The Eagles cut Olympic hurdler Devon Allen as Philadelphia trimmed its roster to 53 players. But they still like his potential as a receiver.
So on Wednesday, the Eagles signed Allen to the team’s 16-man practice squad. He’ll get at least $12,000 a week to practice and stand by for possible elevation to the active roster.
The NFL Network confirmed the Eagles move with Allen, who played football and ran track as an Oregon Duck.
Devon Allen always has been a football project, at least when it came to the NFL. There’s an old-school adage that you can’t teach speed. The Eagles are trying to utilize Allen’s the best way possible. His 73-yard kick return in their preseason finale probably sealed their decision. Philadelphia placed him on waivers, Tuesday. But since no team claimed Allen, the Eagles added him, Wednesday. It’s his second year on the team’s practice squad.
Allen gave up football for a chunk of time to pursue track. He was pure speed when he played receiver for Oregon from 2014 through 2016. In track, his marquee event is the 110-meter hurdles. He earned spots on the U.S. teams to the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. And he finaled in both his events in Rio and Tokyo.
Earlier this summer, he ran the fourth fastest time in the world in the 110 meters. However, he didn’t get beyond the semifinals at the USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon in July. He’d strained his calf and the injury still bothered him at the start of training camp. It’s unclear whether he’ll continue to train for the 2024 Olympics in Paris or focus solely on football.
He may not have the same skill set, but earlier this summer, he called out Tyreek Hill and DK Metcalf. He says he is the fastest player in the NFL.
“I definitely am ,” Dennis Allen told TMZ Sports. “I’m not gonna roast [Tyreek Hill and DK Metcalf] because what they did [in track] was impressive. I raced Tyreek Hill when I was in high school. We raced and he smoked me when we were in high school and DK Metcalf ran a 10.3 a couple years ago is super impressive for a guy that’s six-three, six-four, 225, but I think especially at the top level — top-five, top-10 in the world — there’s a big gap in terms of just performance.”
The Eagles, who won the NFC title in 2022, have the luxury to allow the 28-year-old to develop.
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