It’s way way way too early to be making these predictions but that won’t stop us from trying. Here’s a projection for how the Eagles 53-man roster might look heading into week one.
(*denotes rookie)
QB (3): Wentz, Sudfeld, Hurts*
A franchise QB and two third-stringers—there’s nothing wrong with this as long as Wentz is healthy. If he gets hurt again I’d imagine they bring back a McCown type to finish out the season.
RB (4): Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Corey Clement, Mike Warren*
Sanders’ year two should be just as electric as the first, Scott enters his first camp with a defined roster spot, Corey Clement is back, and Mike Warren adds a little pop. I like the way this group is shaping up.
WR (7): Jalen Reagor*, Alshon Jeffrey, Desean Jackson, JJAW, Marcus Goodwin, Greg Ward, John Hightower
Jeffery might find himself on the PUP list next season, and if that’s the case it opens things up for Watkins to make the 53-man instead of the practice squad, but for now Alshon’s on the opening 53. There’s also a chance Goodwin gets beat out in camp; there are concerns about his knee, and if he’s not fully healthy there’s no reason to keep around a one-trick pony like that. They may chose to jettison Hightower to the practice squad, but keeping 7 WR’s feels more likely this year.
OL (9): Jason Kelce, Jason Peters, Brandon Brooks, Isaac Seumalo, Lane Johnson, Andre Dillard, Jack Driscoll*, Matt Pryor, Nate Herbig
I’m taking a guess that the team decides to bring back Peters on a low cap number. Those rumors are out there, and if he can be had at a low cost it’s a no-brainer. Jordan Mailata is on the way out, and Prince Tega Wanagho likely takes his spot on the practice squad/IR depending on his health.
TE (2): Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert
No problems here. Maybe they’ll carry a third TE but I think they’re more likely to spread it out with a seventh WR.
DT (4): Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Malik Jackson, Hassan Ridgeway
Hargrave next to Cox isn’t being discussed as much as it should be, and Malik Jackson should provide some sneaky pass rush juice all along the line when healthy. There’s a lot to like about this group.
DE (6): Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett , Josh Sweat, Vinny Curry, Shareef Miller, Gernard Avery
My guess is the Eagles bring back Curry to round out the rotation of Graham, Barnett, and Sweat. If the team gets anything out of Miller or Avery—two developmental projects—it’s icing on the cake, but I’d prefer they use one of those spots on a veteran pass rusher to supplement on the edge.
LB (5): Tyler Edwards, Javon Taylor*, Nate Gerry, Duke Riley, Jatavis Brown
The Eagles have a handful of decent bodies at LB now but nothing too inspiring. I wouldn’t be surprised if they decide to carry only four with them to start the season—there’s no reason to carry five bodies at a spot with just one every down player and two sub-package guys. Shaun Bradley has a shot to make the team over Riley and Brown, but I won’t count on it.
CB (6): Darius Slay, Sidney Jones, Avonte Maddox, CreVon LeBlanc, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Mike Jacquet*
The Eagles are going to roll with Sidney Jones starting opposite Slay, and if he can stay healthy I think we’ll see something a little closer to the player we thought we had when we drafted him.
Rasul Douglas likely gets traded before the season, but if not then he’ll be competing for the final DB slot with a handful of guys. I like someone with Jacquet’s length and athleticism to make the squad as an undrafted FA—I covered him more in-depth last week.
Safety (4): Rodney McLeod, Jalen Mills, Will Parks, K’Von Wallace*
You won’t find me buying any Jalen Mills-stock with his move to safety, but both Wallace and Parks have me excited for a little more stability (and versatility) in coverage next season. Obviously when you look at the full picture of the secondary the departure of Jenkins hurts, but Slay, Parks, Wallace, and Robey-Coleman are an overall upgrade in terms of coverage ability.
Special Teams (3): Jake Elliot, Cameron Johnston, Rick Lovato
Nothing to see here.
Obviously these are low-stakes predictions with so much time before a season would hypothetically start—there’s still no guarantee we see football in 2020—but if the initial roster turns out something like this then I’d argue this Eagles team is a minor step up from the 2019 version.