The Eagles have had 16 training camp practices and three preseason games and it’s time to make some tough decisions.
The 90-man roster must be trimmed down to 53 players by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.
Here are our projections for the final 53-man roster in 2024:
Quarterbacks (3): Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett, Tanner McKee
None of these three have ever been in question. There’s certainly room for debate as to whether McKie has played better than Pickett and deserves to be the No. 2 hitter. If Hurts is healthy, we may never see this really tested. But all three should remain on the roster.
Ejected: Will Grier
Running backs (3): Saquon Barkley, Kenny Gainwell, Will Shipley
Could the Eagles choose to keep one of the bigger running backs? Probably. But none of them are completely out of the group and the Eagles will undoubtedly keep this top three. Barkley will be the main man, but Gainwell and Shipley also have roles.
Absent: Tyrion Davis-Price, Kendall Milton, Lew Nichols
Receivers (6): A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Britten Covey, Johnny Wilson, Aeneas Smith
The Eagles finally added a third receiver when they acquired Dotson in a trade on Thursday, which was bad news for the other veterans trying to make the team. Smith was a tricky player to handle, struggling for most of the summer but finishing strong. We all know Howie Roseman doesn’t want to cut a fifth-round pick.
Ejected: Austin Watkins, Jacob Harris, Griffin Hebert, Parris Campbell, John Ross, Joseph Ngata.
Tight Ends (3): Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, EJ Jenkins
The Eagles could also choose to keep just their top two tight ends and search the waiver wire for a third — Jack Stoll could be out with the Giants, so that’s quite possible — but Jenkins has been the team’s third-best tight end all summer and deserves to be on the roster, so I would do that even if the Eagles don’t give him a spot.
Absent: Kevin Forsch, Armani Rogers, Albert Okwuegbunam.
Offensive Line (9): Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Mekhi Becton, Lane Johnson, Tyler Steen, Fred Johnson, Trevor Keegan, Dylan McMahon
Deciding who will be on the back end of the offensive line roster this year wasn’t easy. There’s a chance that guys like Brett Toth, Darian Kinard or Nick Gates could make the team, but I don’t think they need to be on the 53-man. The Eagles could probably put a couple of them on the practice squad.
Missing: Max Scharping, Jason Poe, Nick Gates, Brett Toth, Gottlieb Ayeze, Laekin Vakalahi, Darian Kinnard, Matt Hennessey, Anim Dankwa.
Defensive tackles (5): Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, Molo Ojomo
Those five are pretty safe, and the top three are solid. Cutting Thomas Booker IV was tough; he played very well in training camp and preseason and may have deserved to be selected on merit, but he was the one we ended up cutting. If the Eagles want a prototypical nose tackle backup, PJ Mustipher is a chance, but I don’t think they really need him.
Out: Thomas Booker, PJ Mustipher, Gabe Hall
Edges (6): Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff, Brandon Graham, Nolan Smith, Jarix Hunt, Patrick Johnson
The top five are solid. Hunt isn’t ready to contribute much defensively as a rookie, but he was a third-round pick and had a good summer. At No. 6 is Johnson, who made the roster for the fourth straight year this summer. Johnson shines defensively and is a great special teams player.
Ejected: Taron Jackson, Terrell Lewis, Julian Okwara
Linebackers (5): Devin White, Nakobe Dean, Zach Baun, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Ben VanSmelen
I still think Oren Burks is in the mix, even though he had a really good final preseason game. The top four is very safe, Ben VanSmelen had a good summer, played well in the preseason, and is younger than Burks. He will join the team as a key special teams contributor.
Ejected: Oren Burks, Brandon Smith
Cornerbacks (6): Darius Slay, Quinion Mitchell, Isaiah Rodgers, Kelly Ringo, Cooper DeJean, Eli Ricks
The Eagles could waive Ricks, but even if the numbers are tough, it doesn’t make sense to me to give up a young, promising cornerback. The tricky part here is keeping Ricks over Josh Jobe, who is a dynamic gunner. But if Rodgers ends up being the other outside cornerback, Ringo could be the top gunner on the punting team.
Ejected: Zeck McPherson, Josh Jobe, Parry Nickerson, Shawn Stevens.
Safeties (4): CJ Gardner-Johnson, Reid Blankenship, Avonte Maddox, Tristin McCollum
This is a position the Eagles were short on all summer. The top two were starters, and Maddox was essentially a full-time safety at the end of camp. He’s worth keeping because of his versatility. McCollum was one of the last guys on the roster. He performed better in the summer than the other backup safeties and can play on special teams. Caden Sterns was not healthy so is a good IR candidate. Sidney Brown will likely start the season on PUP. James Bradberry sat out the final preseason game. Some took this as a sign he’ll make the roster, but I don’t think so. I don’t see him staying on the team.
PUP: Sidney Brown
Ejected: James Bradberry, Andre Sam, Caden Stearns
Specialists (3): Jake Elliott, Braden Mann, Rick Lovato
The Eagles acquired all three of their specialists this offseason, and those three work really well together. I don’t see the Eagles cutting Lobato and bringing him back this year to free up space.
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