Two NFL teams are looking to shore up some depth just ahead of final roster cutdowns on Aug. 31.
With the third preseason game for most clubs -- perennially dubbed the "dress rehearsal" -- to be played this weekend, it gives teams only two more games to assess mid- and lower-tier roster talent to determine who deserves a coveted spot on the 53-man roster. For the Philadelphia Eagles, that means striking a trade with the Arizona Cardinals to land the services of safety Rudy Ford, in a move that will send defensive lineman Bruce Hector out west.
It's a direct player-for-player swap rarely seen in the NFL, with no other compensation involved.
Ford is a former sixth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2017, and the team was hoping he could add depth when they grabbed following his career at Auburn. He played in 10 games his rookie year but battled injury and was mostly relegated to special teams duty. Ford appeared in 13 games in 2018, but he was able to deliver just nine combined tackles with one start.
He'll join the Eagles as a long shot to make the roster, but there's time for him to at least impress before the guillotine swings in just over a week.
Hector finds himself in a similar pressure-packed spot, leaving Philadelphia as one of the team's undrafted free agents in 2018. A former second-team All-ACC talent (2017), the 24-year-old spent time on the Eagles' practice squad last season before being activated and participating in eight games. Unable to dig his heels in, however, Hector posted just 0.5 sacks and two combined tackles in 2018.
It's fair to consider both players camp bodies for their respective new teams at worst, for now, and regular-season depth at best.