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How unheralded McCollum elbowed his way onto Eagles’ roster originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
It was a play that never happened. But it sure helped Tristin McCollum’s bid for a roster spot with the Eagles.
Early in the first quarter of the Eagles’ preseason finale against the Vikings at the Linc Saturday, McCollum picked off a Jaren Hall deep ball intended for Trishton Jackson and returned it 36 yards. That one snap showed off McCollum’s instincts, coverage skill and athleticism.
The fact that it was negated by a penalty on Cooper DeJean didn’t matter. We all saw a glimpse of what McCollum had been doing all summer in training camp.
And it’s why he now finds himself on the Eagles’ 53-man roster.
“Tristin obviously flashed in games and did some really good things in games that we all saw, but also, he was consistent in the things that he did in practice,” Nick Sirianni said. “He has great athletic ability that can help on special teams. Really happy for him. As sad as we are for the guys that don’t make it … a guy like Tristin, you’re really excited for. Because he went and earned it.”
McCollum went undrafted in 2022 out of Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas. He spent his rookie year on the Texans’ practice squad, but the Eagles snapped him up as a futures contract player after the season, and he spent last year on the Eagles’ practice squad, getting into four games as a game-day call-up, including the playoff loss to the Bucs.
This is an interesting group of backup safeties. James Bradberry is a 31-year-old veteran who’s never played safety. Avonte Maddox is a 28-year-old veteran who’s been mainly a slot corner. Sydney Brown is a 24-year-old 3rd-round pick who’s still rehabbing that torn ACL from last January. And then there’s McCollum, one of eight undrafted players who survived final cuts Tuesday.
The Tristin McCollum we saw this year looked nothing like the 2023 version.
“Night and day,” he said. “Mentally, last…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/unheralded-mccollum-elbowed-way-onto-151618225.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-08-28 15:16:18
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