Morgan Burkett
A lot has changed in just a week for the Philadelphia Eagles. We know that Howie Roseman loves to make late summer moves, but unforeseen injuries and unexpected position battles have caused more of a stir than usual. Here are my predictions as to how that shapes the current depth chart and the final roster.
Offense
Receiver
| Alshon Jeffery |
| DeSean Jackson |
| Nelson Agholor |
| J.J. Arcega-Whiteside |
| Mack Hollins |
| Marken Michel |
| Charles Johnson |
| Greg Ward Jr. |
| Carleton Agudosi |
| DeAndre Thompkins |
There was some strong showings at receiver last week resulting in some shuffling at the bottom, but the roster spots remain the same. There's likely to be some debate over how many receivers the Eagles take. More often than not the front office likes to keep four tight ends on the roster, which would likely eat into the receiver position. With Richard Rodgers going down to injury, that possibility becomes even less likely. Personally, I think the sixth wide receiver -- whoever that may be -- has shown more than any of the backup tight ends so far this preseason.
The top three are locked in to those spots, which comes as a surprise to no one.
JJAW has continued to impress despite lackluster quarterback play. He was able to stretch the field on a few occasions only to have to fight a losing fight for an under-thrown ball. His ability to "post up" on defenders has been on display early and often and will come in extremely handy in situations where the team simply needs a catch.
Mack Hollins simply brings too much to the special teams unit to be overlooked. Whether or not he becomes a feature of the offence in the regular season is yet to be seen. He's been catching his fair share in camp and there are reports that the spot is his to lose.
Marken Michel wasn't on the field for long last week, but didn't have to be to showcase his shiftiness -- making multiple people miss on a quick screen. It's something different than what we saw on that 75-yard touchdown in week one. Giving small glimpses of all the aspects of his game and getting off the field early is exactly what Michel needs to do to make this roster. So far it's been exactly according to plan.
Greg Ward Jr. came ready to play. While his athletic limitations put a cap on just how effective he can be in the NFL, there's no doubting his desire. That, coupled with his football IQ and scout team versatility should put him on top of the bottom slots. However, Adam Caplan and Geoff Mosher report that Ward is a long shot to make the roster. Because Michel and Ward have such similar skill sets, Charles Johnson is likely next in line for the final spot.
Agudosi and
Johnson will likely be fighting tooth and nail until week four. Those two are the most similar in terms of what they bring to the offence. Although Johnson finally had some success against the Jags, Agudosi made more memorable plays. Carleton also has the edge in age, which might be the deciding factor for a practice squad slot. If the Eagles decide to take another receiver on the final roster, Johnson's experience should lift him above Agudosi.
Offensive Line
| LT | RT |
| Jason Peters | Lane Johnson |
| Andre Dillard | Halapoulivaati Vaitai |
| Brett Toth | Jordan Mailata |
Ryan Bates is out of the picture after being swapped for Eli Harold, but the Eagles will welcome
Brett Toth to fill his boots. Toth is a physical specimen, but has spent some time away from football and will likely be a project for coach Jeff Stoutland. He's a long shot to make the roster, but could easily stick to the practice squad.
The major difference in this group is that
Jordan Mailata is playing himself into a roster spot. It's not so much that he has earned a backup role on this incredibly talented roster, but that there's a slim chance if any that the Eagles would be able to retain him if he were to be released. He has been incredibly impressive at camp and has held his own in two preseason games.
Vaitai being pencilled in as a guard for the time being facilitates the extra tackle. However, I still believe, if Lane was to miss any time that it would be Vaitai filling the position over Mailata. This could change in an instant, however. The coaching staff has not been happy with Vaitai's up and down play.
