Sep 25, 2022; Landover, Maryland, USA; A Philadelphia Eagles player's helmet rests on the field prior to the Eagles' game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports.
The Philadelphia Eagles are suddenly hot, batting away fears of a 2023 collapse bleeding into the 2024 regular season.
And Philadelphia will hope to continue its nifty recent winning streak with a former Minnesota Vikings linebacker attached to the roster — Dallas Gant.
The Eagles’ main social media team tweeted Monday, “Practice Squad: We have released OL Braeden Daniels and have signed LB Dallas Gant.”
Gant spent all spring and summer with the Vikings, including training camp and a relatively impressive preseason, before a roster cut last week. Now, he’ll live on the Eagles’ practice squad, just one call-up away from the gameday roster.
These are the Eagles current linebackers following the Gant addition:
Minnesota initially welcomed Gant to the roster in the spring as an undrafted free agent, and he stuck around for about six months. Many Vikings fans were high on Gant during the preseason, which he parlayed into a practice squad assignment in the regular season.
However, Minnesota said goodbye via roster cut in late October, and some even expected Gant to have a quick reunion with the practice squad after some roster maintenance. No cigar.
Gant was also chosen in the latest UFL Draft with the 52nd overall pick by the DC Defenders. The Defenders own his rights if he’s not on an NFL team in 2025. He spent his collegiate days at Ohio State and Toledo.
If the young defender gets promoted to the Eagles’ gameday roster sometime this season or next, that will be his first regular season experience as a pro.
Janik Eckardt of PurplePTSD.com, a partner site to VikingsTerritory, was high on Gant all summer. “Linebacker Dallas Gant is the only one of the four guys who failed to make the 53-man roster, but his preseason was certainly not the problem,” Eckardt wrote in August.
“In 139 defensive snaps. Gant made 16 tackles and nine defensive stops. Gant earned an excellent grade of 77.6, and his run defense grade of 89.0 stood out. The undrafted rookie out of Toledo wasn’t included when the Vikings announced their 53-man roster, but he was signed to the practice squad. Minnesota employs starters Ivan Pace and Blake Cashman and backups Kamu Grugier-Hill and Brian Asamoah.”
Eckardt is a credible scout of young talent, usually right with his draft takes, so don’t be surprised one iota if Gant eventually emerges as a regular season contributor.
Philadelphia’s defense currently ranks 12th leaguewide per EPA/Play.
The Eagles also employ ex-Vikings corner Parry Nickerson on their practice squad.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.