NFL Training Camp: Eight Ducks On Philadelphia Eagles Summer Roster

Given who the Philadelphia Eagles head coach is, it should be no surprise that there are more Oregon Ducks on their 90-man summer roster than any other team.

Former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly has eight Duck players on his roster entering training camp, and only one of them has more than three years of NFL experience.

More from Oregon Ducks in the NFL

That’s cornerback Walter Thurmond, drafted in 2010 by the Seattle Seahawks. After being part of Seattle’s winning Super Bowl run in 2013, he played for the New York Giants in 2014. The Eagles signed him this summer as a free agent.

The seven other players have three years or fewer of NFL experience, the most notable being linebacker Kiko Alonso. Suspended for Oregon’s entire 2010 season because of a DUII, Alonso appears to have turned it around. He first came to national attention as the Defensive MVP of the 2012 Rose Bowl, Oregon’s first New Year’s Day win in Pasadena for nearly a century. Buffalo selected Alonso in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft and all he did there was make 159 tackles, third-most in the league, en route to Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Alonso then tore his ACL and missed all of 2014. Kelly and the Eagles traded for him in March.

Kiko Alonso during minicamp. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The former Duck working out with Alonso when he got the call that they would be teammates again was Jeff Maehl, who is notable in Duck history for his breakout performance during the undefeated 2010 regular season. Maehl had 77 receptions that year, tying a school record, and his 24 career touchdowns are still tied for the most in Oregon history. During the 2011 BCS Title game against Auburn Maehl had an 81-yard reception, the longest in BCS Championship Game history, but didn’t score. (That still stings since Oregon lost the game by three points). Maehl was originally with the Houston Texans before the Eagles traded for him in 2013, Kelly’s first year at the helm.

Other former Ducks on the Eagles summer roster include two staples of Kelly’s Oregon Blur offense, wide receiver Josh Huff (taken in the 3rd round last year) and running back Kenjon Barner (traded from Carolina this spring). With Alonso on the defensive side are defensive ends Brandon Bair (signed to the practice squad in 2013) and Taylor Hart (2014 draft pick), and defensive tackle Wade Keliikipi (2014 undrafted free agent).

The NFL team with the next most Ducks on the summer roster is the Chicago Bears with four- guard Kyle Long, center Hroniss Grasu, tight end Dante Rosario and cornerback Terrance Mitchell. Carolina and Miami have three each.

NFL training camps open July 15th.

Home/Oregon Ducks in the NFL