The Eagles began restocking their roster Tuesday, signing nine undrafted rookies, including Miami tailback Graig Cooper and Florida punter Chas Henry, who both have a fighting chance to make the final roster.
Tuesday evening, the team signed its 10th undrafted rookie of the day in former West Virginia running back Noel Devie.
Although most of the 10 the Eagles added are camp bodies, Cooper could have a chance to compete for a wide-open backup tailback spot and Henry is a possible successor to Sav Rocca.
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Cooper, 6-foot, 200 pounds, netted 3,864 all-purpose yards and 2,387 yards in three seasons at Miami. He averaged 5.2 yards per rush with 12 TDs and also caught 60 passes for 374 yards and three more touchdowns.
With his good size and receiving ability, Cooper fits right into what the Eagles like from a backup running back.
Right now, with Jerome Harrison unrestricted and Eldra Buckley unrestricted, there are no signed tailbacks on the roster other than LeSean McCoy, who ran for 1,000 yards and caught 70 passes last year in his first full season as a starter.
Going into his junior year at Miami, Cooper was considered a likely second- or third-round pick. But he suffered a torn ACL in a game against Wisconsin in December of 2009, played very little last year, and went undrafted after a disappointing combine, when he ran just 4.62 for 40 yards.
Henry was the Ray Guy Award winner at Florida last year. He averaged 45.1 yards per punt this past season and was a consensus All-America, and he posted a career average of 43.0 yards on 165 punts.
With Rocca unrestricted, Henry could wind up joining kicker Alex Henery as the second half of a brand-new punter-kicker tandem.
With these nine additions, the Eagles now have 66 players under contract along with 11 unsigned draft picks. So thats a total of 77 players on the 90-man roster.
Heres a look at the seven other rookie free agents the Eagles signed Tuesday:
Perry Baker (6-2, 175, WR, Fairmount State)
Had 1,552 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns at Division 2 Fairmount State. His uncle, Wes Chandler, was a four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver with the Saints and Chargers in the 1970s and 1980s.
DeAndre Brown (6-6, 233, WR, Southern Mississippi)
Caught 133 passes for 2,186 yards and 24 touchdowns in three seasons in Hattiesburg. Ranks fifth in Southern Mississippi history in receptions, third in receiving yards and second in TD catches.
Jerrod Johnson (6-5, 251, QB, Texas A&M)
Set 24 Texas A&M records during his stay in College Station, including total yards (8,888), passing yards (8,011), completions (650) and touchdown passes (67). He also set Big 12 Conference records for most passes without an interception in a season (225 in 2009) and most consecutive passes without an interception (242 from 2008-09).
Brandon Peguese (6-0, 230, LB, Hampton)
Began his career at South Florida and finished at Hampton, where he had 179 tackles and 18 sacks in three seasons. Was a second-team All-MEAC pick in 2009, when he had 7 12 sacks. Recorded eight sacks as a senior.
Cedric Thornton (6-4, 309, DT, Southern Arkansas)
Earned NCAA Division 2 All-America honors after registering 80 tackles and 8 12 sacks as a junior. Also led Division 2 with 23 tackles for a loss that year. Added 13 tackles for loss and 1 12 sacks this past year.
Terrance Turner (6-2, 220, WR, Indiana)
Caught 143 passes for 1,436 yards and four TDs in college. His 67 receptions as a senior are fourth-most in Hoosiers history.
Martell Webb (6-3, 276, tight end, Michigan)
Four-year letterwinner who played mainly on special teams and as a backup tight end. Caught nine passes for 111 yards and two TDs in Ann Arbor.
Noel Devine (5-8, 170, RB, West Virginia)
Rushed for 4,315 yards and 29 touchdowns in four years with the Mountaineers, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Devine also averaged 21.6 yards on 34 kickoff returns in his college career. Those totals, in addition to his 710 career receiving yards, makes Devine WVU's all-time leader in in all-purpose yards with 5,761.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com