When the Eagles signed linebacker Shaquille Leonard this week, they waived linebacker Christian Elliss to make room for Leonard on the 53-man roster. But they were hoping not to lose him.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed today that the Eagles were hoping Elliss would clear waivers so they could bring him back to the practice squad, and then elevate him to the gameday roster on Sunday so he could continue contributing on special teams as he has. Unfortunately for the Eagles, six teams put in claims for Elliss: Patriots, Cardinals, Titans, Falcons, Broncos and Dolphins. The Patriots had the worst record and therefore the highest waiver priority of those six teams, so they got Elliss.
“We knew he had some good special teams tape out there, I thought he had a good game the other day as well. We were hoping [he cleared waivers],” Sirianni said, via NBCSportsPhilly.com. “But you know what, happy for Christian to land on his feet. But, obviously, we were hoping to get him back. He’s in a good place. And I wish him the best of luck.”
Sirianni admitted the Eagles will miss Elliss’s special teams contributions, as he leads all Eagles players in special teams snaps this season. Plenty of teams around the league recognized what Elliss can bring to the table.
