With the Eagles set to open up preseason play this week on Thursday, the roster of 90 will soon start to go through the beginning of cuts to get that number down to the final 53.
Even with a lot of work and time left before kickoff in Week 1 of the regular season, there are some changes that can be made to the original projections we made just a few weeks back.
Quarterback (3): Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel, Carson Wentz
No changes for this group. Since the night Wentz was drafted, this trio has been a lock to make the roster.
Running Back (3): Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood
Kenjon Barner is the odd man out in this group, but with injuries mounting, he will have a lot of snaps to prove his worth during the preseason. Mathews is the lead back, but with his inability to catch the ball out of the backfield, Smallwood and Sproles could find themselves with a lot of snaps in spread formations.
Wide Receiver (5): Nelson Agholor, Jordan Matthews, Chris Givens, Rueben Randle, Josh Huff
Despite the coaching staff's new-found love for Paul Turner, the Eagles just have too many veterans and too many resources tied up in this group of receivers. Turner will find himself on the practice squad if he isn't snatched up by another team. Matthews, Givens and Randle have all impressed during training camp and are virtual locks.
Agholor has looked like he has improved over his disappointing rookie campaign, but he's still a bit behind the other top receivers. Huff's value is still as a kick returner and a versatile weapon, and Pederson will need to get creative with him in order to unlock his full potential.
Tight End (4): Trey Burton, Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, Chris Pantale
Burton has turned a lot of heads during training camp and could be another versatile, under-the-radar weapon Pederson can unleash on Sundays. Ertz and Celek both signed contract extensions and have acted the parts of veteran leaders so far. Expect the Stanford product to finally take the reigns from his elder teammate and become the bona fide No. 1 tight end.
Pantale has seen his stock drop a bit in recent days and could find himself on the wrong side of the bubble if Pederson believes Burton is capable of proficient blocking. The injuries at running back could also hurt Pantale as the team could instead keep four running backs and three tight ends if Mathews and Smallwood can't stay healthy.
Offensive Line (9): Jason Peters, Allen Barbre, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Malcolm Bunche, Stefen Wisniewski, Isaac Seumalo, Halapoulivaati Vaitai
The starters, plus Wisniewski are all locks. In fact, Wisniewski has looked so good in recent weeks filling in for the injured Brooks at right guard, he may give Barbre a huge challenge at the other starting guard spot. The reserves feature a lot of youth and versatility.
Despite the hopes that one of the rookies could contend for a starting spot, Vaitai has been pretty quiet and Seumalo has struggled to adjust to the NFL so far. Bunche was impressive last year during his time on the practice squad and has the highest pedigree among the rest of the bunch. However, spots along the line will be won and lost during the preseason games, so a lot can change over the next couple of weeks.
Defensive End (6): Connor Barwin, Vinny Curry, Brandon Graham, Bryan Braman, Steven Means, Alex McCalister
Curry, Graham and Barwin are the headliners of this squad. That trio will take up the majority of the snaps in this rotation. Braman is strictly a special teams guy and will not factor into the defensive scheme much. The biggest omission from this group is former first-round pick Marcus Smith.
Smith hasn't had a huge breakthrough and the current coaching staff has no reason to keep him if he doesn't perform. Right now, Means has looked like the better player in practice so he earns the roster spot. Although, McCalister hasn't flashed in practice either and could find himself on the practice squad. The team could look to add a veteran off waivers after one of the cut periods.
Defensive Tackle (4): Bennie Logan, Fletcher Cox, Beau Allen, Taylor Hart
Just like their defensive line comrades, this is a group with a lot of top end talent, but uninspiring depth. Any group that has Cox in it can't be called a liability, but it's hard to think this group will be successful when the first unit is on the sideline. But the tandem of Logan and Cox will wreak havoc on the interior of opposing offensive lines.
Allen is the best of the rest and maybe the scheme change will help him to evolve from being an uninspiring backup. Hart has the highest upside among the rest of the interior defensive linemen, but he's not the best fit for this scheme. A natural two-gapper, Hart may struggle penetrating off the ball, so expect the Birds to be scouring the waiver wire for a better fit.
Linebacker (6): Nigel Bradham, Jordan Hicks, Mychal Kendricks, Najee Goode, Joe Walker, Myke Tavares
The Eagles have reported interest in Stephen Tulloch, which would greatly help this fragile group that is lacking depth to begin with. Hicks' injury history is well-documented, Bradham now has a potential off-the-field concern and Kendricks is coming off the worst season of his career.
As for the backups, Goode is a decent depth piece and Walker has experience playing in the middle of a defense. Tavares is the best option among the remaining uninspiring choices. If Tulloch is added, either Tavares or Walker will be left off the roster and may end up on the practice squad.
Cornerback (6): Leodis McKelvin, Nolan Carroll, Eric Rowe, Jalen Mills, JaCorey Shepherd, Ron Brooks
The guys on this roster seem to have their spot sewn up, with the lone exception being Shepherd. Coming off his injury last year, Shepherd hasn't played as well and could find himself on the practice squad, taking a year to gain more confidence in his surgically-repaired knee.
McKelvin, Carroll and Brooks are fighting for the two starting spots, while Mills has spent most of training camp occupying the slot. Rowe has struggled and isn't inspiring much confidence in the coaching staff right now. Undrafted rookie Aaron Grymes has been a bright spot in training camp, but he's still a raw player. If he keeps up his high level of player, a practice squad spot could be in his future.
Safety (4): Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Chris Maragos, Ed Reynolds
McLeod has racked up a lot of interceptions during training camp and, along with Jenkins, will be a part of one of the league's top safety tandems. Maragos, like Braman, is strictly a contributor on special teams and can not be counted on to be a player on defense.
The final safety spot will come down to Reynolds and Blake Countess. Reynolds's experience will help him win over Countess, whose best quality is his versatility. But, he's not an upgrade over any of the corners on the roster, so that won't make much of a difference.
Special Teams (3): Caleb Sturgis, Donnie Jones, Jon Dorenbos
Jones and Dorenbos have no competition this training camp, so they're on the team. Meanwhile, the kicking battle will be won during the preseason games. Right now, Sturgis has gotten the upper hand over Cody Parkey during the first few weeks of practice, so he ends up here.
Tucker Bagley is a staff writer for Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @tbagley515.
