53 Man Roster Prediction from NJ.com
(Writer’s Note 2: PS indicates practice squad player; the Eagles will be allowed to keep 13 practice squad players due to Matt Leo’s International Pathway Player exemption)
QB (3, 3): Carson Wentz, Jalen Hurts, Nate Sudfeld
Missed the cut: Kyle Lauletta (PS1)
THE POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH: Sudfeld vs. Lauletta (QB2B)
There stands a strong chance that the Eagles dress three quarterbacks on Sundays this season. With Wentz’s injury history and Hurts’ potential package role on offense, the Eagles will need Sudfeld in case of an emergency. The Eagles will keep three quarterbacks this year, so Sudfeld may actually benefit in some way from the addition of Hurts, as oppose to a veteran pocket passer. Either way, this is Wentz’s show and Hurts is, at best, a supporting character on game days.
RB (4, 7): Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Corey Clement, Elijah Holyfield
Missed the cut: Michael Warren (PS2), Adrian Killins
THE POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH: Clement vs. Holyfield vs. Warren vs. Killens (RBs 3 & 4)
Sanders and Scott are locked into roster spots, even if the Eagles decide to bring in a notable veteran to fill out the depth chart later in the offseason. Until they add that veteran, Clement has a good shot of making the roster as well, but only if he is healthy. While Clement’s spot isn’t etched in stone, he’s good in third-down situations on offense and provides help on special teams. While the fourth spot seems wide open, we’ll go with Holyfield over two undrafted rookies because the Eagles have liked the former Georgia tailback for a while.
TE (3, 10): Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Josh Perkins
Missed the cut: Noah Togiai (PS3), Alex Ellis
THE POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH: Perkins vs. Togiai vs. Ellis (TE3)
Ertz and Goedert are the top tight end tandem in the league. That distinction can’t be overstated. Behind them, though, there’s an interesting competition. Perkins and Ellis both had their moments as No. 3 tight ends last year, but the Eagles didn’t seem too enamored with either throughout the campaign. Togiai is a well-paid undrafted rookie, who could push through to the main roster. That said, Perkins has the edge heading to camp, as his wide receiver versatility will help the Eagles at the X spot if Alshon Jeffery is injured to start the season.
WR (6, 16): DeSean Jackson, Jalen Reagor, Marquise Goodwin, Greg Ward, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, John Hightower
PUP: Alshon Jeffery
Missed the cut: Deontay Burnett, Marcus Green, Robert Davis, Quez Watkins (PS4), Shelton Gibson, Khalil Tate (PS5), Manasseh Bailey
THE POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH: Hightower vs. Burnett vs. Davis vs. Watkins vs. Gibson (WR6)
The draft weekend led to a full-on oil change of the wide receiver depth chart. Jackson, Reagor and Arcega-Whiteside are all locks to make the roster. Behind that trio, it gets interesting. Will Alshon Jeffery even be healthy enough to be cleared for Week 1? He may need to start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
If Jeffery is sidelined to start the season, that helps the rest of the group. With Jackson and Arcega-Whiteside likely to line up on the outside in three-receiver sets, Reagor will have a role in the slot. The first-round pick will still rotate with Jackson at the Z position, but he will probably see a lot of action as a versatile slot piece. His backup in the slot is likely to be Ward, who excelled in that role down the stretch last season.
Goodwin is a veteran presence who can lineup in the slot and the Z receiver position, like Reagor and Jackson. With that said, he and Jackson provide insurance for each other. With a reworked contract and a shortened offseason program, Goodwin is a good bet to stick around over a high-upside rookie at the position. The battle at the bottom of the depth chart will be between Hightower, Watkins, Burnett and Davis. Hightower will be the favorite heading into camp because of his size-speed combo.
OL (9, 25): Andre Dillard, Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Matt Pryor, Jack Driscoll, Prince Tega Wanogho, Nate Herbig
Missed the cut: Luke Juriga (PS6), Sua Opeta (PS7), Keegan Render, Casey Tucker, Jordan Mailata, Julian Good-Jones
THE POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH: Juriga vs. Herbig vs. Opeta vs. Mailata (OL9)
The Jason Peters whispers have now reached “inside voice" noise levels. Still, we’ll pencil Dillard in as the starting left tackle. The rest of the starting group is locked in.
Pryor is the best backup lineman they have at this point, and he is likely to support the right guard and right tackle spots this season. Driscoll, the team’s second fourth-round pick, will back up left guard and/or center. Wanogho, who is considered to be among the biggest steals of the draft, could focus on being left tackle insurance. The Eagles like Herbig’s ability to play guard and center, so he makes the roster over Mailata, Juriga and Opeta.
