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Steven Means survives Eagles cut down to 53

There may yet be turnover on the Philadelphia roster, but this is good news for the UB alumnus

By Matt Gritzmacher
NFL: Preaseason-New York Jets at Philadelphia Eagles Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The deadline for NFL teams to trim their rosters to 53 players passed at 4:00 PM this afternoon, and while there’s still bound to be some turnover, it seems that UB alumnus and Buffalo native Steven Means has made the cut after a strong preseason.

Means performance over the summer — four tackles, two sacks, four quarterback hits, and a pass breakup in four preseason wins — placed him firmly on the "in" side of the bubble. On the bubble nonetheless, but strongly enough that Bleeding Green Nation called him "absolutely disruptive" and local media preemptively questioned a world in which the fourth-year defensive end didn’t make the squad.

Philadelphia Eagles 53-man roster prediction: FINAL EDITION 2016 - Bleeding Green Nation
Defensive end - Brandon Graham, Connor Barwin, Vinny Curry, Steven Means, Marcus Smith, Bryan Braman (6) [36] Graham looks really good playing in the 4-3 again. There figures to be a strong three-man rotation with him, Barwin, and Curry. Means had a great summer. He was consistently getting in the quarterback's face and he made plays against the run as well. Smith didn't look as good as Means but the 2014 first round pick played well enough to stick around. Braman obviously isn't a true defensive end. He's a special teams guy.

Will Paul Turner, Steven Means make the Eagles roster? Final 53-man prediction | NJ.com
Steven Means: If Means doesn't make the Eagles, then you have to wonder why they even have the preseason. The defensive end has been dominant in the four preseason games, and has arguably been the team's top pass rusher on a roster filled with them.  Keeping Means might mean the Eagles have to keep six defensive ends, or cut Marcus Smith, but on a team that is going to live-and-die with their defensive line this season, it's hard to see why the Eagles would let Means go.

Even moreso than normal, the Eagles roster may have more turnover after the 53-man cutdown, but it looks like even if the team moves down from six defensive ends, Means won’t be the guy on the chopping block.

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