The league is getting closer to the day when each front office will need to choose the 53 players they believe will best help them toward a championship.
For the Eagles, that is no different though some areas of depth may make their decisions a bit more difficult.
After two preseason games and plenty of practices, here’s SportsTalkPhilly’s projected 53-man roster.
Quarterbacks (3):
Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett, Tanner McKee
The Eagles like Pickett and have publicly said he’s their number two after acquiring him in a trade this offseason. He hasn’t been all that impressive in the preseason games, but in fairness the Eagles backup offensive line was not greatly helpful for him. Meanwhile, McKee has been so impressive the Eagles probably can’t bank on him clearing waivers again and may need to keep him on the roster in order to avoid losing him and the depth they are looking for.
Running Backs (3):
Saquon Barkley, Kenneth Gainwell, Will Shipley
The top two were already solidified, but rookie draft pick Will Shipley appears to have taken the reigns in the preseason games as the primary back after the two who have been sitting all or most of the game. He has shown some effectiveness despite what is, for the Eagles, some lackluster line play but more importantly some of the traits he’s shown in his decision making and ability in space would appear to mesh very will with the the first-team offensive line’s play and Kellen Moore’s projected offense. The biggest question is whether the Eagles keep four backs or not. Tyrion Davis-Price may have the inside track to that spot, but he, Kendall Milton, or Lew Nichols should clear waivers (possibly all three), so the team could just look to save a roster spot to put toward deeper positions here and try to load up the practice squad with a few of those guys or grab someone else’s castoff like they did with Davis-Price earlier this offseason and Trey Sermon the year before that.
Tight Ends (3):
Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, E.J. Jenkins
At this point, the top two are locked but the third could change nearly every day. Albert O has the familiarity with teammates and they brought him back, but with Uzomah getting released, it seems like the job is down to he and E.J. Jenkins. Albert may get the nod as a vet and his sitting out the second game may prove just that. Still, it’d be wrong to count out Jenkins entirely; he has 51 yards on six receptions (just seven targets) in the preseason games and is the biggest frame for blocking and targets while also playing special teams. I think he’s made a good enough impression to push for that third spot; if he doesn’t get it, the team will almost certainly look to pass him through waivers and get him on their practice squad.
Wide Receivers (5):
AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Britain Covey, Johnny Wilson
Brown and Smith are obvious but this one had to change with the Jahan Dotson trade coming through as this article was being completed. Campbell appeared to be the frontrunner for the primary third option but his dealing with injuries for a large portion of camp may have pushed him out of contention. Although Covey has a spot almost locked down as the punt returner, he’s developed more as a receiver and could push for a role on offense. Between the two draft picks likely to have an inside route to a roster spot, Wilson has impressed (despite his tendency for drops) and Ainias Smith has just not stood out, making it unlikely he wouldn’t pass through waivers. Another consideration (besides Campbell) if they go to six guys would be veteran John Ross III, potentially completing his comeback attempt. He’s not the speedster he once was, but he’s shown an ability to get open despite some poor passes and things not falling well statistically in the preseason games.
Offensive Line (10):
Cam Jurgens, Lane Johnson, Landon Dickerson, Jordan Mailata, Mekhi Becton, Tyler Steen, Matt Hennessy, Brett Toth, Fred Johnson, Trevor Keegan
Without Kelce, the room doesn’t seem as stacked. That said, there’s plenty of talent and the Eagles will likely want to try and keep it around. Becton appears to be the starter at right guard and it seems almost forgone at this point that Steen and Hennessey will be remaining with the team. They like what they’ve seen out of Fred Johnson since picking him up and rookie draft pick Trevor Keegan seems to be getting plenty of snaps and has done well with those. Toth is now in his third stint with the Eagles. He’s probably not a guy the team wants to have to rely on at center, but he provides someone who could play at any position on the line and that versatility likely give him the best shot at a spot.
One of the biggest questions at the position will be how healthy Tyler Steen is. If he’s healthy enough he will certainly have a roster spot, but with his ankle injuries persisting throughout camp and the preseason games, there’s a chance he could wind up on an injury list and the Eagles could try to sneak Dylan McMahon into a roster spot and worry about the decision that’d need to be made later.
