Taking a deeper look into the Eagles' biggest roster cutdown decisions

Generally, when teams are nearing final roster cuts, it's fairly easy to tell who has earned the inside track and who will fall by the wayside. Especially with a roster as stacked as the Eagles, with so many entrenched role players, the final roster is pretty cut and dry. Looking at this year's roster on paper, it should have been easy enough to figure out a bulk of the remaining spots, with a few camp battles to hash out in the closing hours. In reality, newcomers made the final decisions very difficult which left some fan favorites on the outside looking in. Some decisions we all saw coming from a mile away, whereas others -- the decision to take only two tight ends, for example -- have some people scratching their heads. So what is there to make of the more controversial moves to chop the roster down to 53?

Only two TEs?

Let's begin with the obvious. Since seemingly the beginning of time, the Eagles have ran with three tight ends. Their love of 12 personnel and flex formations almost makes it a necessity. An unfortunate injury to Richard Rodgers, who was placed on season-ending IR, may have changed the plans. To be fair, the team will have plenty of opportunities to swipe a third tight end off the waivers and added Joshua Perkins to their practice squad for safekeeping. However, the Eagles were in the same boat last season and opted to take a gamble on Perkins and add him to the active roster. So, what's changed?

The Eagles are confident in Zach Ertz' improved run blocking.

Ever since he entered the league as a pass-catching specialist out of Stanford, Ertz has been hounded for his blocking capabilities -- or lack thereof. He wasn't often asked to block in college and came to the league without a complete skillset because of it. Just take a glimpse at the tight end rankings on PFF, where he consistently falls behind other players with lesser production due to his lackluster. His struggles in that area made Brent Celek an essential component of the offense in their Super Bowl run just two years ago. With Celek announcing his retirement, Ertz knew he had to improve his blocking. Last season, there was a fair share of media attention heaped on the veteran tight end concerning just that.

"He wants to be a complete tight end. That’s just who he is. Zach has got an incredible drive. He wants to be the best, that’s his drive and it’s genuine. That's one part of his game he’s known he’s had to work on, and he’s attacked it, and I give him a lot of credit for that"TE Coach Justin Peele on Zach Ertz' blocking

Ertz had heard the criticism swirling around the NFL ethos and came into the offseason with a chip on his shoulder. "I don’t want to be viewed as a weakness in the pass game, and I definitely don’t want to be viewed as a weakness in the run game. So it’s a little bit of pride kind of thing. You hear certain things, 'We've got to take him out,' on certain plays early in my career and it's just something I’ve taken to heart, working extremely hard at. I take a lot of pride in being a complete tight end."

Last season, while it may not reflect in his PFF grade, Ertz blocking was considerably improved on tape. Putting aside the historic season he had catching the ball, he also was tasked with a huge uptick in blocking snaps. He may never be a dominant blocker, but he is no longer a liability. Proof: in the Eagles playoff game against the Chicago Bears, he was often asked to deal with Khalil Mack one-on-one and held his own.

Dallas Goedert is healthy and going to take the league by storm.

First, the good news. The fact that the Eagles are willing to face the possibility they may enter week one with only two tight ends dressed means that Goedert's preseason injuries are nearly healed. He may be eased into action, but there is no doubt that he will be a part of the game plan. Already a better blocker than Ertz was at this point in his career, Goedert will likely have to do more dirty work in his second season. Clearly the coaching staff is thrilled to give him the opportunity, and why not? Here's a look at his blocking performance in the playoff game in Chicago.

The scary part is that blocking is only a small portion of what Godert brings to the table. As a pass-catcher, he is dangerous as any. He understands coverage and is athletic enough to capitalize. Against the Titans in preseason week one, we got a glimpse of just how diverse his route running is.

With Ertz and Goedert on the field, the Eagles must have figured that a third tight end was a luxury they didn't require. They smartly held on to Perkins with a practice squad slot as an insurance policy, but are ready to lean on their two huge weapons at the position.

