Jerry Jones Speaks Out, Criticizes the Controversy Surrounding the Cowboys WR After the Loss to the Lions
DALLAS — Jerry Jones has finally had enough. In a fiery radio interview on 105.3 The Fan Tuesday morning, the Cowboys owner publicly ripped into star wide receiver George Pickens for his explosive, now-deleted Instagram beef with Richard Sherman following the Thanksgiving nightmare against the Detroit Lions. “I love everything George has done this year,” Jones said. “But let me be very clear — I don’t want to see him sitting on Instagram arguing with Richard Sherman or anybody else. Put the phone down, stop the social media nonsense, and focus on playing football. That’s what we pay him for.” Mic drop. The 82-year-old owner rarely calls out his own players by name in public, making this one of the sharpest rebukes in recent Cowboys history. Quick recap of the chaos: Lions game: CeeDee Lamb gets hurt and leaves early → Pickens disappears with a miserable 5 catches for 37 yards. Richard Sherman goes on TV and says Pickens “quit on routes” and showed zero effort. Pickens claps back with a savage (and quickly deleted) Instagram story: “Old man still talking.” Internet explodes. Despite the ugly performance, Pickens still leads the Cowboys in every major receiving stat (78 receptions, 1,179 yards, 8 TDs), but Jerry Jones just drew a line in the sand: the social media wars end today. “I have zero concern about George competing and helping us win games on the field,” Jones continued. “My only concern is him wasting time and energy on this Instagram back-and-forth instead of turning the page.” Will this public dressing-down light a fire under Pickens… or pour gasoline on an already raging controversy? One thing is certain — every snap this Sunday will be scrutinized like never before. Is Jerry Jones right to go nuclear on his star WR? Or did he just make the drama ten times worse?