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2018 Philadelphia Eagles starters, 53-man roster, schedule prediction

The Philadelphia Eagles roster heading into the 2018 season (starters in bold):

QUARTERBACK (3): Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, Nate Sudfeld

Foles is expected to get the nod Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, but Wentz should be ready before long. A heckuva QB room.

RUNNING BACK (4): Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement, Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood

No player truly separated himself from the pack in the fight for the fourth running back spot. A hamstring injury sidelined former fourth-round pick Donnel Pumphrey, and he was cut. Rookie Josh Adams flashed, but had a hard time staying healthy and also was cut. So Smallwood was the survivor

WIDE RECEIVER (6): Alshon Jeffery, Mike Wallace, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, Shelton Gibson, DeAndre Carter

Plenty of people were rooting for Carter, the 25-year-old out of Sacramento State was on a mission to win a roster spot in honor of his brother, who died in 2013 of heart complications. He impressed against the Browns in the third preseason game and won the spot.

TIGHT END (4): Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Richard Rodgers, Josh Perkins

Coach Doug Pederson is in good shape at tight end with the one-two punch of Ertz and Goedert, the second-round pick out of South Dakota State. With Rodgers banged up for part of the offseason, the Eagles opt to go with four tight ends.

OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Jason Peters, Stefen Wisniewski, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Isaac Seumalo, Matt Pryor, Jordan Mailata, Chance Warmack

Mailata, the Australian Rugby Leauge player-turned-offensive tackle, has only been playing the sport for a few months and is rough around the edges. But he's an athletic freak and has proven to be a fast learner. He is on the 53-man roster and is bursting with upside.

DEFENSIVE LINE (9): Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Destiny Vaeao, Derek Barnett, Chris Long, Michael Bennett, Bruce Hector, Haloti Ngata, Josh Sweat

Tim Jernigan is still recovering from herniated disc surgery. He could start the season on the non-football injury list. He will start the season on the non-football injury list. Steven Means is a favorite among teammates and coaches and is a bit of a surprise cut.

LINEBACKER (5): Jordan Hicks, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Nate Gerry, Joe Walker, LaRoy Reynolds

Nigel Bradham is suspended for Week 1, so the Eagles can carry an extra linebacker for now.

SECONDARY (9): Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby, Sidney Jones, Avonte Maddox, Rasul Douglas, Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Corey Graham, Tre Sullivan

Safety/special-teams ace Chris Maragos isn't all the way back from a PCL injury and will start the year on an injury list. De’Vante Bausby was competing for the nickel corner job early but had a somewhat quiet preseason.

SPECIALIST (3): Jake Elliott, Cameron Johnston, Rick Lovato

Johnston has had his share of highs (including an 81-yard punt that was negated by penalty in the first game of the preseason) and lows this summer, but he's been more steady of late.