Andre Dillard was a tad more human this week. He was caught offside and had more trouble dismantling the Jacksonville ends. It's all part of the process. I wouldn't be surprised to see Dillard do some more cross-training at guard as well, with the uncertainty in the interior.
| LG | C | RG |
| Isaac Seumalo | Jason Kelce | Brandon Brooks |
| Stefen Wisniewski | Nate Herbig | Halapoulivaati Vaitai |
| Anthony Fabiano | Keegan Render | Matt Pryor |
| Sua Opeta | | Nate Herbig |
I think the only player so far to perhaps play themselves out of a roster spot is
Stefen Wisniewski. With all the shuffling the offensive line has had, the team
needed him to show he had what it takes at center. So far, he has failed miserably and was out-snapped by both
Fabiano and
Render. Wis has even been getting less run at center in practice. It's not a good sign for the veteran lineman. The Eagles may keep him as a veteran option at swing guard, but with the news that
Brandon Brooks should be okay early on in the season its becoming less likely.
On Brooks, Caplan and Mosher reported that it's no longer likely that he'll be ready for week 1. It's not impossible, but the Eagles won't rush their star guard back into the lineup.
Seumalo has proven he can hold his own if Kelce misses any time. Apparently, the coaching staff is determined to keep Seumalo at guard, but an injury to Kelce would likely force their hand. None of the other options on the roster have proven reliable.
The Eagles gave
Nate Herbig a lot more time against Jacksonville and seem to be getting tired of
Matt Pryor's mental mistakes. Herbig has also been getting chances at center. Could his versatility land him a roster spot? He and T.J. Edwards are guaranteed the most money of any undrafted rookie. Any and all of the young prospects are fully capable of challenging for a practice squad spot.
When it's all said and done, don't be surprised if the Eagles turn to the waiver wire to add another interior lineman with Wisniewki being the first on the block.
Continued on the page below.
Tight End
| Zach Ertz |
| Dallas Goedert |
| Joshua Perkins |
| Richard Rodgers |
| Will Tye |
| Alex Ellis |
The Eagles have generally kept four tight ends on the roster, but this is the year I think --
hope -- they leave room for another position. This is especially true after news of
Rodgers' untimely injury. There's been no word yet on how serious the injury is. This will also depend on how limited Dallas Goedert will be after being sidelined for the rest of the preseason. Apparently, his calf injury is not new, and the coaching staff may ease him into the regular season to err on the side of caution.
My thought process is that there's too much talent elsewhere on the roster to believe that both
Will Tye and
Joshua Perkins will make meaningful contributions. That being said, Tye had himself a nice evening in Jacksonville. Despite being out-snapped 43 to 39 by Perkins, it was the former that led tight ends in receptions and yards. Tye's three receptions for 34 yards, while not overly eye-catching, came on some pretty significant downs.
Perkins had a quiet night except for a few holding penalties. Dependability is the name of the game at tight end, and Will has the edge after last week's game. I believe Tye may end up winning, but currently, Perkins is holding on to that last spot due to familiarity. He has also been the better player in camp. The battle is a close one, and one to keep an eye on in the last two weeks.
Running Back
| Jordan Howard |
| Miles Sanders |
| Darren Sproles |
| Corey Clement |
| Wendell Smallwood |
| Josh Adams |
| Boston Scott |
| Donnel Pumphrey |
Easily the most hotly contested position on the roster, it seems as if the final group will be whittled down to four. This past Thursday was a much better day from
Miles Sanders. He showed a little juice on some impressive runs but more importantly was solid in pass protection. He still has a way to go through. He cannot afford to bounce every run to the outside like he was able to do in college and will need to learn some more patience in the NFL. Despite high hopes for the rookie,
Jordan Howard should still receive a bulk of the carries in the early stages of the season.
Corey Clement is a curious case. The bottom four backs on the roster have been shedding blood sweat and tears on the field while Clement watches from the sidelines, recovering from a knee injury. At the same time, he's been getting snaps with the first-team offense in camp. Clearly, the coaches are being careful with rushing him back, but does that mean his roster spot is guaranteed? Do any of the other backs have a chance at unseating him?