Defensive Tackles (5):
Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, P.J. Mustipher
No question on the top three here. Frankly, many fans underrate how good Williams and Tuipulotu have been. For Marlon, health is the main factor – it seems as if he gets an opportunity and appears to be breaking out each season just before he winds up injured for a large chunk of the season. With health, he could become a deadly rotational player. As a Penn State fan, I am biased. That said, it certainly seems like P.J. Mustipher has played himself more into that depth role than Moro Ojomo has. At the start of camp, I would certainly have Ojomo on the roster instead, but it’s hard to cut a guy with the work ethic and leadership of Mustipher who can be just as effective in the run game when needed. Ojomo just does not appear to have made any sort of jump in the level of play, so it may come down to how much the team values that draft pick status since both players would essentially have three years of team control.
EDGE (6):
Brandon Graham, Josh Huff, Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Patrick Johnson
There’s no question about the starters and top rotation guys here with four guys basically locked into the top of the depth chart. It’d have been nice to see more from Smith in preseason, but the team isn’t about to give up on him. Behind those four, however, draft pick Jalyx Hunt has shown some great flashes. It may have only been against second or third teamers, but seeing that athleticism already beginning to translate into playmaking ability is a great sign and one that will almost certainly keep him in midnight green. The last spot the nod goes to Patrick Johnson, who seems to be developing the most. The team could look at Tarron Jackson or Julian Okwara if they want to go deeper, but it seems unlikely they’d want to pull depth from other places, particularly with Milton Williams (and potentially Jalen Carter) being able to do some Edge rushing if it’s needed.
Linebackers (5):
Nakobe Dean, Devin White, Zack Baun, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Ben VanSumeren
Dean has started to show some progress later in camp so that’s a positive sign. White and Baun seemed pretty locked in to spots from the get go. The fourth spot seems to have been earned by Trotter with an impressive first camp and preseason. Ben VanSumeren locks up the special teams spot and has shown an ability to play the linebacker position if needed – that and the team control should get him the final spot over Oren Burks. Brandon Smith has made a few splash plays, but he seems more like a practice squad guy at this point.
Corner Backs (6):
Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers, Kelee Ringo, Quinyon Mitchell, Avonte Maddox, Eli Ricks
Really, I don’t think there will be too much delineation on this roster with many of the guys serving as “defensive backs”. Ringo and Maddox here could see the field as a safety if it’s needed. Rodgers reportedly has the starting outside role across from Slay, but Ringo has looked like a starting caliber player as has Mitchell (who may start in the slot just to get him on the field). Maddox appears to be back from his injury and as strong as ever. Particularly if Fangio is convinced he could play safety as needed, it would seem he played himself into a roster spot. Eli Ricks did well last year in games and has done well this year, so the team may not want to risk losing him. The tough cut here is Zech McPhearson – he plays a strong special teams role, but he’s coming off a major injury and just hasn’t taken the steps forward to become the defensive player they thought he could be.
Safeties (4):
Reed Blankenship, CJ Gardner-Johnson, James Bradberry, Cooper DeJean
Not too much to question here. Blankenship and CJGJ are guaranteed spots. Bradberry’s transition has gone well based off of the opinions of the coaching staff and could provide about as good of a depth option at corner as there could be. His contract probably means they wouldn’t cut him anyway, but he may be someone who winds up being traded if the Eagles like the rest of their options and there’s a team that runs into trouble and is willing to make an offer that can’t be refused. He’s an up and down guy, though, and this should be his up year. DeJean is behind the eight ball due to his injury so his quickest path to the field may be at safety. Sydney Brown is probably still months out from being able to play properly, which means the Eagles are likely to start him on the PUP list, where he’d only have to miss four games at the minimum. Tristin McCollum played well, but there’s not enough room on the 53-man for him with all the talent that’s been brought in.
Specialists (3):
Jake Elliott (Kicker), Braden Mann (Punter) and Rick Lovato (Long Snapper)
There isn’t any changes here from the end of last season and there were no competitions in camp, so these guys were pretty much locked in after getting extensions this offseason.
