A former Tennessee Vols tight end appears to be in a good spot to make the Philadelphia Eagles’ 53-man roster this fall.
Former Tennessee tight end McCallan Castles was signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent shortly after the 2024 NFL Draft.
Castles, who started his career at California before transferring to UC-Davis and eventually Tennessee, was expected to be a late round selection in the draft earlier this spring. It was a bit of a surprise when he went undrafted, but it looks like he ended up in a solid situation.
The Philly Voice currently has Castles making the Eagles’ 53-man roster out of camp, noting that the former Vol has “flashed on occasion”.
From The Philly Voice: Kellen Moore said that Calcaterra is the No. 2 tight end. At a minimum, he should be a near-lock at this point. Castles has flashed on occasion. He can catch and run. He is definitely worth developing. The question is whether the Eagles think they can sneak him through waivers if they cut him. I’ll predict that he shows something in the preseason games and the Eagles keep him on the initial 53.
Castles caught 22 passes for 283 yards and five touchdowns for the Vols last season. Those aren’t huge numbers, but he still impressed via how quickly he picked up Josh Heupel’s unique offense — which can be tough for tight ends. That suggests that he should be able to adjust to the NFL pretty quickly (which it seems like he is). Castles’ ability to quickly learn an offense combined with his physical traits (6-foot-4/250 lbs) should lead to the former Vol sticking on an NFL roster.
