Posted: May 16th, 2024 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »I posted my first roster projection the other day. Despite the fact it was completely perfect and amazingly brilliant, people had some questions. Let’s talk about some of the things that were brought up.
Britain Covey
Covey is an interesting topic. The case for him is that he’s been one of the best punt returners in the league over the past two years. He led the league in return yards last season and averaged 14.4 yards per return. That isn’t a player you casually cut. The argument against Covey is that he has 4 catches for 42 yards in his short career. He’s done practically nothing as a receiver. The Eagles now have more potential players at the WR position.
AJ Brown – lock
DeVonta Smith – lock
DeVante Parker – veteran with ability
Parris Campbell – veteran with ability
Ainias Smith – talented rookie
Johnny Wilson – talented rookie
Joseph Ngata – returning member of the practice squad
The Eagles will either keep 5 or 6 receivers. There are now 8 guys battling for those spots. Injuries and performance will determine who makes it. Covey is not a lock, but don’t overlook his PR skills. He helps with field position.
There are some possibilities to discuss. The Eagles can use the practice squad to bolster WR. I think Wilson would make a lot of sense. Parker or Campbell could be a good fit. The other possibility is that the Eagles could trade Covey. If the team thinks Ainias Smith can be the PR and help at WR, Covey could be expendable. The Eagles wouldn’t get a lot in return, but he would have some value.
Josh Jobe
Jobe was a STs stud at Alabama. He has been a standout in the NFL as well. STs coordinator Michael Clay mentioned him as one of three key guys last week. Again, that isn’t something to take lightly.
The problem is that Jobe has very little chance to make the team as a CB. There is better depth and corner and nickelback. Safety is a position where there isn’t great depth. According to his college bio, Jobe played CB at Bama and in high school. Could he move to safety? He can hit and tackle. He’s physical. It would make some sense to give him a chance to show what he can do. There is still plenty of depth at corner. We’ll see if the coaches give him a shot. I know Clay would love to have him make the team so he could continue to play STs.
LB
I went heavy at LB. Part of that is because Zack Baun can play inside or outside. That gives him good value. Devin White and Nakobe Dean are the projected starters for now, but might not be long term answers. I think the team would want to keep Jeremiah Trotter Jr and Ben VanSumeren to see if they can develop into starters. The odd man is Oren Burks, who has some starting exerience and STs ability. This is a position where we really don’t know what will happen. It is possible several of the guys could play well and help the defense out. Or we could see players fail to stand out. In that case, Howie might need to do more work at LB.
RB
The Eagles have a stud in Saquon Barkley. Kenny Gainwell is a proven backup and rookie Will Shipley could be a good backup.
Things are wide open after that. UDFA Kendall Milton is talented. He could be a good PS candidate. Lew Nichols and Tyrion Davis-Price came over from other teams and have some potential, but are completely unproven. The Eagles might just stick with three RBs and keep someone on the PS.
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SCHEDULE TALK
I don’t get too fired up about the schedule. Still there are some things to talk about. There is no insane gauntlet like the team had last year. There are tough stretches, but that’s true every year.
The bye is in Week 5. You wish that was a bit later.
There are seven games slated for 1pm kickoffs. Those games are the best.
Thankfully there is only one MNF game. Those games are the worst.
Go read Jimmy Bama’s breakdown here.
I thought the Eagles schedule video was pretty entertaining.
I think the best one I’ve seen so far is the Chargers.
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Posted: May 13th, 2024 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | No Comments »Free agency is mostly over. The draft has come and gone. Now we can make our first educated guess as to what the Eagles roster could be.
QB – 3 – Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett, Tanner McKee
This should be pretty obvious. Hurts is a star QB. Pickett and McKee give the Eagles a pair of young QBs to develop.
RB – 3 – Saquon Barkley, Kenny Gainwell, Will Shipley
Barkley is the best RB the team has had since Shady McCoy. Gainwell is entering his fourth season and has proven to be a good backup. Shipley was taken in the fourth round and the coaches want him in the mix. Shipley can run, block and catch. He also has KOR ability so he checks a lot of boxes. He could be a good role player as a rookie.
