Patriots and Eagles Facing Their Former Team Thursday

The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles meet in the second preseason game for both teams on Thursday night. The two squads played together in a joint practice on Tuesday. For some players in the preseason game, there will be even more familiarity with the players on the opposing sideline.

Three players in the preseason game will be going up against their former teams.

Jalen Reagor

The Eagles selected Reagor in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Reagor went No. 21 overall, one spot ahead of Minnesota Vikings All-Pro Justin Jefferson. Other star receivers drafted soon after Jalen Reagor included Brandon Aiyuk (No. 25 to San Francisco), Tee Higgins (No. 33 to Cincinnati), and Michael Pittman Jr. (No. 34 to Indianapolis).

Reagor played two seasons for Philadelphia. Despite being drafted early, he posted modest statistics. In two years he caught 64 passes for 695 yards and three touchdowns. They added Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith in 2021. The Eagles traded for A.J. Brown the next offseason. With their receiving corps replenished with high-end talent, Reagor was the odd-man out. Philadelphia traded him to Minnesota for a pair of late draft picks.

Jalen Reagor played one season for the Vikings before arriving in New England. His main contributions came as a return specialist. He returned the opening kickoff of New England’s Week 17 game against Buffalo. Reagor appears likely to make the 53-man roster as a kickoff returner and reserve wide receiver.

Christian Elliss

Elliss enjoyed an outstanding college career at Idaho before going undrafted in the 2021 NFL Draft. Minnesota made him one of their final cuts. He bounced back and forth between the practice squads of the Eagles and 49ers. He ended up back in Philadelphia and appeared in one game during his rookie season.

Christian Elliss played in six games his second season and appeared to have solidified a roster spot in 2023. He played 15% of snaps on defense and was a core special teams member. But the Eagles waived Elliss, who got claimed by six teams on the wire. The New England Patriots had priority and obtained him. He went from a 10-2 team in Philadelphia to a 2-10 team in New England.

In the preseason opener, Elliss was one of the top-ranked Patriots by Pro Football Focus. He recorded four tackles (two solo), three stops, and a sack. He is battling for a reserve linebacker spot with Sione Takitaki (currently on PUP), Raekwon McMillan, Joe Giles-Harris, and UDFA Steele Chambers.

Will Grier

The Patriots cycled through quarterbacks in 2023. Those under contract with the team at various points in the season included Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, Malik Cunningham, Trace McSorley, Matt Corral, Ian Book, Nathan Rourke, and Will Grier. The Chargers signed Grier off the Patriots practice squad after their starting QB Justin Herbert suffered a season-ending injury in December. He signed with the Eagles in free agency.

Grier played college football for Florida and West Virginia. He finished fourth in the 2018 Heisman Trophy voting. The Carolina Panthers made him the No. 100 overall pick (Round 3) of the 2019 NFL Draft. He played in two games as a rookie. Grier has not played in an NFL game since.

The Eagles have Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett, and Tanner McKee listed ahead of Will Grier on the team’s unofficial depth chart. He should get an opportunity to battle his former employer, the New England Patriots, when the two teams meet on Thursday night.