Former SMU Mustangs standout Danny Gray is a free agent again after the Philadelphia Eagles released him from their practice squad Friday.
The move, listed on Friday’s NFL transaction wire, ends Gray’s latest stint in Philadelphia after he was signed to the practice squad Sept. 1 and placed on the practice squad injured list with an undisclosed issue a week later.
For Mustang fans, the news is another reminder of how hard the NFL path has been for one of SMU’s more electric recent receivers.
Gray arrived on the Hilltop after two seasons at Blinn College and immediately produced. In 18 games over 2020 and 2021 he caught 82 passes for 1,251 yards and 13 touchdowns, adding two rushing scores.
His senior year was the highlight: 49 receptions, 803 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 games, first-team All-AAC honors, and a reputation as a burner who could stretch the field and finish in traffic. He declared for the draft after that season.
The San Francisco 49ers took him in the third round in 2022, 105th overall, betting on the 4.33 speed and playmaking he showed in Dallas. As a rookie he appeared in 13 games and recorded one catch for 10 yards.
Injuries, including a shoulder issue that cost him the 2023 season, stalled the rest of his 49ers tenure. San Francisco waived him in August 2024.
Philadelphia became his NFL home after that. Gray signed to the Eagles’ practice squad that September and was on the roster when the team won Super Bowl LIX. He has cycled on and off the practice squad since, including a reserve/future deal and a midseason return in 2025.
He was cut at the end of training camp this summer, then brought back when the practice squad was finalized. The latest release comes after only a short stay and the injured-list designation.
At 27, Gray remains a developmental receiver with rare straight-line speed and SMU pedigree. He has never recaptured the production he posted against AAC defenses, but the tools that made him a third-round pick are still there.
Practice-squad spots and short-term deals have been the pattern; another team could give him a look as depth or special-teams insurance.
For SMU, Gray is part of a recent wave of skill players who reached the league after standout years in University Park. His college tape—big-play ability against TCU, Tulane, and others—still holds up.
The professional chapter has been quieter and more injury-interrupted. Friday’s transaction simply adds another line to that résumé.
Gray is now an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any club. Whether he lands another practice-squad opportunity or a short-term deal will depend on health and how teams value the speed that first put him on the map as a Mustang.