Although he's slotted behind Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams,
Boston Scott has the best upside of the remaining backs. Think of it as a 5A, 5B and 5C scenario, with each bringing something different into the fold. Scott is
so much like a young Darren Sproles it's uncanny. There aren't many backs in the league that would fill his shoes better. He led the team in rushing against the Jaguars and looked every bit the part, but did not have a great showing in the return game. Unfortunately, that may be his undoing. I'm not sure how they manage it, but I pray the team finds a way to keep Scott in Philadelphia.
The coaching staff has also heaped some praise onto second-year back
Josh Adams. He looks much improved in the passing game and we all know what he's capable of in the run game. Holding onto the football will be his biggest issue. He cannot afford another fumble this preseason. Can he entice the front office into keeping five running backs on the roster?
Wendell Smallwood is in a weird spot. The coaches know what he brings to the table and although he's shown improvement, there seems to be a clear ceiling to his development. It being his third year, what can he do to show he's more worthy of a position than the younger Adams? Smallwood is absolutely deserving of a spot on an NFL roster, but unfortunately, it may not be in Philadelphia.
Donnel Pumphrey finally showed some legs. He left a Jags defender grasping at air with a silky cut on an outside handoff. Chalk it up to too little too late for the jitterbug. Hopefully, he will get a shot in another city.
Quarterback
| Carson Wentz |
| Josh McCown |
| Nate Sudfeld |
| Clayton Thorson |
| Cody Kessler |
The new man on campus will slot right into the second QB spot. It will be interesting to see how the front office handles the situation when
Nate Sudfeld returns from injury. As it stands, Suddy is the top-rated preseason QB and has earned the right to compete for the backup job. However, eventually cutting McCown after convincing him to come out of retirement seems like a very un-Eagles move to make.
Clayton Thorson had a much better outing in week two.
Kessler, although he has cleared concussion protocol will have an uphill climb if he wants to challenge for a roster spot. I don't think there's any true possibility the Eagles keep four QBs, but if they were my money would be on Thorson. He's younger, he's hand-picked and he's looked much improved over just a few weeks.
Continued on the page below.
Defense
Defensive End
| Brandon Graham |
| Derek Barnett |
| Vinny Curry |
| Josh Sweat |
| Daeshon Hall |
| Shareef Miller |
| Eli Harold |
| Kasim Edebali |
A fairly solid week all-around makes the defensive end battle a very difficult one to figure. Nothing has changed regarding the top three spots.
Josh Sweat was absent from the stat sheet on Thursday, but was collapsing the pocket well and has the support of the coaching staff behind him. Finding himself on the injury list with a day-to-day knee injury is a setback. The gravity of that is yet to be seen. It is not the first concern about Sweat's knees. It shouldn't keep him from making the roster, but it will be something to keep an eye on throughout the season.
Daeshon Hall put on another incredible performance in Jacksonville. The front office will have a hard time keeping him off the roster. There are rumors swirling that the Eagles may look to move him before the start of the season. With Josh Sweat's health as it is, Philadelphia may be forced to hold onto Hall. They could do worse.
The coaches are reportedly quite pleased with
Shareef Miller's progression. He's been particularly impressive against the run. While he's still a project, he may have done enough to carve out a roster spot. He could be a candidate to end up on the reserves with an undiagnosed injury -- if you catch my drift. Knowing the team's propensity to rotate pass rushers, keeping six ends is not out of the question.
Defensive Tackle
| Fletcher Cox |
| Malik Jackson |
| Tim Jernigan |
| Hassan Ridgeway |
| Treyvon Hester |
| Bruce Hector |
| Aziz Shittu |
| Kevin Wilkins |
This may be the most solidified position group on the roster. There won't be any movement at the top three positions.
Hassan Ridgeway is back in pads after impressing in the first week. He is looking more and more like a huge steal for the franchise. The amount of playing time he gets against the Ravens will be more-or-less a tell-all in terms of how cemented his spot is.
Bruce Hector is not a bad option for the Birds and
Aziz Shittu has had a pretty steady offseason as well. Hector and Treyvon Hester have spent time on the active roster and this is Shittu's second time with the team. That is to say, the front office clearly has a certain comfort level with all three players and will give them all a chance to compete.
