New Eagles TE Albert Okwuegbunam proves preseason matters for those who seize the moment

Last Saturday, Albert Okwuegbunam put together a preseason performance that got the attention of the Eagles’ brain trust.

The 25-year-old tight end was vying for a spot on the Denver Broncos roster in their preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams. In the 41-0 rout, Okwuegbunam flashed some upside with seven catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.

As good as his production was that evening, the way in which he achieved it was what inspired Eagles general manager Howie Roseman to offer Denver a late-round pick swap Tuesday to get Okwuegbunam before the tight end was waived.

“There’s not a lot of tight ends who have 100-yard receiving games in the preseason,” Roseman said. “And it was because he has a unique ability to uncover; he has lower body flexibility; he has speed; he has length. He has all the tools in his body. Again, that’s a start, and now he gets here. I know that he will be coached up, and we’ll get the most out of him when he gets here.”

Okwuegbunam, whose name is pronounced “oh-koo-ay-boo-nam,” arrived at the NovaCare Complex in time to make his practice debut Wednesday with a jersey that hardly fit his lengthy surname, especially with “Jr.” tacked on the end.

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He joined Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, and Grant Calcaterra on the team’s initial 53-man roster and said he views his chance to stick with the Eagles after three years in Denver as a “fresh start.” He knows his preseason finale performance went a long way toward his ending up with the Eagles as well.

“It was a really big game for me,” Okwuegbunam said Thursday. “Just with the position I was in at Denver, just trying to prove myself going into that fourth year with them. I went out there and had a big game; I was really proud of myself for that and ultimately that led to me being here. … I knew that was going to be a big opportunity for me to exploit my talents to the entire league.”

Okwuegbunam had 54 catches for 546 yards and four touchdowns in his three years with the Broncos. He was a fourth-round pick out of Missouri in 2020 but eventually got overshadowed by 2022 third-round pick Greg Dulcich in Denver’s tight-end room. He had 10 grabs for 95 yards last year after recording 33 receptions for 330 yards and two scores in 2021.

One of the best plays of his career, an impressive 64-yard catch, came against the Eagles in Week 10 of the 2021 season.

Although his performance against the Eagles was one of the best in his career, it wasn’t the game Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts remembered him for when the two crossed paths at the facility on Wednesday.

“He actually remembered me because I played him at Alabama in 2018,” said Okwuegbunam, who had four catches for 47 yards in that game. “I made a couple plays against them, so he remembered that. And just talked to me a little bit about the offense, a little bit about the area and just kind of giving me little tips about the offense.”

The Eagles’ value has jumped roughly 18% in the last year, according to a Forbes Magazine evaluation.

In a ranking of all 32 teams, Forbes projected the Eagles’ worth at $5.8 billion, up from a $4.9 billion valuation last year. The organization still ranks 10th in the NFL, just behind the San Francisco 49ers and ahead of the Miami Dolphins.

The Dallas Cowboys led the rankings with a suggested value of $9 billion. The Washington Commanders, just sold to 76ers owner Josh Harris’ group for $6.05 billion, ranked eighth with an unmoved valuation. The New York Giants ranked fourth with an estimated selling price of $6.8 billion.

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The Eagles filled out the remaining three spots on their practice squad Thursday, signing veteran tackle Le’Raven Clark, defensive tackle Thomas Booker, and cornerback Tiawan Mullen.

Clark, 30, spent most of the 2021 season with the Eagles before signing with the Tennessee Titans last year. He played in 13 games, including two starts at tackle for Tennessee, before spending the summer in camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Booker, 23, was a fifth-round pick out of Stanford in 2022 and played 10 games with the Houston Texans as a rookie last year. Mullen is an undrafted rookie out of Indiana who spent training camp with the Los Angeles Chargers. His brother, Trayvon, is a cornerback on the Baltimore Ravens and their cousin is Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson.