Eagles Roster 1.0

Posted: September 5th, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Eagles Roster 1.0

The cuts are in and who know the Eagles roster…for at least a day. They made some surprising moves, but the rules this year are unlike any other so we should have expected the roster to look a bit different.

For now:

Here are the highlights:

Alshon Jeffery makes it – He was on PUP. The Eagles could have saved a roster spot by leaving him on PUP and then activating him in Week 7. Instead, Jeffery makes the initial roster and can play as soon as he’s healthy. Howie Roseman said that won’t be the opener, but it will be before Week 7.

Eagles go heavy at WR – The team kept seven receivers on the initial roster. Plenty of people thought this could happen, but their version involved keeping Deontay Burnett and having Jeffery stay on PUP. In recent years the Eagles had receivers underwhelm in the summer and there wasn’t a big numbers crunch. This year was different. The rookie trio all impressed and deserved to make it. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside looked much better and seems ready to contribute. DeSean Jackson stayed healthy and is ready to go. Greg Ward was his usual reliable self. And Jeffery came into camp in good shape and convinced the team he’ll be read to play sooner rather than later.

Safeties galore – Safety has also been a troublesome position in recent years. The Eagles like the guys they have this year and went heavy at the position. Will Parks is hurt and Roseman admitted that factored into their thinking. He spoke highly of Marcus Epps, who surprisingly made it. The Eagles seem to be very happy with his progress. Rudy Ford stuck because of his special teams ability, but Roseman made it sound like the team will keep a close eye on him. Ford has to live up to his potential. K’Von Wallace is the talented rookie.

Light at TE, RB – The Eagles have the best pair of TEs in the league. And right now they don’t have a backup. I doubt that lasts. Going with two TEs when you like to use 12 personnel doesn’t seem like a wise move. I’m expecting someone to get added to the roster here.

RB is another spot where the team could make a move. They love the trio of Sanders-Scott-Clement. This is where the team could add a couple of players to the practice squad and then activate them when needed.

OL – The Eagles kept eight offensive linemen. There are the five starters and Jordan Mailata, Nate Herbig and rookie Jack Driscoll. This is another spot where the team could add a veteran player. Roseman said they talked to Cordy Glenn, but weren’t able to work him out yet due to testing protocols. We’ll have to wait and see what happens there. Expect the team to add several OL to the practice squad, a mixture of rookies and young veterans.

Youth movement – The Eagles kept nine rookies: Hurts, Driscoll, Reagor, Hightower, Watkins, Toohill, Bradley, Taylor, Wallace. They have needed an infusion of youth for a while. It is very good to see this. And those players earned their spots. Taylor had the quietest camp of the group, but he still showed flashes of his explosive ability. And the Eagles knew he was a project going in.

Special teams matters – Craig James, Rudy Ford, and Alex Singleton all made the team in part due to what they did on STs.

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Let’s talk about the notable cuts.

  • CB Sidney Jones
  • CB Rasul Douglas
  • DE Shareef Miller

2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks. Gone.

The down side of this is poor drafting. Jones never fully recovered from his achilles injury and had other injury issues in the league, plus confidence problems.

Douglas showed good ball skills. He tackled well at times. He was just slow. I’m guessing the Eagles hoped that experience would help him to overcome that issue, but he was burned deep several times last year.

Miller was just entering his second season. He did nothing to stand out as a rookie. Miller said all the right things in the offseason, but the results just weren’t good enough to beat out other pass rushers. Miller still has upside. He might make since for the practice squad. I doubt any other team claims him.

The big issue with this trio is that they didn’t develop. If players aren’t getting better, you have a problem. Teams have to balance being patient with also being realistic.

The good side of this is that the Eagles didn’t stick with these players due to their draft status. It isn’t easy to cut high picks. Nobobdy wants to admit the players they drafted aren’t working out. You always want to hold out hope for that talent you saw on tape that led you to draft them. The Eagles gave all three a chance to show something and the progress just wasn’t there.

Craig James came to the Eagles as a backup and STer. Roseman talked today about how James kept improving. The coaches and scouts wanted to see him go against better receivers in practice and James handled himself, winning his share of battles. The team could see real progress. That’s part of why he got a job.

There were a couple of tough cuts. Joe Ostman played well enough to win a roster spot. Why keep Genard Avery over him? Ostman might be a player they try to bring back, to the roster or the PS.

I was a bit surprised they cut Prince Tega Wanogho. He has LT potential and that’s a valuable thing. The Eagles must feel like his knee will scare off other teams and they can put him on the PS.

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The Eagles are going to put one or two veterans on short term IR, meaning the players will only miss a few weeks. It feels like Avery and Parks could be these players. That would open up a couple of roster spots. Maybe then you add another OL and TE. Or a guy like Ostman is re-signed.

Roseman and the scouting staff are studying the cutdown lists to see if there is anyone they want to claim.

Don’t expect a lot of veteran shopping. Roseman talked about the importance of carrying cap room over to next season. Jadeveon Clowney just signed with the Titans and Devonta Freeman is visiting the Jags so those are a pair of notable names some fans wondered about.

The Eagles are going to be very picky about how they spend money.

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