Eagles Release Jarrett, Sign Gilyard


The Jaiquawn Jarrett experiment in Philadelphia has come to a close.

The former second-round pick out of Temple was released Tuesday to make room for wide receiver Mardy Gilyard.

The Eagles also signed tight end Derek Carrier to the practice squad and released fellow tight end Chase Ford.

The 22-year-old Jarrett posted 17 tackles in 12 games over a disappointing season-plus with the Eagles.

Andy Reid evoked the name of Brian Dawkins when he selected the 6-foot, 196-pounder in April of 2011 because of similarities in stature and big-hit ability. Jarrett was never able to deliver those type of bone-crunching hits that he built a reputation on; he was just unable to get in position for the most part.

The Brooklyn native never was able to steal a starting spot and appeared on the bubble as the Eagles cut down to 53 players. He survived and was expected to contribute on special teams. Coach Bobby April was touting Jarrett just this past Thursday.

“Jaiquawn Jarrett is on everything – punt, punt return, kickoff, and kickoff return. He’s playing everything and is getting better all the time. I’m really hoping, soon, that his efforts and his professionalism are going to pay off for him. I think he’s doing a really good job and I’m glad he’s on our team.”

The Eagles, though, decided to part with Jarrett in order to bolster their thinned-out receiving corps. Jeremy Maclin is a question mark because of  a hip injury and Riley Cooper (collarbone) is still unavailable. That left a void to fill.

Gilyard was with the team throughout training camp and opened a few eyes up at Lehigh. He had nine grabs for 151 yards with a pair of touchdowns this preseason. A fourth-round pick in 2010 out of Cincinnati, the 5-11  Gilyard had six grabs for 63 yards as a rookie before being released and signing with the Jets briefly last season.

With Jarrett cut, Colt Anderson and newly-acquired David Sims are the options behind Kurt Coleman and Nate Allen. This could be a sign that Anderson (ACL) is close to a return. He was a full participant at practice last week but was inactive for the game.

Follow Tim on Twitter and email him at tmcmanus@phillymag.com.