A way-too-early Eagles 53-man roster prediction

A way-too-early Eagles 53-man roster prediction

The Eagles waived tight end Alex Ellis on Friday to make room for Jason Peters. Could this give Noah Togiai the inside lane at making the roster as a third tight end? (Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It’s late May. There’s no MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL minicamps. We’ve all been missing sports for more than two months. Some of us have been watching the KBO late at night or in the early hours of the morning. So, what better time for a way-too-early Eagles 53-man roster prediction?

Now that we’re about a month beyond the NFL Draft, teams have filled out their full 90-man rosters. Only minor changes will occur between now and training camp (and fingers crossed that training camps still happen this year). There are still some very good veteran free agents looking for homes, and I included a couple for the Eagles in my prediction.

Let’s get to it.

Quarterback (3)

  1. Carson Wentz
  2. Jalen Hurts
  3. Nate Sudfeld

Wentz and Hurts are locks, even if Hurts isn’t expected to be the immediate backup. Sudfeld could very well be replaced by Josh McCown or another veteran quarterback at some point, but the guess here is that he sticks on the 53.

Running Back (4)

  1. Miles Sanders
  2. Boston Scott
  3. Michael Warren
  4. Carlos Hyde Isaiah Crowell

The Eagles are expected to sign a veteran running back in the coming weeks, and the money here is on Carlos Hyde because of the obvious fit. Leaving Corey Clement off the final roster will be an unpopular choice here, but he has had trouble staying healthy in recent years and has essentially been replaced by Boston Scott. In this prediction, Warren plays his way onto the roster and Adrian Killins Jr. ends up on the practice squad.

Update: Carlos Hyde signed with the Seattle Seahawks shortly after this was published, so I’m pivoting to an Isaiah Crowell prediction. The other two running backs the Eagles have been connected to in recent weeks are Devonta Freeman and LeSean McCoy, but it sounds like Freeman wants too much money and the interest in McCoy is mild at best. The Eagles have been avoiding injury risks this offseason, and Crowell just missed the entire 2019 season with a torn ACL. But he’s still just 27 years old. Gambling on Crowell as a backup is a potential low-risk, high-reward move, and it’s the kind of savvy post-draft transaction that Howie Roseman has made in the past.

Wide Receiver (7)

  1. DeSean Jackson
  2. Jalen Reagor
  3. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside
  4. Greg Ward
  5. John Hightower
  6. Marquise Goodwin
  7. Quez Watkins

For the sake of this projection, we have Alshon Jeffery on PUP (and thus not counting against the final 53) and the Eagles keeping seven wide receivers. They could keep six, but they made such a point about swinging for the fences with speed and acquiring four over the course of draft weekend that they’ll try to keep as many as they can. Some predictions thus far haven’t included Hightower, but I think he is a near lock. Watkins, on the other hand, is far from a lock, but he should be given an opportunity to make the roster if he can impress in training camp and the preseason.

Tight End (3)

  1. Zach Ertz
  2. Dallas Goedert
  3. Noah Togiai

I’ve seen some projections having the Eagles keeping only two tight ends. I don’t see them making that mistake again, especially with their love of 12 personnel. Josh Perkins has the inside track for the third tight end, but I have Noah Togiai edging him out in this initial prediction.

Offensive Line (10)

  1. Lane Johnson
  2. Brandon Brooks
  3. Jason Kelce
  4. Isaac Seumalo
  5. Andre Dillard
  6. Jack Driscoll
  7. Matt Pryor
  8. Prince Tega Wanogho
  9. Jordan Mailata
  10. Luke Juriga

With uncertainty surrounding Andre Dillard’s development and Jason Kelce’s future, the Eagles will want to keep numbers here. There’s a chance that Prince Tega Wonogho could end up on IR or PUP or the team keeps either Nate Herbig or another lineman over Luke Juriga. And maybe Jordan Mailata can’t stay healthy again or just doesn’t develop like the team is hoping. If everyone here stays healthy, the Eagles will have some difficult decisions to make. And if that is the case, they might try to stash Juriga and others on the practice squad in order to keep players at other positions.

