f.Eagles Veteran Rejects Cowboys’ Active Roster Offer, Chooses to Stay on Philadelphia’s Practice Squad and Wait for “His Moment in Midnight Green”.f
Philadelphia, PA – The Philadelphia Eagles stunned players and fans on Wednesday with a roster move that felt as emotional as it was unforgiving — releasing rookie wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr.
on the very day the team had just finished celebrating his 23rd birthday in the locker room.
The decision landed only minutes before the NFL’s trade and signing window officially closed
, meaning Marshall was not just waived — he was left with no legal way to sign with another team until waivers process resets. The moment wasn’t just disappointing. It was
career-paralyzing.
Coaches had debated Marshall’s status throughout camp, noting flashes of talent but inconsistency in separation and special-teams impact. The front office ultimately moved on, but the timing couldn’t have been colder — even by NFL standards.
That player was Terrace Marshall Jr., a sixth-round pick out of LSU who turned 23 today.
“I was literally blowing out candles with the guys two hours earlier,” Marshall reportedly told friends.
“To get cut the same day — and when nobody can even sign me — that’s a feeling I’ll never forget.”
Marshall had been viewed as a developmental piece with red-zone upside, especially after showing chemistry with backup QB Tanner McKee in late-camp reps. But when the Eagles activated veteran Parris Campbell and prioritized special-teams versatility, the move became inevitable — just not the
timing.
Philadelphia now carries six active receivers, but two are nursing minor injuries heading into Week 1 vs. Dallas. Even so, the front office still felt comfortable letting Marshall go, betting he’ll clear waivers and return to the practice squad — though that is far from guaranteed.
For a rookie fighting for one shot at stability, the contrast couldn’t have been sharper.
One moment, he was smiling over birthday cupcakes.
The next, the league clock locked him out of every opportunity.
In the NFL, the business is always cold —
but today, the timing was colder than the decision itself.
