Eagles release veteran offensive tackle Fred Johnson

In addition to signing receiver Freddie Swain on Wednesday, the Eagles also released veteran offensive tackle Fred Johnson.

As a vested veteran, Johnson is not subject to the NFL’s waiver system. He becomes a free agent immediately.

This is a bit of a surprising cut ahead of Thursday’s preseason finale against the Colts. It seemed like Johnson had a decent shot at making the roster after seeing him get second-team left tackle reps in practice this week.

Johnson, 26, has played in 28 career NFL games with 8 starts for the Bengals and Buccaneers. Johnson played three seasons with the Bengals from 2019 to 2021 and played in five games with the Bucs in 2022.

Johnson (6-7, 326) was pushing for a roster spot in a crowded offensive line room. The remaining backup offensive linemen on the roster are Tyler Steen, Jack Driscoll, Sua Opeta, Dennis Kelly, Brett Toth, Roderick Johnson, Cameron Tom, Tyrese Robinson, Josh Andrews and Julian Good-Jones.

One of the trickier parts of putting together a 53-man roster by 4 p.m. on Tuesday might be on the offensive line. The Eagles don’t seem to have the same type of depth on the O-line as they have had in recent seasons.

The Eagles kept 10 offensive linemen on their initial 53 last year but there’s no guarantee they do that again.