Eagles claim former Raiders defensive tackle Byron Young off waivers
The former third-round draft pick won a national title at Alabama with DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson.
The Eagles’ roster tinkering continued Thursday, as the team claimed defensive tackle Byron Young.
Young, a second-year pro out of Alabama, was waived by the Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday after initially surviving cutdown day. The 6-foot-3, 292-pound lineman was a third-round pick of the Raiders last year and appeared in six games, logging four tackles.
The move for Young is the latest bet on talent by Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who has acquired several players with draft pedigree, most recently wide receiver Jahan Dotson, over the past few years. Roseman has similarly targeted players from powerhouse programs like Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, and Michigan in recent drafts.
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Young becomes the sixth player with Alabama ties on the Eagles roster and will see familiar faces in DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson, with whom he won a national championship in 2020. In four seasons for the Crimson Tide, Young racked up 139 total tackles — 22½ of them for a loss — and 7½ sacks in 54 games.
While Young’s release Wednesday came as a bit of a surprise, it is worth noting that he was inactive for the final 10 games last season, nine of which came after Antonio Pierce replaced Josh McDaniels as the Raiders head coach.
The Eagles released fellow defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu, a sixth-round pick in 2021, in order to make room for Young. The Eagles open the season next week in Brazil against the Green Bay Packers.