Who’s Matthew Tucker?

“Matthew Tucker – come on down – the price is right,” would come the sound of The Price Is Right announcer George Gray’s thundering voice – loud and clear.

And Matthew Tucker would pop up in the audience and hustle down the steps to the stage where Drew Carey would be waiting with smiles and handshakes.

One thing’s for sure – Matthew Tucker’s price will be right if he makes the Eagles this season. The rookie minimum for 2015 is $435,000 – which is just about $10-million less than Shady McCoy would’ve made as an Eagle this coming season.

But another thing’s not sure – Will Matthew Tucker make the Eagles team in 2015?

Do I hear “Who in hell is Matthew Tucker?” out there somewhere.

So let me fill you in. The Eagles signed Matthew Tucker as an undrafted free agent out of TCU on April 27, 2013. He played throughout the preseason, but was cut and placed on the Practice Squad.

He was activated for two games in 2013 – one against the Cowboys and one against the Redskins – but his action was limited to special teams.

At season’s end in 2013, the Eagles once again signed Tucker to the Practice Squad.

He played quite a bit during the 2014 preseason. The header photo above this article is Tucker diving into the end zone against the Jets during preseason last summer. Honestly, I was surprised when he didn’t make the team at the final cut-down. I thought he’d shown enough to make it and feared another team would grab him on cut-down day.

But no. No other team snagged him. And just as soon as the Eagles cut Matthew Tucker, they again signed him to the Practice Squad – where he spent the entire 2014 season. And right after the regular season ended on December 28 with a 34-26 win over the Giants, the Eagles re-signed Tucker to the 2015 Practice Squad.

Obviously, the Eagles see enough potential in Matthew Tucker to keep him around for his third season and give him another tryout during the upcoming preseason.

A little research reveals that Tucker made first team All-State as a four-letter tailback at Chapel Hill High School in Tyler, Texas. That performance earned him a scholarship at TCU – where he played for four years. Tucker’s career stats at TCU are below – courtesy of the official TCU website.

While his four-year stats are not eye-popping, two stats caught my eye:

– He scored 33 TDs on 494 rushing attempts.

– He averaged 5.3 yards per carry.

To see Matthew Tucker’s biography on the Eagles website CLICK HERE.

Don’t be surprised if Matthew Tucker not only makes the Eagles this season, but also contributes to the offense. I can see a triumvirate of running backs with Chris Polk, Darren Sproles, and Matthew Tucker.

I can also see the Eagles drafting a running back to compete for job – but I don’t see the Eagles grabbing a running back via free agency. We’ll see what happens.