Defensive End (5)

  1. Brandon Graham
  2. Derek Barnett
  3. Josh Sweat
  4. Genard Avery
  5. Vinny Curry

Vinny Curry isn’t currently on the roster, but it sounds like the Eagles could be making an addition like Curry or another veteran shortly. The top three here are set, but there are question marks after that. And if the team decides to only keep five, expect them to try and load up with two or three edge rushers on the practice squad (Joe Ostman and Casey Toohill are candidates). Shareef Miller has a chance to make the team, but after not even seeing the field during his rookie season, he’s got some question marks. Was he really a developmental prospect who needed a redshirt year? Or is he just a bust?

Defensive Tackle (4)

  1. Fletcher Cox
  2. Javon Hargrave
  3. Malik Jackson
  4. Raequan Williams

In recent years, the Eagles have gone heavy on the defensive line. So it feels a little light having them keep only nine combined linemen between defensive tackle and defensive end. But here we are. This could very well end up being a 6-4, 6-5, or 5-5 situation in the end, but it’s hard to see them keeping some of the players at these positions over some of the others on this list. Hassan Ridgeway is a player they really like, and he probably has the inside track on a roster spot right now. Maybe they keep five, especially since Jackson is probably gone after this year. Or maybe Ridgeway gets traded. Or maybe Raequan Williams just beats him out. Regardless, I’m banking on Williams earning a spot on the 53.

Linebacker (5)

  1. Nate Gerry
  2. T.J. Edwards
  3. Davion Taylor
  4. Duke Riley
  5. Jatavis Brown

Gross. The Eagles don’t value the linebacker position, and this list makes that very clear. And that is not to say that they should. In 2020, it’s pretty clear that linebacker is one of the least important positions on the field. But still, yikes. This isn’t an inspiring group. For whatever reason, they love Gerry. Edwards is a solid tackler and run-stopper, but he lacks athleticism. Taylor is an athletic specimen, but he’s a raw prospect and needs time to develop. Riley is an excellent special teams player but probably isn’t much more than that. Jatavis Brown is…a guy?

Cornerback (5)

  1. Darius Slay
  2. Avonte Maddox
  3. Nickell Robey-Coleman
  4. Sidney Jones
  5. Cre’Von LeBlanc

Despite the contract restructure, Rasul Douglas is still unlikely to be with the Eagles when the regular season starts. At this point, the Eagles know who he is: a backup cornerback who lacks the top-end speed to stick with faster wide receivers at the NFL level. The Eagles are also reportedly high on Grayland Arnold and Prince Smith from their crop of undrafted free agent signings, but I think they’ll try to sneak both onto the practice squad. Slay, Maddox, Robey-Coleman, and Jones are locks. LeBlanc is a fan and team favorite, but he could be pushed for a roster spot by one of the youngsters. With the increased practice squad and gameday rosters this season, the Eagles might try to store three or four defensive backs on their “taxi squad,” which would explain why they picked up four of them as undrafted free agents.

Safety (4)

  1. Rodney McLeod
  2. Jalen Mills
  3. K’Von Wallace
  4. Will Parks

I have the Eagles keeping four safeties, but it could easily be five. For the reasons mentioned above, the Eagles will likely go with nine or 10 total defensive backs, with another three or four on the practice squad. Similar to the linebacker corps, this isn’t an overly inspiring group. McLeod is who he is. Can Mills really make the transition to safety? Will Wallace be ready to contribute as a rookie? Could Philly Will be a thing?

Specialists (3)

  1. Jake Elliott
  2. Cameron Johnston
  3. Rick Lovato

Yup.

Injured Reserve/PUP

  • Daeshon Hall
  • Alshon Jeffery

 

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