Eagles waive undrafted quarterback Jamie Newman, wide receiver Trevon Grimes
Joe Flacco has the backup spot firmly in his reach for this season, but Newman’s ability to eventually step in as a backup capable of running an offense built for Hurts seemed enticing.
The Eagles are back down to two quarterbacks for the time being.
The team did some housekeeping Wednesday, which included waiving undrafted free agent quarterback Jamie Newman along with wide receivers Khalil Tate and Trevon Grimes. Grimes was waived because of a knee injury and could be a candidate for injured reserve if the team chooses.
The decision to move on from Newman came as a bit of a surprise. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound QB has a similar playing style and build to Jalen Hurts. He played in 19 games at Wake Forest over three seasons, throwing for 3,959 yards and 35 touchdowns while completing 60.5% of his passes. He also ran for 826 yards and 10 scores. He transferred to Georgia last season but opted out because of coronavirus concerns.
Joe Flacco has the backup spot firmly in his reach for this season, but Newman’s ability to eventually step in as a backup capable of running an offense built for Hurts seemed enticing. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni praised the quarterback last month after the first day of rookie camp.
“Jamie is an impressive — he’s got great stature,” Sirianni said. “He’s a big man. As we watch tape on him, too, he’s hard to bring down. He’s a really good athlete. ... He’s really sharp in the classroom. You can see why he was successful at Wake Forest when he was there. You know, he’s got qualities that you want to be able to develop, and so good first day for Jamie.”
Whether the Eagles go into training camp late next month with just Hurts and Flacco remains to be seen, but there’s a good chance they’ll add another camp arm.
With a few roster spots now freed up, the Eagles will sign former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Michael Walker, according to an ESPN report. Walker, an undrafted free agent out of Boston College in 2019, didn’t see the field last season and finished the year on injured reserve. In 2019, he saw limited action exclusively as a return specialist.