Philidelphia Eagles release HBCU standout Anim Dankwah

The Philadelphia Eagles have released Former HBCU Standout Anim Dankwah. This move came during the NFL’s mandatory cutdown day which requires all 32 teams to cut their rosters from 90 to 53. The Eagles signed the former Howard University star as an undrafted free agent after the 2024 NFL draft.

Despite the roster move, the Eagles will be keeping their eye on Dankwah. Standing at 6’8, Dankwah is a physically imposing human being. When Philadelphia signed Dankwah, their was a growing superstition that Dankwah could be molded into the perfect tackle for Philadelphia. Additionally, with Jordan Mailata, you don’t have to look too far to find the last physically gifted tackle-turned star by the Eagles offensive line guru Jeff Stoutland.

The Philadelphia eagles aim to retain Anim Dankwah to their practice squad if he clears waivers. However, with his talent, there’s no promise that he will be there.

Dankwah’s unique path to the NFL suggests that the gifted rookie offensive lineman has his best football ahead of him. At just nine years old, Dankwah traveled solo for 16 hours from Ghana to Canada to live with his father.

From lifestyle, to environment, to weather, everything suddenly changed for Dankwah. “I remember the first two weeks, I begged my dad to take me back. I did not want to be here,” said Dankwah per Howard Football news. “It took a couple of years to get adjusted,” he added.

Surprisingly, football was the last thing on Dankwah’s mind throughout his childhood. However, everything changed during his junior year.

During a new student scavenger hunt, Dankwah found himself searching for his school’s athletic office. Once he got there, The Taft School’s head football coach was certain that he found his quarterback protector.

“My high school football coach said you are big, and you should try out for the football team,” said Dankwah. “I literally had to find out what football was,” he added.

Eventually, Dankwah found out what football was, and his opponents found out who he was shortly after.

After succeeding with The Taft School’s football program, Dankwah continued to make his presence felt at the college level. The star offensive lineman was a key part in the Howard Bison turning around their program.

Howard won five combined games in Dankwah’s first three seasons with the team. Despite the team’s early struggles, Dankwah and the Bison clawed their way to winning, with two back-to-back MEAC championships.

“I felt uncomfortable leaving Howard when we struggled because my legacy meant something to me,” Dankwah stated. “To go out as a two-time champion is a perfect ending because we were here for all the bad days.”

As the Bison progressed as a team, Dankwah worked relentlessly to progress as an individual player as well.

By the end of Dankwah’s Howard tenure, he earned multiple All-MEAC nods, played in the Cricket Celebration Bowl and East-West Shrine Classic, and participated in the NFL Combine.

While Dankwah didn’t make the Eagles initial 53-man roster, one thing is for certain, players like Dankwah do not come around often. Dankwah didn’t begin his football journey early, and he has no plans on ending it early either.