The final cuts have been made and the waiver period is over. With the dust settling on the 2021 Philadelphia Eagles final roster, Eagles fans can finally take a peek at who really made an impression on the coaching staff and front office in camp, as well as see who was deemed replaceable in the final 53. In this analysis, we will take a dive into each position group and identify the storylines that come from the moves made.
Eagles Initial 53-Man Roster
Quarterback (3): Jalen Hurts, Joe Flacco, Gardner Minshew
Nothing really surprising here. The Eagles finally confirmed what we already knew in that Jalen Hurts is the 2021 starting QB, but aside from that, all 3 of these guys have been locks to make the 53 since they touched the roster.
Running back (3): Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Kenny Gainwell
The Eagles decide to go light at RB, carrying only 3 on the roster. Miles Sanders and Kenneth Gainwell were shoe-ins at the position, but it seems that the Eagles believe in Boston Scott to be the change of pace/backup at the RB position. Even though both Jordan Howard and Jason Huntley seemed to be having a nice camp and dueling for the RB4 spot, it seems the front office deemed them exposable to waivers.
Tight end (4): Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz, Tyree Jackson, Jack Stoll
The top two tight ends for the Eagles were locks, but it’s encouraging to see that the Eagles felt Tyree Jackson was too valuable to risk on the waiver wire. The only other story here is UDFA Jack Stoll beating out Richard Rodgers for the roster spot, but by all accounts, his camp has been great.
Receiver (5): DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Quez Watkins, Greg Ward, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside
The biggest story for the Eagles is waiving 4-game star Travis Fulgham in favor of 2019 second-round pick J.J. Arega-Whiteside. Both occupy a somewhat similar role on the offense as a big-bodied perimeter player, and most thought one would have to go over another. Fulgham certainly has more in-game production to show than JJAW, but apparently, his camp was underwhelming while Whiteside had some flashes. Another notable cut was 2020 fifth-round selection John Hightower, who fits a similar deep threat role to a few other guys on the team, but who the Eagles saw to be less valuable than JJAW in the long run.
Offensive line (10): Jordan Mailata, Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Andre Dillard, Jack Driscoll, Landon Dickerson, Nate Herbig, Brett Toth
As expected, the Eagles go very deep at offensive line, and that leads to a few interesting moves. Guard Matt Pryor was dealt before the deadline for a late-round pick swap, a move that netted the Eagles capital for a player they would have cut anyway. Landon Dickerson has finally been activated to the active roster, giving room for optimism for his impact in 2021. The Eagles named Mailata the starting tackle, a foregone conclusion at this point, but continues a fantastic story for the former 7th rounder. The Eagles also chose to retain Brett Toth over a few other players like Le’Raven Clark and Sua Opeta, who they exposed to waivers.
Defensive end (5): Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat, Ryan Kerrigan, Tarron Jackson
The major talking point at defensive end was the Eagles retaining sixth-rounder Tarron Jackson, who they have clearly taken a liking to in camp. He may have been boosted by his showing against the Jets, where Jackson demonstrated his explosiveness and playmaking ability.
Defensive tackle (4): Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu
The Eagles placed T.Y Mcgill on the COVID/Reserve list, which is a reason they went a bit lighter at DT. The Eagles chose to keep 6th rounder Marlon Tuipulotu over Hassan Ridgeway, an encouraging sign for the rookie.
Linebacker (7): Eric Wilson, Alex Singleton, T.J. Edwards, Davion Taylor, Genard Avery, Shaun Bradley, Patrick Johnson
Philly’s only waive at LB was rookie Jacoby Stevens, a converted safety project. Other than that, the Eagles choose to go deep at LB.
Cornerback (5): Darius Slay, Steve Nelson, Avonte Maddox, Zech McPhearson, Josiah Scott
Another short one, the only Eagles move at CB was cutting Craig James.
Safety (4): Rodney McLeod, Anthony Harris, K’Von Wallace, Marcus Epps
Along with Dickerson, the Eagles activated Mcleod to the active roster, a good sign for his potential availability for Week 1. With injuries to guys like K’Von Wallace, it’s a bit surprising the Eagles cut acquisition Andrew Adams and Elijah Riley, but they clearly trust in Epps as solid depth.
Specialists (3): Jake Elliott, Arryn Siposs, Rick Lovato
No surprises here, as there was no competition at these positions.
Practice Squad
- S Grayland Arnold
- G/T Kayode Awosika
- T Le’Raven Clark
- WR Travis Fulgham
- WR John Hightower
- RB Jordan Howard
- RB Jason Huntley
- CB Michael Jacquet
- CB Craig James
- DE Matt Leo (international exemption)
- G Sua Opeta
- C/G Ross Pierschbacher
- S Elijah Riley
- LB JaCoby Stevens
- DT Raequan Williams
- WR KeeSean Johnson
It seems almost every notable Eagles cut returned to the practice squad, meaning the eagle FO seems to have had a successful cutdown. Among the most surprising here are WR Travis Fulgham, who many thought would be signed on Waivers, and LT Le’Raven Clark, who chose to stick around with coach Jeff Stoutland rather than sign to another team’s PS. The other notables are RBs Jordan Howard and Jason Huntley, one of whom will probably be called up as depth on the active roster, S JaCoby stevens, and WR John Hightower.
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Noah Berger is a featured writer at The Birds Blitz. For more from Noah, check out his archive and read through our Eagles articles for the latest news about the Birds.
