The most difficult part of the offseason is coming up. We all will inevitably fall in love with players who will not make the team. It’s the same story every year. This list may disappoint you, but I can assure you my predictions mean nothing to one Howard Roseman, who will have the final say. Who will be this year’s Paul Turner or Marken Michel (who is actually still on the team right now)? Keep reading to find out.
QB (2): Jalen Hurts, Joe Flacco
It’s all but said in words that Hurts will be the starter for the 2021 Philadelphia Eagles. Despite reports that Nick Mullins was outperforming Flacco in camp, after watching Flacco carve up the Pittsburgh reserves while Mullins had more interceptions than completions, it is clear who QB2 will be. I don’t see the Eagles keeping a third QB around to be a healthy scratch every week this year, so Mullins will have to find his Nate Sudfeld moment somewhere else, unfortunately.
RB (5): Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell, Jason Huntley, Jordan Howard
This was the hardest cut. There did not seem to be an odd man out in this group, but unfortunately, I think Kerryon Johnson will be the surprise cut at the deadline. Johnson is supposed to be a power back who can be good in pass protection, but in my opinion, Jordan Howard can fill both of those roles more effectively. Seeing Howard out with the first team and Johnson with the second team told me what I needed to know. On the bright side, we are still completely loaded at this position. Sanders is the primary guy, Boston Scott and Kenny G are lethal in the passing game, Jordan Howard can push piles on short-yardage plays, and Jason Huntley is a blazer who can give you return game versatility. Hopefully, Kerryon will sign back with the practice squad and can fill a role if and when one of these dudes goes down.
WR (6): Devonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Travis Fulgham, Quez Watkins, Greg Ward, John Hightower
It’s a new day in Philadelphia, and a new team. Devonta Smith will lead the young, speedy core as soon as he is healed up from that pesky knee sprain. Quez Watkins is a superstar in the making with supernova speed. Ward will be the reliable slot guy, and Reagor will hopefully continue to grow and thrive. Fulgham provides a height advantage with some sneaky route running on the outside. I opted to go with John Hightower over JJ Arcega-Whiteside in spite of the injury. Hightower’s upside as a deep threat more than the absolute nothing we’ve got from the 2019 second-rounder. Now is the perfect time to put the JJAW experiment to bed, and I think coach Sirianni agrees, as he was playing deep into the second half and with special teams during this first preseason game.
TE (3): Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz, Richard Rodgers
Okay everyone, I know. I wanted to put Tyree Jackson on here too, but he has Paul Turner written all over him. I think the Eagles will go with the reliable Richard Rodgers who has played years of high-level football at the position rather than the project here. The upside of Jackson is tremendous, but I think a little marinating on the practice squad will not hurt. As for the first two, they are locks in my eyes. Goedert and Ertz can be top-10 tight ends in the league if they stay healthy and can revert to 2019 form. I’ve seen people want to cut Ertz here, but I think that is ludicrous. After an offseason where we were trying to get top end draft capital for him, I doubt Howie would just let him walk (unless he REALLY does not want to play here for one more year).
OL (9): Jordan Mailata, Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Andre Dillard, Jack Driscoll, Nate Herbig, Matt Pryor
The Eagles in 2021 really have to bounce back in a big way and that starts with the hogs upfront staying healthy. Even through a transition year where players were being cut and traded left and right, 4/5 of the starters from the Super Bowl line remain. But as I compiled this list, I think I am more impressed at the depth on this line than the all-pro starters. Everyone on this line has starting experience and can go into the game at the drop of a hat, which is a blessing for Jalen Hurts. The mix of veteran presence from Kelce, Brooks and Johnson will help the young studs like Driscoll, Herbig and Mailata carry the torch into a new era. If Howie knows one thing, it’s how to build a mean, kickass O-line. This group will be the reason we win games this year, and many more to come.
DL (9): Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Josh Sweat, Ryan Kerrigan, Derek Barnett, Milton Williams, Tarron Jackson, Hassan Ridgeway
Another key to victory is our rotation on the defensive line. With a new coaching staff, we may not see the constant rotation we did under Jim Schwartz, but I doubt the Eagles move completely away from it. Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham have spearheaded this scary d-line for years and will continue to do so in 2021. The end rotation of Kerrigan, Graham, Barnett, Sweat and potentially Milton Williams on running downs will have opponents sweating, while Cox, Hargrave, Ridgeway and maybe Williams and Graham will shore up the interior. This d-line again remains very deep.
LB (6): Alex Singleton, Eric Wilson, Davion Taylor, TJ Edwards, Shaun Bradley, Patrick Johnson, JaCoby Stevens
I firmly believe Singleton has top 10 talent at the linebacker position, but remains criminally underrated. With 120 tackles, 2 sacks and a pick six last year you would at least expect his name to be mentioned among the top guys. Another underrated linebacker that we signed this offseason is Eric Wilson, who also had himself a quiet 120 tackle season. I expect these two to get the majority of the playing time for their hybrid ability to stuff the run and play in coverage. Dudes like Edwards and Bradley can come in on 3rd and short to stuff any inside runs, while Taylor I expect will play more of a pass coverage, Isaiah Simmons role. The 7th round rookies in Johnson and Stevens make the team mainly for special teams in my eyes, but provide solid depth to this core. A lot of Eagles fans think that the LB position is thin, but all of the guys we have here are potential superstars.
CB (5): Darius Slay, Steven Nelson, Avonte Maddox, Zech McPhearson, Josiah Scott
Am I actually EXCITED to see an Eagles secondary? Can it be? Slay and Nelson are solid starters, and Maddox thrived in a slot/safety position his rookie year. Zech looks like a promising young rookie and Josiah Scott adds slot depth and a special teams presence for this Johnathan Gannon scheme. I just pray that Howie doesn’t go AWOL like he did last year when he inexplicably released Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas in favor of Craig James.
S (4): Anthony Harris, K’Von Wallace, Marcus Epps, Andrew Adams
While Rodney McLeod heals to start the season, I see the Eagles doing a lot of single-high safety looks. Harris will play over the top while K’von can play more in the box/slot. Epps led the eagles in INTs last year which should be enough to secure his spot. I think Adams battles with Elijah Riley for the last safety spot. I ultimately think Adams’ experience will take it here, and he will step into a Rudy Ford esque role on special teams.
ST (3): Jake Elliott, Aaryn Siposs, Rick Lovato
Not much to say here. With no competition, the kick teams looked good out there. Elliott went 3/3 and Siposs kicked some bombs from deep in our own territory. They already have the job.
PUP (2): Rodney McLeod (S), Landon Dickerson (OL)
Practice Squad:
- Tyree Jackson, TE
- Jack Stoll, TE
- Marlon Tuipolotu, DL
- Joe Ostman, LB
- Grayland Arnold, S
- Michael Jaquet III, CB
- Andre Patton, WR
- Brett Toth, OL
- Elijah Riley, S
- T.Y. McGill, DL
- Sua Opeta, OL
- Kerryon Johnson, RB
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Jish Sokolsky is a featured writer at The Birds Blitz. For more from Jish, check out his archive and read through our Eagles articles for the latest news about the Birds.
Image credit: Photo by Alexander Jonesi, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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