The ‘grind’ paid off for Eagles defensive lineman Thomas Booker after making the initial 53-man roster

Leading up to Tuesday’s 4 p.m. roster cutdown deadline, Thomas Booker ensured that the “Do Not Disturb” setting on his iPhone was switched off as he waited to see if a number with a Philadelphia area code would flash across his screen.

The call only would come if the Eagles had bad news to deliver about his future with the team. But by 4 p.m., the 24-year-old defensive tackle hadn’t been contacted by the Eagles front office, which indicated that he had made the initial 53-man roster. When the team announced the roster on social media, Booker was on the phone with his sister, who was monitoring her feed for news of her brother’s fate.

“She was like, ‘It’s Instagram official!’” Booker said Wednesday. “So that was a pretty cool moment to share that with my sister, who’s kind of seen me grind throughout the years.”

The grind came to a head last season when the Houston Texans waived Booker, their 2022 fifth-round pick out of Stanford, at the end of training camp. Booker played in 10 games as a rookie but dealt with a hand injury for the majority of the summer that kept him sidelined. Two days later, the Eagles signed Booker to their practice squad, giving him a fresh start in an unfamiliar organization.

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Booker spent the year on the practice squad away from game action. While he lacked playing time, he gained a new perspective that he still carries with him.

“Not being able to kind of strap it up and play was definitely one of those things where it makes you sit there and [say], ‘Wow. I need to be out there,’” Booker said. “I felt that before, but the urgency was different. I feel like going through that last year, I think just the appreciation for the opportunity that you have becomes even greater.”

A year of growth on the practice squad paved the way for Booker to earn a spot on this year’s initial 53. Howie Roseman credited Booker’s “tremendous work ethic” throughout the year as a part of the developmental program led by Connor Barwin, the former Eagles defensive end who now is the team’s head of football development and strategy.

With the help of Barwin, Matt Leo, and other coaches in player development, Booker narrowed in on several areas of improvement within his game. He realized he needed to stem multiple pass-rush moves off of the same first two steps, which would keep offensive linemen guessing about what he was going to do. Roseman saw that growth in Booker, starting with his time on the practice squad and continuing into the offseason program.

“When you see his tape and his get-off and his ability to play with leverage, to play with power, to affect the quarterback, to be disruptive around the quarterback in the backfield,” Roseman said, “to us, it was clear the guy deserved to be on the team.”

Booker also served on the scout-team defense in practice last season, going against the Eagles starting offense. He credited the offensive line for pushing him to be a better player.

“When you look at going against what I think is one of, if not the best offensive lines in the league, it’s always a great opportunity,” Booker said. “We’re going against Jason Kelce, Landon Dickerson, Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson, all these different guys. You look at it as an opportunity to really hone your skill set, ’cause these are the top of the top.”

Entering his third NFL season, Booker said he is less overwhelmed with the “spectacle” of the league. That feeling mirrors the mentality he possessed going into his junior season at Stanford, when he felt most confident within the defensive scheme. He played a variety of techniques along the defensive line, from 1-tech working outward to 5-tech.

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That scheme was rooted in principles established by Vic Fangio, who was the defensive coordinator at Stanford in 2010. With Fangio as the new defensive play-caller in Philadelphia, Booker said he sees plenty of similarities between the Eagles’ scheme and the one he spent four years in at Stanford.

“A lot of the install that we’ve been doing are things that I’ve actually looked at in college,” Booker said. “I still have a notebook, actually an iPad, from when I was at Stanford that I always used to write in that all the plays are still the same. Most of them. So definitely some overlap there that’s helped my comfortability and confidence in the defense.”

But playing time won’t be easy to come by with the Eagles defense. Booker figures to serve as depth along the interior defensive line behind Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Milton Williams. Off the field, Booker said he will try to lead in whichever way he can as one of the oldest members of a young defensive tackle room.

Whatever his role may be on or off the field, Booker isn’t getting too comfortable now that he’s a part of the initial 53.

“It was definitely a great feeling to be able to put the work in and have it be recognized by the staff, the organization in general, but it’s one of these things where football, nothing’s ever final,” Booker said. “So you’re always earning your spot on the 53 every single day, and I try to just do that by being present.”