The Eagles acquired safety David Sims from the Browns late Friday evening for a conditional draft pick. To make room on their newly-sculpted 53-man roster, they released Julian Vandervelde.
“Solid tackler, can play on special team,” said general manager Howie Roseman. “He’s a guy that we’ve been following throughout the course of this preseason.”
The 5-9, 204-pound Iowa State product was originally signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent last season before bouncing to Tampa Bay and eventually Cleveland. This preseason he came up with a pair of interceptions and made 14 tackles.
Roseman did not label him as either a free or strong safety, noting that the positions are somewhat interchangeable in the Eagles’ system. The safety corps is currently made up of Sims, Nate Allen, Kurt Coleman, Colt Anderson and Jaiquawn Jarrett. Roseman also mentioned Trevard Lindley as someone who might be able to slide over to safety as well.
“We’ll get him in here, we’ll see where he’s most comfortable, where the coaches feel he’s most comfortable and go from there,” said Roseman. “He can do a little bit of everything.”
By releasing Vandervelde, the Eagles currently have just eight offensive linemen on the roster. Roseman indicated that the team will be on the lookout for depth in the coming days, whether that be from the practice squad or on the open market.
