Jeremy Bloom fared better on the slopes than the football field.
The two-time Olympic skier was among 22 players cut by the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday to reach the 53-man roster limit. A fifth-round draft pick out of Colorado in 2006, Bloom never played a down in the regular season.
He spent his entire rookie year on injured reserve and hoped to make the team as a return specialist and extra wide receiver. Bloom averaged 20.3 yards on 12 kickoff returns in the preseason and 7.8 yards on 10 punt returns.
“We wanted more production out of Jeremy and we didn’t get it,” Eagles general manager Tom Elkhart said.
Veteran punter Dirk Johnson, who spent the last four seasons with the team, also was released. Johnson was beaten out by Sad Rocco, a former Australian rules football player.
The speedy, undersized Bloom, listed at 5-feet-9 and 180 pounds, played two seasons at CU before the NCAA ruled he was ineligible in the fall of 2004 because he accepted endorsements to keep his career as a skier on track.
Jaguars: It was expected, but still a shocker when Byron Leftwich was cut by the team.
The seventh overall pick in the 2003 draft and the Jags’ starting quarterback for nearly every game since then when he was healthy, Leftwich was released after losing the starting job to David Garrard.
Coach Jack Del Rio had said Friday, when he made the decision, that Leftwich would either be traded or released, but that in itself made it difficult to make a deal for him.
Bengals: No. 2 quarterback Doug Johnson was released and replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick, obtained in a trade from St. Louis.
Chiefs: Former star running back Priest Holmes was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list, guaranteeing that his absence from the game will stretch to almost two years.
Jets: The inspirational comeback of Andre Wadsworth, a 32-year-old linebacker who hadn’t played in the NFL since 2000 because of knee injuries, ended when he was cut.
Vikings: Among the team’s cuts were two veterans: receiver Billy McMullen and running back Artose Pinner.
Lions: Running back Kevin Jones was removed from the physically unable to perform list, setting a day-to-day timetable for his return to the field.
Browns: Quarterback Ken Dorsey was the best-known casualty among the 22 players cut after Derek Anderson beat him out for the third QB slot.
Giants: Lawrence Tynes has beaten free agent Josh Huston for the team’s kicking job and safety Will Demps was placed on injured reserve.
The Giants also traded running back Ryan Grant to Green Bay for an undisclosed draft choice.
Titans: Tennessee released starting free safety Lamont Thompson and quarterback Tim Rattay, choosing for now to go with Vince Young and his backup Kerry Collins.
Cowboys: Veteran cornerback Aaron Glenn’s contract was terminated by the team, which also put kicker Martin Gramatica on injured reserve.
Falcons: Atlanta made two relatively surprising moves, trading return specialist Allen Rossum to Pittsburgh and releasing place-kicker Billy Cundiff in favor of Matt Prater.
Raiders: Oakland released defensive end Quentin Moses, the first pick of the third round of this year’s draft.
Patriots: New England activated tight end David Thomas off the PUP list and released quarterback Vinny Testaverde, who at 43 would have been entering his 21st season in the NFL.
