The Philadelphia Eagles wrapped up their offseason program on June 9 and open training camp on July 25 at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia. Here’s a 53-man roster projection:
Quarterbacks (3): Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel, Carson Wentz.
They’re the only three quarterbacks on the 90-man roster and they’ve received a ton of guaranteed money, so this was not a tough call.
Running backs (4): Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood, Byron Marshall.
Marshall projects as a younger version of Kenjon Barner, so it makes more sense for the Eagles to keep him. It won’t be shocking if the team goes with three backs here, which would make Marshall a candidate for the practice squad.
Wide receivers (5): Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Rueben Randle, Chris Givens, Josh Huff.
It is possible one of the rookie wide receivers – Xavier Rush seemed to find a connection with Wentz at minicamp – displaces Huff, but the Eagles’ wide receiver corps appears set. Not particularly imposing, but set.
Tight ends (4): Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Trey Burton, Chris Pantale.
That’s a lot of tight ends, but Pantale could also be counted as a fullback. He looked good in OTAs and minicamp as a tight end, and the Eagles used some three-tight end sets.
Offensive line (9): Jason Peters, Allen Barbre, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Isaac Seumalo, Stefen Wisniewski, Andrew Gardner, Matt Tobin.
Maybe the toughest unit to project. It could be that Malcolm Bunche, Dennis Kelly or Halapoulivaati Vaitai play their way onto the roster. The logic here is that Gardner, Tobin and Wisniewski can play multiple positions, which will give them value as backups.
Defensive ends (5): Connor Barwin, Vinny Curry, Brandon Graham, Marcus Smith, Bryan Braman.
The Eagles would like Alex McAlister, a seventh-round draft pick this year, to make the team. But they also want him to add weight, which suggests he could be stashed on the practice squad for a year. Braman is here for special teams.
Defensive tackles (4): Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan, Beau Allen, Mike Martin.
It wouldn’t be all that surprising if one of the undrafted rookies forced his way onto the roster, but for now, logic suggests the four most likely candidates will wind up on the team.
Linebackers (6): Jordan Hicks, Mychal Kendricks, Nigel Bradham, Joe Walker, Najee Goode, Myke Tavarres.
Deontae Skinner has shown some promise during his time here, and the coaches like Tavarres and Quentin Gause. Once you get past the starters, the three backups are basically a coin flip, with special-teams acumen playing a large role in the decisions.
Cornerbacks (6): Leodis McKelvin, Eric Rowe, Ron Brooks, Nolan Carroll, Jalen Mills, Denzel Rice, JaCorey Shepherd.
The Eagles desperately need this group to develop into a solid unit behind Jim Schwartz’s aggressive defensive front. Mills has looked very good in practice. Same with McKelvin, who played for Schwartz in Buffalo. Shepherd is a projection based on his play before tearing his ACL last year.
Safeties (4): Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Chris Maragos, Jaylen Watkins.
The starters are set. Maragos is a solid backup who excels on special teams. The fourth spot is really a toss-up. We’re going with Watkins here because he can also play cornerback.
Specialists (3): PK Cody Parkey, P Donnie Jones, LS Jon Dorenbos.
Strangely, two of the most intense competitions for roster spots are at kicker and long-snapper. Howie Roseman was in charge when the Eagles traded for Parkey, and that clearly matters in these situations. John DePalma may well outplay Dorenbos, but don’t expect the veteran to go quietly.