PHILADELPHIA — Alex Singleton had to call his mom first. Then, his sister. After that, he called his girlfriend.

He had big news: He was officially on the Philadelphia Eagles active roster, and there’s a good chance he’ll make his NFL debut in some capacity against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

His football journey took him from Southern California to Montana, from Seattle to Canada and back to the United States in Philadelphia. And he’ll take his next step at the spectacle that is AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in prime time on national television.

“Mom, obviously,” Singleton said when asked who he called after he got promoted from the practice squad earlier in the week. “Mom’s gotta get it.”

Singleton joked that his mother might have already made the trek to Dallas ahead of the game.

“I'm just excited for the opportunity,” Singleton said. “It's what I've been planning for for the last six months and last five years, so I'm just ready to go.”

When the Eagles cut Singleton at the end of the preseason in April, the linebacker didn’t need to stay in Philadelphia. He had a steady gig waiting for him in Canada, where he was one of the CFL’s top defensive players with the Calgary Stampeders. He had a Grey Cup on his resume. He could return to where he had already been successful.

But when he signed a futures contract with the Eagles in January, he had his eyes on playing in the NFL. That’s what he worked toward when he played his high school ball at Thousand Oaks High outside of Los Angeles and when he was a three-year starter at Montana State. He spent time with the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings.

He couldn’t stick. So he went to Canada. And when he returned, he wanted to make sure he stuck.

“You've got to weigh a little bit, especially if you have a good second option,” Singleton said. “But I'm happy with the decision I made, and I wanted to be here. That was why I came. I didn't come to just leave after the preseason. If there was a legit chance I'd be playing football for the Philadelphia Eagles, I was going to stay. Now, when it comes full circle, I'm happy I got that opportunity.”

Singleton impressed during the preseason, especially on special teams. That’s where his role Sunday night likely will be. But he could have a genuine opportunity to contribute.

The Eagles will be without their top two linebackers from the first six weeks of the season. Nigel Bradham has an ankle injury. Zach Brown was cut earlier in the week. That leaves Nathan Gerry, Kamu Grugier-Hill, T.J. Edwards, Duke Riley and Singleton as the healthy linebackers on the roser. There isn’t much experience there.

But Singleton could bring a spark. He had 14 tackles in the preseason finale. He flies to the ball and always seemed to be around the play. There’s something to that.

“I'm just a guy that's got the fire that's gonna play 110 percent every play, no matter what, and do everything I can to win football games,” Singleton said.

It remains to be seen what kind of impact Singleton will get the chance to make Sunday. But he’ll get an opportunity to, and what’s what matters. He can step in on special teams or even defense. If he puts himself around the ball, maybe he can make something happen.

Singleton is ready for the chance.

“The way I think I’ve been practicing the last six weeks, I’ve been preparing to play, and I think that’s how you have to go about it,” Singleton said. “Just to have this opportunity, it’s exactly where in my head every week I’ve planned on being.”

Daniel Gallen covers the Philadelphia Eagles for PennLive. He can be reached at dgallen@pennlive.com. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Follow PennLive’s Philadelphia Eagles coverage on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.