Eagles sign LBs Myles Jack, Zach Cunningham to 1-year deals

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Ahead of their open practice at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles signed two linebackers on Sunday. 

The Eagles agreed to terms with 27-year-old Myles Jack and 28-year-old Zach Cunningham on one-year contracts. 

Jack started 13 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season and recorded 104 tackles, three pass deflections and three tackles for loss. He missed some games last year due to groin and ankle injuries. 

Cunningham started six games for the Tennessee Titans and had 24 tackles and missed time with an elbow injury. 

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters that the Eagles were low at the linebacker position, so they decided to bring in some competition. 

"We just wanted to add competition to the room, and that's one of our core values, is competition," Sirianni said. "So, when you bring in good players, like these two guys have been in this league, that's only going to raise the level of everybody else in the room and on the defense."  

The moves come as Eagles' starting linebacker Nakobe Dean has been dealing with an ankle injury. He's been day-to-day and missed Sunday's practice. 

Sirianni wouldn't give a timetable on Dean's return to the practice field but said he's close. 

"We feel like it's close and not too many more days before he's back," Sirianni said. "He's working really hard to rehab, and I can't say enough about our trainers and doctors led by [Vice President of Sports Medicine/ Head Athletic Trainer] Tom [Hunkele] of just how good they are at getting guys healthy when they do get nicked. So, yeah, hopefully, it's soon."

Dean played mostly special teams last season as a rookie, but the Eagles are high on the Georgia product. He's been wearing the green dot, meaning he'll be calling the plays on defense from coordinator Sean Desai. Christian Ellis wore the green dot at Sunday's practice while Dean was sidelined. 

The additions of Jack and Cunningham give the Eagles some more veteran depth at linebacker. The duo has played a combined 185 games in the league. 

Jack and Cunningham will join a group that already features Dean, Ellis, Nicholas Morrow, Shaun Bradley and Ben VanSumeren.

The signings are similar to when the Eagles added veteran help on the defensive line in the 2022 season after Jordan Davis went on injured reserve.  

The Birds added defensive tackles Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh to the defensive line after Davis' injury, and both moves helped the Eagles' defensive line remain dominant on their way to locking up the No. 1 seed in the NFC and earning a trip to the Super Bowl. 

"Obviously a little bit different situation, but we had some injuries last year and wanted to make sure we had some depth and competition at the defensive line," Sirianni said. "We brought in two veteran guys last year. Obviously at a different time, but you think about those decisions, and of course Howie [Roseman] and I, we talk about everything. We talked about that and what we did last year around game eight or nine."

Other roster moves

Earlier on Sunday, the Eagles announced they signed offensive lineman Josh Andrews, waived wideout Charleston Rambo and released Davion Taylor. 

Taylor, a third-round pick by the Eagles in 2020, has dealt with injuries throughout his Eagles tenure and hasn't been able to produce much on the field. He's played in 21 total games since 2020. He was released last season in August and re-signed to the practice squad.  

Andrews has been in the league since 2014 when he signed with the Birds as an undrafted free agent. He's played with the Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets. He played last season with the Saints. 

Rambo, an undrafted free agent last year, spent time with the Carolina Panthers and Orlando Guardians in the XFL, before being waived. 

In:
• Eagles Training Camp
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Philadelphia