"I think we can get more... this is what I like about either of these two players: their willingness to grow and learn. They are not satisfied with their performances. We can definitely use Dallas more. That was one of those things -- from self-scouting in the spring, we felt like we could utilize Dallas a little bit more in situations, and I think that becomes a nice personnel group for us with the two tight ends. I could really expect both those tight ends to have good years."Doug Pederson on Dallas Goedert and Zach Ertz

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Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Hollins over Ward and Michel?

After Greg Ward and Marken Michel both scored long touchdowns and took turns leading the team in receiving yards this preseason, there was a debate abound as to who deserved what was possibly the last available receiver slot. Mack Hollins didn't see much of the field and didn't exactly impress when he did. The competition was certainly hot, and everyone seemed to have a valid opinion as to who was the better option.

Originally, Philadelphia fell in love with the rookie who rode his bike to work and was always seen with a smile on his face. However, after a season lost to a still-mysterious injury, fans were hoping to see something this preseason that would calm their fears about Hollins' status. They were left disappointed. Even given a lengthy run in the final preseason game, Hollins only managed one reception. Still, as a former fourth-round pick the Tar Heel had the inside track and ran it all the way to the final 53.

The truth is Hollins lack on production on the offensive side of the ball didn't hamper his odds, because the decision on which receiver would be the team's fifth was never about the offense. When asked about the choice to cut Greg Ward, Howie Roseman put it very simply: this was a move for the special teams unit.

"Greg’s done a tremendous job and really I don’t have an answer what he could have done more other than we’re trying to balance everyone we have at every position and what we’re looking for offensively, defensively and on special teams, and sometimes it just comes down to looking for a specific role for a specific spot, and when we look at the wide receiver room and what we were looking for and what Greg had done on special teams and maybe what we were looking for from that fifth receiver spot on special teams, it was just not something that he had done. But Greg had a tremendous summer."Howie Roseman on the decision to cut Greg Ward

So, that's that. It wasn't a flashy move, but the Eagles decided to take the player that will improve them in a phase of the game they were once heralded for. After finishing in the top ten for special teams efficiency rating from 2014 until 2016 (per Football Outsiders) -- which included a 1st and 2nd place finish in 2014 and 2016, respectively -- the Eagles ranked in the middle of the pack the last two seasons. Even in college, Mack has been lauded for his special teams prowess.

In a drastically improved receiver room, and a part of a very talented offense as a whole, the fifth in line was never going to get that many snaps on offense anyway. Still, doubters may have forgotten that Mack Hollins is still a talented receiver in his own right. He may not be as athletically gifted as newcomer J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, or as flashy as fan-favorite DeSean Jackson, but Hollins can fly.

As a situational deep threat to spell the aging Jackson, Hollins is more than capable. The other thing to consider is that Greg Ward is a slot receiver. While the Eagles don't have a slot receiver on the roster outside of Nelson Agholor, they love to flex their tight ends and running backs. Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Darren Sproles, Corey Clement, and Miles Sanders will all likely take snaps out of the slot. It is unlikely that any of them are used as a deep threat on the outside -- where Hollins is best used.

It may sting, but this was the best decision for the team as a whole. Still, if Hollins can't prove his worth, or succumbs to injury early in the season, let there be no doubt that the Eagles will be quick to call up Ward from the practice squad.

Rookie Herbig over the veteran Wis?

This one can be easily explained away by Wisniewski's dreadful preseason performance, but the real question is: why Herbig? Although there were rumors that the coaching staff was very high on the rookie out of Stanford, he was always considered a long shot to make the final roster. After an injury-shortened season in college, Herbig, to much guffawing, decided to move on to the pros and was overlooked by all 32 teams at the draft. So, why have the Eagles spent a valuable spot on an unknown interior lineman that many didn't see as draft-able?

The most solid answer to this question is positional depth. The Eagles desperately need a reliable option at center if Jason Kelce misses time. While Isaac Seumalo is a very capable replacement, moving him out of his left guard position causes quite a shuffle along the offensive line. With Brandon Brooks already slated to miss time early in the season, the Birds can't afford to seriously weaken themselves at the guard position.

