Justin Time

In a sign of improving health at an important position, the Eagles on Tuesday announced that safety Justin Evans has been activated into the 21-day practice window.

Evans, a veteran safety who has also played the nickelback position, was a starter when the season opened alongside second-year pro Reed Blankenship and played four of the first five games. He suffered a knee injury in a Week 4 win against the Rams and was placed on Injured Reserve, which sidelined him for the last  four games.

GETTY IMAGES: S Justin Evans was activated into the 21-day window, which signals he’s closer to a return.

If he’s able to practice fully this week in preparation for Monday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, Davis could be activated onto the 53-man roster.

The Eagles could also benefit from the return of slot cornerback Bradley Roby, who was signed to help alleviate the loss of slot cornerback Avonte Maddox, who’s been out since Week 2 with a torn pec and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Roby has missed the past four games with a shoulder injury.

Roby and Evans are the team’s most experienced interior defenders. Evans signed a one-year deal in the offseason, coming over from New Orleans. Roby was also with the Saints last season.

In other roster news, the Eagles signed tight end Noah Togiai and offensive lineman Lecitus Smith to the practice squad, two players they had worked out Monday.

Togiai, who has played seven career NFL games, was signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2020 but was waived at the cutdown deadline and claimed by the Colts.

He re-joined the team in 2021 on the practice squad and active roster. He’s also spent time with the Cardinals and Raiders. He gives the Eagles extra depth with tight end Dallas Goedert expected to miss several weeks because of a broken arm.

Smith, a 2022 sixth-round pick of the Cardinals from Virginia Tech, played in 10 games last year and started twice. The Cards released him this year at the cutdown deadline.

He spent some time this season on the Texans’ practice squad.

The Eagles had one spot already open on the practice squad so they only needed to clear one space, which led to the release of tight end E.J. Jenkins.

– Geoff Mosher (@geoffmoshernfl) is co-host of the “Inside the Birds” podcast and staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.