With the new CBA’s roster-size adjustments, the Eagles shouldn’t keep more than nine offensive linemen on the 53-man roster. Each week, they can bring up a new offensive lineman from the practice squad to fit their needs.
DL (9, 34): Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Derek Barnett, Malik Jackson, Josh Sweat, Hassan Ridgeway, Shareef Miller, Genard Avery
Missed the cut: Daeshon Hall, Casey Toohill (PS8), Joe Ostman, Bruce Hector, Albert Huggins, Raequan Williams (PS9), Matt Leo (PS - International Exemption), Anthony Rush
THE POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH: Miller vs. Rush vs. Toohill vs. Ostman vs. Hector vs. Hall vs. Williams vs. Huggins (DL9)
It’s going to be hard to earn a spot on this depth chart. Graham, Cox, Hargrave, Barnett, Jackson, Sweat and Ridgeway are all locks to make the roster, barring something unforeseen like an injury or an off-the-field issue.
The Eagles invested fourth-round picks in Miller and Avery, so they may still be on “scholarship” this offseason. At the very least, the duo has a leg up on the rest of the competition. Rush made some serious strides last season and the team seems to like his upside. Toohill and Willams are probably the most notable dark horses for the 53-man roster among the group.
LB (6, 40): Nathan Gerry (OLB), T.J. Edwards (MLB), Duke Riley (OLB), Davion Taylor, Alex Singleton, Shaun Bradley
Missed the cut: Dante Olson (PS 10), Jatavis Brown
THE POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH: Bradley vs. Brown vs. Singleton vs. Olsen (LBs 5 & 6)
This position is tough to figure out. While Gerry has a lock on one of the starting jobs, it’s unclear if the Eagles think Edwards is ready for the full-time middle linebacker role. That said, the former undrafted free agent is the clear favorite for that job.
Riley seems poised to beat out Brown, who has a veteran minimum salary that’s easy to shave off the books. Riley has the respect of his teammates and starting experience, while Brown screams “Corey Nelson 2.0". Plus, Brown seems pretty redundant when looking at Taylor and Phillips.
Taylor has phenomenal athletic ability, but it’s evident from his tape that there will be a bit of a learning curve for him at the NFL level. Taylor and Singleton are likely to be the Eagles’ top special teams aces at the linebacker position this season. Bradley, like Taylor, will also take time to adapt to the NFL level. That said, he should offer special teams upside with Riley, Edwards and Gerry all playing heavy snaps on defense. Olson might be the Eagles’ most intriguing undrafted addition. He is likely to be a practice squad asset.
CB (6, 46): Darius Slay, Avonte Maddox, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Sidney Jones, Cre’Von LeBlanc, Craig James
Missed the cut: Rasul Douglas, Trevor Williams, Tremon Smith, Michael Jacquet, Elijah Riley, Prince Smith
THE POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH: LeBlanc vs. Williams vs. James (CBs 5 & 6)
The Eagles upgraded their starting lineup with the trade for Slay. He will be partnered with either Maddox or Jones, depending on who wins their intriguing training camp battle. With the Eagles going for a “positionless” secondary, Maddox is probably the favorite for the No. 2 job. Even if Jones loses out to Maddox, he should make the roster over Douglas, who is likely to be trade bait at some point.
Robey-Coleman was a smart acquisition in free agency, and he should start at nickel corner with Maddox on the outside. LeBlanc is a solid special teams player, and he has proven he can get the job done as the backup nickel corner. James has the ability to play all three corner spots and was a standout on special teams last year.
S (4, 50): Rodney McLeod, Jalen Mills, Will Parks, K’Von Wallace
Missed the cut: Marcus Epps (PS 11), Rudy Ford, Grayland Arnold (PS 12)
THE POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH: Mills vs. Parks vs. Wallace (SS)
The Eagles are going to have a very different look on the backend. Converting Mills to safety was a smart move, but having him immediately replace longtime leader, Malcolm Jenkins, could be a bumpy experiment. Luckily for the Eagles, they signed Parks in free agency and selected Wallace in the draft.
Parks is an ideal fit for the “big nickel” safety role, while Wallace could push the free-agent addition and Mills for playing time early on in his rookie year. Arnold’s signing has been mused about by Roseman, which is worth noting, but he will probably land on the practice squad initially.
ST (3, 53): Jake Elliott, Cam Johnston, Rick Lovato
There’s nothing to see here, but since you read all the way, Elliott’s pretty good at golf trick shots.