Nevertheless, at the very least, the Eagles have some options at guard. Halapoulivaati Vaitai has made the conversion from tackle to guard to take up the right guard spot until Brooks' return. Andre Dillard has done some cross-training in the offseason, and Matt Pryor has the physical tools to bang bodies on the inside. None of those players have oodles of experience at center. To tell the truth, neither does Nate Herbig. However, he picked it up incredibly fast this summer and OL Coach Jeff Stoutland loves a project. If nothing else, Stoutland gives brownie points for intelligence and desire. While he wasn't a star prospect in college, two of Herbig's biggest selling points were his football IQ and nasty edge.

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Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Five safeties?

Especially after considering the Eagles will head into the season with just two tight ends, the decision to keep five safeties is puzzling. Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McCleod and Andrew Sendejo were always penciled into the final-53. Then the team added veteran Johnathan Cyprien, who is coming off a season lost to injury and was incredibly undervalued in free agency. Any of those four players could start for other teams across the league. Therefore, it's not that hard to fathom why the Birds took four at the position, but five?

New recruit Rudy Ford flew over from Arizona as a last-minute addition to the team right as they were gearing up to play Baltimore for week three of the preseason. At the time, he was thought of as an extra body to fill out the camp slot. Yet, as the curtains fanned to reveal the final roster, Fords name was in ink. What makes him so valuable to the team will sound very similar to why Mack Hollins made the last cut: special teams value. Clearly improving the third phase of the game is a focus for Howie Roseman and the front office.

How do you solve slow starts on offense? Great starting field position. How do you stall opposing offences? Force them to drive the length of the field. It's new-age thinking from a front office that always seems to be one step ahead. Still, it would have been fantastic to hold onto a player like DT Treyvon Hester -- who also brings a punch on special teams, I might add -- or an extra linebacker like Alex Singleton, who always seemed to be around the football -- on defense and specials. So, why the extra safety?

The answer requires some jumping to conclusions on how the team will use their other safeties. For a team that often lines up in dime and nickel packages, the third safety position is invaluable. The Eagles ask their third safety to play much more defense than special teams. Last year Tre Sullivan, who played in only 12 games and started just one, played 21% of the teams defensive plays and was out for less than half of the special teams snaps. He became the team's de facto third safety after Rodney McLeod went down with a season-ending injury and Corey Graham was thrust into a starting role. For comparison, the Cowboys' third safety Kavon Frazier, active for all 16 games, managed only 18% of the team's defensive snaps, but 54% on special teams.

With Sendejo being a proven veteran coming off an injury, it's unlikely he'll be asked to play a bulk of special teams snaps. That means the Eagles will have to get a ton of special teams production from their fourth safety. The issue there is that Johnathan Cyprien is also a proven veteran coming off a major injury. While he has reportedly embraced his new role with the team, who have warned him it will come with more time on special teams, the major value he brings to the team is elsewhere. Sendejo specializes in coverage as more of a traditional safety, whereas Cyprien brings some versatility and moonlights as somewhat of a linebacker-safety hybrid.

"We are going to plug him in in a lot of different places. We expect a lot from our safeties. We need multi-dimensional players; we think he is. We'll just see where it takes us. If you get guys that are multidimensional you can neutralize some of those kinds of players. Have to be able to play in the box, in space, and things like that. I think he fits well with us."Jim Schwartz on acquiring Johnathan Cyprien

With Kamu Grugier-Hill missing some time to start the season and a mixed bag at linebacker depth, the team will likely use Cyprien in the box to help shut down opponents' run game. He will help give Malcolm Jenkins some rest after the star played 100% of the Eagles defensive snaps last season. Therefore, although Cyprien will undoubtedly have a role to play on special teams, it will not be his primary one. The need for a full-time special teams contributor still pressing, the Eagles decided to take on a fifth safety. Rudy Ford, who played 67% of plays on Arizona Cardinals' 11th ranked special teams in 2018 was the obvious choice.

Ford was a 6th round selection of the Cardinals, who actually traded up to get him. As a physical safety out of Auburn, he has a lot of the attributes you look for in a special teamer. He's a solid, forceful tackler with good form and has incredible speed to get down the field.

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports