By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Staff 
The Eagles officially have a 53-man roster. It took quite a few hard decisions to get there and the Eagles have a few players that they hope will clear waivers so that they can be signed to the team’s practice squad. The Eagles 53-man roster consists of:
Quarterbacks:
Carson Wentz, Nick Foles and Nate Sudfeld
This position was essentially set in stone from the beginning of camp. Foles is the best backup in league and the Eagles think Sudfeld will be a good backup after Foles is gone. Joe Callahan and Christian Hackenberg were both cut, but the Eagles may look to keep one on the practice squad should they clear waivers.
Running Backs:
Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement, Darren Sproles and Wendell Smallwood
Ajayi, Clement and Sproles weren’t going anywhere and Smallwood seemed to have a position locked down simply by the fact that he did not play in the fourth preseason game. What is a surprise about the position is that there are only four backs and neither Josh Adams nor Donnel Pumphrey made the roster. The Eagles really liked both, but instead opted to keep an extra player at the next position. They will hope that at least one of the two clears waivers to be added to the practice squad.
Tight Ends:
Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Richard Rodgers and Joshua Perkins
The top three are no surprise, but an injury to Rodgers that will keep him out of the first few games convinced the Eagles to keep a fourth tight end on the roster. If you don’t know who Joshua Perkins is, don’t be alarmed. He’s been out with an upper body injury and hasn’t played during the preseason, which makes him an odd choice to carry as a backup to a different injured player. Perkins looked far better than the other tight-ends in camp, however, and the Eagles will hope that transfers to his play during the regular season.
Wide Recievers:
Alshon Jefferey, Nelson Agholor, Mike Wallace, Mack Hollins, Shelton Gibson and DeAndre Carter
Again, the top three are no surprise. Mack Hollins was injured for much of the preseason and was unimpressive when he was on the field, but the Eagles still believe it was just some rust and that the potential he flashed last season is still there. There was perhaps no more improved player this preseason than Shelton Gibson, who contributes on special teams and came near to leading the league in receiving yards this preseason with 195 – good for second on the leaderboard. He made the team with ease. Gibson’s improvement made it difficult for Carter to make this roster as a sixth receiver, but he may have been helped by the fact that Jefferey is expected to miss at least the first two games. Carter did well enough this preseason to earn the eighth spot on the receiving leaderboard with 178 yards. The Eagles are Carter’s sixth team in six years, but this is the first 53-man roster he has made.
Centers:
Jason Kelce and Isaac Seumalo
Kelce was rated by Pro Football Focus as the best offensive lineman on the best offensive line in football last season. He wasn’t going anywhere. Seumalo will likely serve as the primary backup at center, but can play any position on the line – a quality that ensured him a roster spot.
Guards:
Brandon Brooks, Stefan Wisniewski, Chance Warmack and Matt Pryor
The starters are no surprise and the Eagles have liked what they have seen from Matt Pryor as they have taught him guard this preseason (he was a tackle in college and could still play that for the birds should they need it). Warmack is the biggest surprise of this group. He did well in the final two games of the preseason which convinced the Eagles to give him a spot, but the fact that they kept him is more surprising because of the salary the Eagles could have saved rather than his playing ability.
Tackles:
Jason Peters, Lane Johnson, Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Jordan Mailata
A future Hall of Famer and an All-Pro lead the way at tackle. Big V struggled in the preseason, but he has also held his own against players like Everson Griffen in the NFC Championship game last season, so the Eagles aren’t too worried about a few poor preseason games. Perhaps the steal of the draft, Jordan Mailata, earned a spot on the 53-man roster. It was expected he’d be on the practice squad this season, but he has improved so much this preseason that there is no chance he would clear waivers and the Eagles will have to carry him to keep him, even if he may not play this season.
Defensive Tackles:
Fletcher Cox, Haloti Ngata, Destiny Vaeao, and Bruce Hector
With Tim Jernigan out for much of the season, the spots behind Cox and Ngata were clear. Vaeao improved upon his abilities from last season and the Eagles have like what they have seen from Hector enough to take him over Elijah Qualls. The position is a bit thin because of the two defensive ends on the roster that can play tackle as well.
Defensive Ends:
Brandon Graham, Michael Bennett, Chris Long, Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat
The Eagles top four here were locks and both Graham and Bennett can play defensive tackle which allows Jim Schwartz to get even more creative with his rotations. Josh Sweat was said to have first round talent, but did not play a whole lot in college and had a rather severe injury history. The Eagles thing they may have found another bargain in Sweat and will hope that he and Barnett can develop together to form a tandem that will be both dominant and inexpensive for the next four seasons. The missing name here is Steven Means. He is well liked by the team and had an absolutely dominant game in the final game of the preseason. The Eagles just have so much talent on the line that they don’t need him around – and Means may well get to play more snaps somewhere without such a deep line. That may have been the toughest decision for Roseman to make.
Linebackers:
Jordan Hicks, Nathan Gerry, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Joe Walker and LaRoy Reynolds
Hicks was the only lock here with Nigel Bradham being suspended for the first game of the season. Gerry, Gurgier-Hill, Walker, and Reynolds are all guys who are big on special teams and played really well in the preseason. They played so well that the Eagles couldn’t pick one to cut. Grugier-Hill and Reynolds are likely the two in competition to start in Bradham’s absence.
Corner Backs:
Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills, Sidney Jones, Rasul Douglas and Avonte Maddox
Darby and Mills were never in question and after Jones took the starting spot in the slot, neither was he. Douglas has filled in well for the Eagles and had a very impressive preseason, so the Eagles will happily have him as their backup. Maddox was drafted in the fourth round this year and flashed some great potential and the ability to use his large frame. He had some miscues in camp, but the Eagles will look to develop him as they have Mill, Jones and Douglas. De’Vante Bausby is clearly missing from this list after being in heavy competition with Jones to start as the slot corner. Bausby was really impressive in the first preseason game, but got beat quite a few times in the next three games. He may not clear waivers, but if he does, he’ll be on the practice squad. Chandon Sullivan also made a case for himself this season, but will instead be on the practice squad if he isn’t claimed.
Safeties:
Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Corey Graham and Tre Sullivan
Jenkins and McLeod form one of, if not the best, safety tandems in the league. Neither of them was leaving. When Graham accepted the Eagles contract offer a few weeks ago, he was getting a spot, too. That could have meant that there were no available spots at safety, but Sullivan was so impressive that they had to keep him. He appeared in the fourth preseason game, but was not thrown to thanks to good coverage.
Specialists:
Jake Elliot (Kicker), Cameron Johnston (Punter) and Rick Lovato (Long Snapper)
This is no surprise as the Eagles really didn’t bring in big competition for any of these positions.
Players Not Counting Toward the 53-Man:
Tim Jernigan (NFI), Chris Maragos (PUP), Nigel Bradham (Suspension) and Deiondre’ Hall (Suspension)
Jernigan and Maragos are both healing from major injuries and surgery, so they will miss at least the first six weeks. Bradham and Hall are suspended for Week One, but will need to be on the 53-man following that. It will be interesting to see who they waive to activate Bradham and what they do with Hall. The Eagles traded a conditional seventh-round pick for Hall, so if they decide they don’t want him, they could stick with their roster and waive him without having to give anything to the Chicago Bears.
