PHILADELPHIA -- Byron Young was blindsided when the Las Vegas Raiders waived him last week. A move he didn't see coming, the memory of the Raiders moving on is still fresh in Young's mind.
"They didn't even ask me to bring the playbook," Young recalled. "They asked me to come see the GM and the GM just said we're going to move on, go in a different direction. The head coach said that too, so I left and came here."
Just 24 hours later, Young was back in the NFL after the Philadelphia Eagles claimed him. Having a new team was a welcoming feeling for Young, as he sat at his locker trying to process everything that's happened in the past week.
"It's nice to be wanted," Young said. "It's a lot of motivation. It's a lot. I wanna come here and I wanna make an impact.
"There's a chip on my shoulder because they kinda just threw me to the wayside, but I feel like I'm in a much better situation here with a much better team. I'm excited to be here."
Young didn't get any opportunity to showcase what he could do with the Raiders. A third-round pick in the 2023 draft, Young played in just six games with the Raiders. He notched four tackles while playing 99 snaps on defense.
There were no prior infractions during Young's tenure in Vegas, but Tom Telesco -- the current general manager -- didn't select him. Even though Young had a sack in the team's final preseason game, the Raiders wanted to move on from players selected in the David Ziegler era.
"I was completely blindsided. It seemed like everyone else was too," Young said. "Sometimes things just happen. It's part of the business."
There's some familiarity in Philadelphia. Young played against defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis when they were at Georgia and he was playing at Alabama. He was also teammates with Eli Ricks and Tyler Steen with the Crimson Tide, as all three players were rookies in 2023.
Some players have a longer stint with one team before getting their second chance. That wasn't the case with Young, who's eager to prove his former employer made a mistake by cutting him.
"Just continue doing what I'm doing," Young said. "Continue to do what I was doing in Vegas. A lot of guys over there saw my progress, a lot of coaches did. Just continue doing what I was doing."
This stay, hopefully, is longer than one season. Since Young was claimed by the Eagles, he's on the active roster. If the Eagles need him Friday, he'll be ready.
"I hope to be another key piece for the next few years," Young said. "That's really what I wanna be. I wanna be able to make an impact right away this year."
