Eagles trim the roster, releasing safety J.T. Gray and waiving RB Ja'Quinden Jackson after kickoff injury

The Philadelphia Eagles announced Monday that they have released safety J.T. Gray and waived running back Ja'Quinden Jackson, two transactions that further shaped their 90-man roster as the team works through preseason depth decisions.

Gray’s release removes a defensive back from the organization’s current pool of players under contract for camp, an option teams often use to keep roster spots available for players who have separated themselves in practice and games. While the Eagles have not suggested a roster-building theme through the move itself, releases like this typically reflect the ebb and flow of training-camp evaluations.

Jackson’s situation is more complicated, as the waiver came with an injury designation. According to the report, Jackson was injured on the opening kickoff of the Eagles’ Saturday game in New England, after which he was taken to a hospital and later processed through the league’s injury-related roster procedure.

Under NFL roster rules, a player waived with an injury designation becomes subject to waiver and medical evaluation processes, which can affect whether he clears and returns to the club through an injury settlement path or is claimed by another team depending on how the designation is handled. In practical terms, it is a way for teams to manage roster limits while acknowledging that a player is not available immediately.

The Eagles’ other decision on Monday, releasing Gray, does not carry the same injury framing. Instead, it points to a more straightforward part of roster management, where teams balance special teams needs, coverage depth, and the development of players competing for roles as the preseason progresses. For Philadelphia, every move also interacts with the next wave of cuts, when teams typically reduce the roster to fewer players.

The transactions also underline the sharper reality of preseason football: a single play, such as an opening kickoff injury, can alter depth charts quickly. Even when the injury itself is not publicly detailed beyond the fact of hospitalization, the roster impact can be immediate, especially for players fighting for limited opportunities at running back.

For the Eagles, the next steps are straightforward to watch. The team will be monitoring whether Jackson is claimed or reverts through the injury process, and it will continue using game action and practice reps to determine which defensive backs and special teams options remain on the 90-man roster as cut deadlines approach.