Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - Return man Jeremy Bloom and punter Dirk Johnson, two players expected to play a significant role on the Philadelphia Eagles' special teams entering training camp, were released Saturday along with 20 other roster hopefuls.

Bloom, a former skier on the U.S. Olympic team who had been barred from concluding his collegiate career at Colorado while accepting commercial endorsements for skiing, was widely expected to handle returns after the Eagles parted ways with Reno Mahe and Bethel Johnson in the offseason. But Bloom, who spent all of 2006 on injured reserve, was bothered by a toe injury throughout the '07 preseason and was less than impressive when he played.

Johnson has been the Eagles' starting punter since 2003, but was passed over in favor of 34-year-old Australian Rules Football import Sav Rocca, who impressed the team during training camp.

Rocca averaged 45.4 yards per punt during the preseason, against 43.9 for Johnson.

Also released by Philadelphia on Saturday were cornerback Rashad Barksdale, fullback Jeremy Cain, defensive tackle Jeremy Clark, wide receiver Zac Collie, linebacker Tank Daniels, fullback Jason Davis, cornerback Dustin Fox, safety C.J. Gaddis, wide receiver Michael Gasperson, safety Erick Harris, center Jasper Harvey, tackle Jacob Hobbs, running back Nate Ilaoa, defensive tackle Mauricio Lopez, defensive end Marques Murrell, wide receiver J.J. Outlaw, tackle Jonathan Palmer, linebacker Dedrick Roper, wide receiver Bill Sampy, and tight end Lee Vickers.

Notables in that group include Barksdale, Gaddis, and Ilaoa, three 2007 Draft picks who could be brought back on the practice squad, and reserve linebackers Daniels and Roper, both of whom spent extended time on Philadelphia's active roster last season.

The Eagles will open their regular season on Sept. 9, when they visit the Green Bay Packers.