A pair of former BYU players joined NFL practice squads Tuesday, as safety Craig Bills signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and wide receiver Jordan Leslie signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
Bills went undrafted in May after finishing his four-year Cougar career in 2014 with 51 tackles and an interception in nine games his senior season. Bills played in 47 games for BYU and had 199 career tackles, three tackles for loss, five interceptions, 14 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
To make room for Bills, the Eagles released cornerback Mike Lee.
He was the Deseret News' Mr. Football recipient in 2008 following his senior season at Timpview High and helped the Thunderbirds win 36 straight games and three straight state championships. Bills was rated the No. 10 safety prospect in the nation by Rivals coming out of high school.
Bills, who ran a 4.5 40-yard dash at BYU's Pro Day in March, joins an Eagles secondary that also includes former Utah cornerback Eric Rowe, who has 20 tackles and an interception in his rookie season and has started the past two games for Philadelphia.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Bills is the lone safety on the Eagles' practice squad and the team has three safeties on its active roster: Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Maragos and Ed Reynolds.
Leslie, meanwhile, joins his third NFL team. He signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad in October and, prior to that, signed as an undrafted free agent with Minnesota before the Vikings released him in the preseason. Last year in his only season with BYU, Leslie caught 55 passes for 779 yards and six touchdowns.
The Falcons made several moves on Tuesday, including waiving wide receiver Leonard Hankerson off injured reserve and signing another wideout, R.J. Harris, to their practice squad along with the 6-3, 209-pound Leslie.
Atlanta now has three wide receivers on its practice squad, including C.J. Goodwin, as well as former Utah State tight end D.J. Tialavea. The Falcons have six wide receivers on their active roster, led by Julio Jones, Roddy White and Devin Hester.
With Bills and Leslie signing, it makes four former Cougars — all rookies — currently on NFL practice squads. Running back Paul Lasike is with the Chicago Bears and cornerback Robertson Daniel is on the Green Bay Packers' practice squad.
Philadelphia, at 6-7, is currently tied with the Washington Redskins and New York Giants atop the NFC East with three games left in the regular season. The Falcons are also 6-7, though they have lost six straight games.
Email: bjudd@deseretdigital.com; Twitter: @brandonljudd