PHILADELPHIA -- Veteran receiver Cris Carter and quarterback Matt Cavanaugh were among 14 players released Monday by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia also acquired fullback Roger Vick from the New York Jets in return for an undisclosed draft pick.
Carter, a fourth-round pick in the 1987 supplemental draft out of Ohio State, caught 45 passes for 605 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
But he lost his starting job in the offseason because he lacked deep speed, found a place in Coach Buddy Ryan's doghouse and played sparingly in exhibition games. He caught three passes for 50 yards in preseason.
'I felt he didn't have the kind of speed we need,' said Ryan, adding that attempts to trade Carter had failed. 'He made some big plays for us last year inside the 20 but he didn't make some others that we needed. He wasn't doing the job in the preseason. He wasn't running his routes correctly. I just felt that he wasn't in my plans.'
Cavanaugh, a 13-year veteran acquired in a trade from San Francisco before the 1986 season, became expandable when the Eagles signed Jim McMahon as a free agent on July 10.
Cavanaugh played well in the exhibition season, completing 16 of 22 passes for 212 yards, but the Eagles decided it would be too expensive to keep two high-paid backup passers. Cavanaugh was the odd man out.
'That was strictly a money thing,' Ryan said. 'You don't need two expensive backup quarterbacks.
'We worked and we tried to trade him, but we couldn't get it done. Of all the cuts, he was the most difficult. He did a lot of great things for this football team. He's a great player, a great guy to have around, a hard worker and a gifted guy, but we couldn't keep him.'
Cavanaugh, who turns 34 Oct. 27, has also played for San Francisco and New England. He started 19 games, completing 305 of 579 passes for 4,332 yards and 28 touchdowns, with 30 interceptions.
Also released were rookie tight end Maurice Johnson, receivers Marvin Hargrove and Tyrone Watson, running backs Ervin Farris, Adam Walker, Judd Garrett and James Gray, linebacker Gary Kinne, defensive linemen Carl Dawson and Horacio Moronta and offensive linemen Michael Husar and Owen Hooven.
The cuts reduced the Eagles' roster to the regular-season limit of 47.
Johnson, a free agent out of Temple, started several exhibition games in the absence of contract holdout Keith Jackson and caught two passes for 19 yards.
'He cut himself,' Ryan said. 'I gave him a chance and he didn't produce.'
The release of Johnson left the Eagles with only journeymen Rick Aielts and Harper Le Bel at tight end but Ryan has already expressed an interest in signing veteran Mickey Schuler, who was released by the Jets on Sunday.
Jackson, who was named to the Pro Bowl after each of his first two seasons, has refused to report to the Eagles unless he gets an extension of his contract, which has two years left.
Philadelphia has refused to negotiate with Jackson and Ryan said Sunday he expects to start the season without him.
Vick's acquisition gives the Eagles four running backs. He joins veterans Keith Byars, Robert Drummond and Heath Sherman.
Vick, a first-round draft pick in 1987, ran for 434 yards last season and averaged 3.9 yards per carry. He also caught 34 passes for 241 yards and is considered a good blocker.
Philadelphia has been without running back Anthony Toney, the lone veteran who has not signed a new contract, since the start of training camp but Ryan said he is hopeful he will agree to terms soon.
