Eagles signing Jake Elliott off Bengals’ practice squad, per report

The Cincinnati Bengals are losing Jake Elliott, who is being signed to the Philadelphia Eagles’ 53-man roster, according to Ian Rapoport. Philadelphia is signing Elliott to replace the injured Caleb Sturgis, who is reportedly going on injured reserve with a quad strain in his plant leg.

Elliott initially made the Bengals’ practice squad after being waived during final roster cuts this year. He lost the kicking battle to veteran Randy Bullock, who was far and away the better kicker, leaving Cincinnati no option but to waive Elliott.

The Bengals selected Elliott with the 153rd overall pick in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, making him the first kicker drafted this year. With that designation, it seemed like a lock he would make the 53-man roster and be the Bengals’ kicker in 2017.

However, the Bengals maintained all summer that the kicking competition was real and that Bullock had a fair shot to win the job. And, it proves that was true after Bullock was the clear winner of the kicking battle. He was able to win the job after a great display in training camp and most of the preseason. His lone preseason miss came in the final preseason game, a loss to the Indianapolis Colts, which proved costly in a 7-6 game, but it doesn’t overshadow how superior he was in this battle.

Elliott missed far too many kicks in camp and the preseason to win any kicking battle in the NFL, but his talent and being a fifth-round rookie made him one of the more intriguing kickers for teams like the Eagles to sign if they needed help.

This marks the second fifth-round pick the Bengals have lost this year. The team waived rookie offensive lineman J.J. Dielman before the Los Angeles Rams claimed him during final cuts.