Conclusively, I think
Hester's special teams value gives him the edge over the other options. The dude just has a knack for getting his hands on kicks. There aren't many concrete x-factors for roster hopefuls, but multiple blocked kicks in just a short span of time is one of them. He's not a bad defensive tackle either.
Linebacker
| Nigel Bradham |
| Zach Brown |
| Kamu Grugier-Hill |
| L.J. Fort |
| Nathan Gerry |
| T.J. Edwards |
| Alex Singleton |
| Asantay Brown |
| Chris Worely |
Kamu Grugier-Hill's injury puts this position group in flux. Nigel Bradham is the unquestioned number one and Zach Brown will be the second 'backer until KGH returns from injury. The team is very happy with what Brown brings to the table, so it will likely be a rotation of Brown and Grugier-Hill as the season goes on. That's where things get tricky.
The coaching staff reportedly like
L.J. Fort, but he still hasn't shaken the inconsistency out of his system. Toss
Nate Gerry in that box as well. Unless Gerry can show some real improvement this season, it may be his last with the Eagles. Jonathan Cyprien's presence -- and versatility to play both linebacker and safety -- may very well eat into Gerry's limited chances to prove himself.
The dark-horse in this race is undrafted free agent
T.J. Edwards. He has impressed the coaches and will be tough to keep off the final roster. Six linebackers, even with KGH's injury just seems like too many. Edwards might be the last to be cut, but I don't think the team is ready to give up on Gerry just yet. Long story short, the decision to cut or keep Wis may be the deciding factor for T.J. Edwards.
Alex Singleton led the team in tackles in Jacksonville. If nothing else he has earned himself a practice squad spot. If it wasn't for the log jam of talent at the position, he may have even sneaked onto the roster.
Newest addition
Chris Worley likely won't get a fair shot at making the roster, but he will get to see the field.
Cornerback
| Ronald Darby |
| Avonte Maddox |
| *Jalen Mills (PUP) |
| Sidney Jones |
| Rasul Douglas |
| Cre'Von LeBlanc |
| Orlando Scandrick |
| Jeremiah McKinnon |
| Josh Hawkins |
| Ajene Harris |
| Sojourn Shelton |
Darby and Maddox are the clear favorites to start the season. Maddox will likely start in the slot, which means the other outside corner position is up for grabs until Jalen Mills returns. I give the slight edge to
Rasul Douglas, but I don't believe the coaches do.
Sidney Jones will be given a long leash early in the season, with hopes he can regain his college form.
Whether or not the team keeps a sixth corner will depend on Cre'Von Leblanc's health.
Scandrick will undoubtedly win the sixth corner position. His experience and ability covering the slot give him the advantage.
Jeremiah McKinnon and
Josh Hawkins seem to be neck and neck although Hawkins was picked on a bit in Jacksonville. Neither will make the final cut, but it the next few weeks could be a battle for a practice squad position between the two.
Sojourn Shelton had a nice PBU in Thursday's game, but hasn't been getting enough playing time to really show his stuff. Same could be said for
Ajene Harris after registering a sack in the first week.
Safety
| Malcolm Jenkins |
| Rodney McLeod |
| Andrew Sendejo |
| Jonathan Cyprien |
| Tre Sullivan |
| Deiondre' Hall |
| Trae Elston |
There are no changes at this spot. I'm a fan of
Tre Sullivan, but the odds are stacked against him.
Cyprien is tailor-made for this defense and the coaching staff has been impressed with
Sendejo. It's rare that a team keep four safeties on the roster, but Cyprien's versatility and Rodney McLeod's health concerns facilitate that decision. This battle is unlikely to change even if Sullivan shows out in the last two games.
Specials
| Rick Lovato |
| Cameron Johnston |
| Jake Elliot |
Elliot hit a huge 52 yarder in Jacksonville; Johnston averaged 43.8 yards per punt and Lovato is as steady as they come.
Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