WR – 5 – AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Parris Campbell, Ainias Smith, Britain Covey
This is the first spot where things start to get interesting. Do the Eagles keep 5 or 6 WRs? Do they keep Parris Campbell or DeVante Parker? Does Johnny Wilson have a realistic shot at a spot? I’m guessing Campbell makes it over Parker. The Eagles have a pair of stud receivers to play on the outside. Campbell has the experience to play in the slot. He also has the speed to play outside if needed. He was with Nick Sirianni in 2019 and 2020 in Indy. The Eagles liked him prior to the draft. Parker is the bigger name, but Campbell might prove to be the better fit. There is a possibility of putting either Parker or Campbell on the practice squad and then calling them up as needed. I think Wilson is ideal for the practice squad. It will give him time to develop as a receiver and for the coaches to see if they think he can contribute on STs.
TE – 3 – Dallas Goedert, CJ Uzomah, Grant Calcaterra
Goedert is entrenched as the starter. Uzomah feels like the primary backup because of his size, experience and ability to block and catch. The team still likes Calcaterra as an athletic pass-catcher, but he needs to show real growth this year. Albert O could be an X factor. He joined the team late last year and didn’t do much. This summer will give us more of an idea what he can (or can’t) do.
OL – 10 – Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Lane Johnson, Mekhi Becton, Fred Johnson, Matt Hennessy, Trevor Keegan, Dylan McMahon
I don’t think there is a lot of mystery here, unless one of the guys listed above really struggles. That could open the door for someone like Darrian Kinnard or Brett Toth. Gottlieb Ayedze could be worth developing for the future, but I don’t see him winning a roster spot.
DL – 5 – Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, Moro Ojomo
Another spot without much mystery. The Eagles signed CJ Mustipher to offer depth at NT. He could challenge for a spot. Gabe Hall is a UDFA with NFL ability. He was inconsistent at Baylor and the Senior Bowl, but is a good developmental prospect. Hall could be a role player in the future. I don’t see him winning a spot this summer unless his game takes a big jump due to pro coaching.
EDGE – 5 – Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff, BG, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt
This is one of the deepest positions on the team. The Eagles really like the top five guys. There are a variety of sizes and skill sets. The team has some solid pieces behind them. Patrick Johnson has flashed when he’s been on the field. Julian Okwara has 9 sacks in his career. Tarron Jackson and Terrell Lewis aren’t likely to push for roster spots, but they are more than just camp bodies.
ILB – 6 – Devin White, Nakobe Dean, Zack Baun, Oren Burks, Ben VanSumeren, Jeremiah Trotter Jr
Now to one of the weakest positions. No one here is a lock to start or even make the roster. This position is wide open. White and Dean will get the first chance to start. The coaches will give everyone a shot since this spot is so open. Baun and VanSumeren could be key STers. Trotter will be a fan favorite because of his legacy. Let’s hope he plays well so the story can focus more on him than his dad.
SAF – 4 – CJ Gardner-Johnson, Reed Blankenship, Sydney Brown, Mekhi Garner
The Eagles could go light here with DeJean and Maddox having safey experience, but Brown is coming off an injury so keeping four guys seems like the safe move. Garner is far from a lock. He’s got potential with his size and physicality. UDFA Andre’ Sam will push for a roster spot. He has good potential. Tristin McCollum could also be in the mix.
CB – 6 – Darius Slay, Quinyon Mitchell, Avonte Maddox, Cooper DeJean, Kelee Ringo, Isaiah Rodgers
Another deep position. Maddox isn’t a lock to make the team. I could see the Eagles putting DeJean in the slot and seeing what he can do. Tyler Hall is another slot who will battle for a spot. Eli Ricks showed potential last year, but he might get caught in a numbers crunch. If he plays well this summer, you’d love to find a way to keep him. Josh Jobe is the best STer in the group. I just don’t know if he’s good enough at CB to win a roster spot.
ST – 3 – Rick Lovato, Braden Mann, Jake Elliott
Lovato and Elliott are great at what they do. Mann was very good last year. Let’s see if he can build off that and have another strong season.
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There will be surprises, good and bad, so take this guess with a grain of salt. Injuries are always the ultimate X-factor.
I’m sure Howie Roseman will keep looking around the league to see if he can find upgrades. He might want to see these guys in action first, but he’s got a good idea of how things should play out.
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If you want to see the roster, here you go:
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Here is BLG’s take on the roster.
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