Eagles Cut Injured UDFA Large And Sign Idaho’s King After 79-Tackle Minicamp Standout

Tucker Large earned his way to Philadelphia the hard way. The safety transferred from South Dakota State to Washington State for his redshirt senior season, started all 13 games, posted 71 tackles and 3 tackles for loss, and his teammates voted him team captain. That title is supposed to mean something. It signals accountability, trust, the kind of player coaches build around. The Eagles signed him as one of eight undrafted free agents immediately after the 2026 draft. On paper, Large had every credential a UDFA needs to survive. Paper doesn’t practice.

The Injury That Closed the Door

Large arrived in Philadelphia carrying an injury, and it followed him like a shadow. He couldn’t participate in minicamp. Couldn’t run drills. Couldn’t demonstrate a single professional level rep. The Eagles’ evaluation system runs on live data collected during a compressed 48-hour window. If your body won’t let you compete in that window, your credentials evaporate. Captain status, 71 tackles, a full season of Power Four production. None of it mattered because the coaches never saw him move.

The Head-to-Head Nobody Mentioned

Here’s the detail that frames this swap perfectly. On August 30, 2025, Idaho traveled to Pullman and faced Washington State. Isiah King posted a career high 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a sack in that game. Tucker Large was on the other sideline. Eight months later, the linebacker who carved up Large’s defense took Large’s roster spot in Philadelphia. The Eagles didn’t need to imagine how King would look against Power Four competition. He had already shown them on tape.

King Walked In With Nothing

Isiah King originally came to Philadelphia with complicated reporting. Idaho Athletics announced on April 24 that he had signed a UDFA contract with the Eagles, but the team’s own April 30 list of eight undrafted free agents did not include him, and he ultimately showed up to minicamp as a tryout player. No guaranteed contract. No roster spot reserved. A 6-foot-3, 215-pound linebacker from the University of Idaho who originally enrolled as a defensive back and converted to linebacker as a sophomore. His 79 tackles during a breakout 2025 season made him a high production FCS prospect. His minicamp performance convinced coaches he could translate that to the professional level. The Eagles signed him and waived Large with an injury designation. Two days of live evaluation overturned days-old commitments. That’s the real contract.

The Hidden Audition System

The signing tells you what the Eagles actually value. King’s 2025 numbers jumped roughly 64 percent from 48 tackles in 2024 to 79, plus 9 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and a forced fumble. All-Big Sky Conference. Film and stats only opened the door. Minicamp is where the Eagles run a live audit of every initial UDFA decision. The college résumé creates interest, but the binding commitment only happens after real-time testing. King passed. Large never got tested.

The Numbers Behind the Pipeline

Philadelphia loves telling the UDFA story. Reed Blankenship signed undrafted, became a starting safety, then left for a three-year, $24.75 million deal with the Texans, including $16.5 million guaranteed. Corey Clement. Trey Burton. T.J. Edwards. The pipeline is real. But the retention rate tells the other side. Year after year, the vast majority of UDFA signings around the league wash out before the regular season. Philadelphia’s model produces occasional breakouts against a backdrop where most signings don’t stick long term.

What Waived Injured Actually Means

Large faces a waived-injured designation, which carries specific mechanics readers often overlook. Any team can claim him off waivers within roughly 24 hours. If no team does, he reverts to the Eagles’ reserve list and can reach an injury settlement or remain on the team’s reserve non-football injury list. His recovery timeline remains uncertain. His path back to an NFL roster depends on healing first and auditioning second, the exact sequence he wasn’t able to complete in Philadelphia.

What King Walks Into

King’s roster spot puts him inside one of the NFL’s most loaded linebacker rooms. Zack Baun earned an elite PFF grade in 2024. Jihaad Campbell, the 31st overall pick in the 2025 draft, became the first off-ball linebacker the Eagles selected in the first round since Jerry Robinson in 1979. Forty-six years between first-round linebacker investments. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Smael Mondon Jr. fill out the depth chart. King’s defensive back background gives him coverage versatility most linebackers lack. The Eagles also leaned offense heavily in the 2026 draft, meaning the linebacker room was barely reinforced through traditional channels, and a tryout invite converting to a contract becomes more meaningful in that context. Practice squad is a realistic ceiling for King in 2026, but even that is a foothold most UDFAs never reach.

The 48-Hour Rule

This move established something bigger than one roster swap. The Eagles used minicamp as a binding evaluation mechanism where initial UDFA commitments get reversed based on 48 hours of live data. Draft status, contract signing, college captaincy: all provisional. The actual decision point is whether your body allows coaches to watch you compete during the compressed tryout window. King is the first member of Idaho’s 2025 roster to earn a professional opportunity. Large may never get his. In professional football, availability during the evaluation window beats credentials every single time. If Large recovers and signs elsewhere, he’ll carry a lesson every undrafted player should memorize. The 48-hour audition is the only contract that counts.

Do you think King sticks past final cuts, or does another tryout body take his spot by August? Sound off in the comments.

Sources:
Philadelphia Eagles, “Eagles sign LB Isiah King, waived/injured DB Tucker Large,” PhiladelphiaEagles.com, May 4, 2026.
Philadelphia Eagles, “Eagles sign eight undrafted free agents,” PhiladelphiaEagles.com, April 30, 2026.
University of Idaho Athletics, “Isiah King Signs UDFA Contract with Philadelphia Eagles,” GoVandals.com, April 25, 2026.
Washington State Athletics, “Tucker Large,” WSUCougars.com, 2025 season roster and bio.
University of Idaho Athletics, “2025 Football Schedule,” GoVandals.com, game log for Idaho at Washington State, August 30, 2025.
Spotrac, “Reed Blankenship Contract Details,” Houston Texans three-year, $24.75 million agreement, March 2026.