My 53

Posted: August 30th, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 144 Comments »

I went back and re-watched the 1st half of the Jets game to take another look at some guys. I wanted to be as informed as possible, but also as fair as possible when projecting my 53-man roster. Not much changed, but it was good to see some backups playing extensively.

Here goes:

QB – 3 – Vick, Foles, Barkley

RB – 3 – McCoy, Brown, Polk

WR – 5 – Jackson, Cooper, Avant, Johnson, Shepard

TE – 4 – Celek, Ertz, Casey, Harbor

OL – 9 – Peters, Mathis, Kelce, Herremans, Johnson, Barbre, Vandervelde, Kelly, Bamiro

Offense is 24 players.

DL – 7 – Cox, Sopoaga, Thornton, Logan, Curry, Geathers, Square

OLB – 4 – Barwin, Cole, Graham, McCoy

ILB – 5 – Kendricks, Ryans, Acho, Matthews, Knott

S – 5 – Chung, Allen, Wolff, Coleman, Anderson

CB – 5 – Williams, Fletcher, Boykin…outsider, outsider

Defense is 26 players.

P Donnie Jones

K Alex Henery

LS Mr. Julie Dorenbos

* * * * *

Now for the Practice Squad:

WR Ifeanyi Momah

RB Matt Tucker

QB Dennis Dixon

OL Matt Tobin

DL Joe Kruger

CB Jordan Poyer

LB Travis Long

* open spot *

* * * * *

Some comments…

The hardest thing for me is OL. I went back and forth on Bamiro/Tobin. Tobin can play G or T. He’s played some LT. He went to Iowa and is a polished, coachable player. There is a real argument to keeping him, especially with Dennis Kelly hurt right now. That said, he does have a limited ceiling. If the light ever goes on for Bamiro, he could be a pretty good RT. He cannot play right now, but someone has to be inactive right now. I’m willing to take a chance on his potential. That said, if things get tight due to injuries, I am willing to switch them and cut Bamiro and add Tobin. Bamiro is a project. I like him, but he’s a luxury right now.

CB is wide open. I like the top 3 guys, but after that…injuries just decimated what was a pedestrian group already. Brandon Hughes could be kept if they think he’ll be okay to play. My guess is that the Eagles are working the phones hard to try and find a #4 CB.

I went with Shepard over Greg Salas for a few reasons. Shepard is the better STer. He’s the better athlete and has more upside. Salas is a natural slot receiver. I don’t think he’s got the speed to win outside vs starting CBs on a consistent basis. Avant and Johnson are already slot guys. Salas doesn’t help in that sense. I do think the Eagles could look for outside WR help and then put Shepard on the practice squad.

My guess is that Danny Watkins gets traded. I could see the Eagles and Bills working out a trade for a WR. Buffalo has veteran Brad Smith and young Marcus Easley as players of potential interest. They need OG help. Smith would be the most interesting. He is a good STer and solid role player. He is also a former QB. You could then only have 2 QBs active on gameday, with him as your emergency guy. Watkins played pretty well vs the Jets, but Barbre was flat out better. Danny being a pure OG makes him a luxury item right now.

I didn’t think Everette Brown was worth keeping. He’s not a developmental guy. He’d be inactive every week. Where’s the value?

I do wonder if Damion Square is less of a certain thing than people think. He’s awkward at NT. He’s okay at RDE, but I’d much rather have those reps going to Curry.

Emil Igwenagu could be a practice squad target. If you’re curious as to who is eligible, go here to see Sam’s list.

There will be a surprise move or two. I wonder if the right NT gets cut by another team…does Sopoaga then get cut by the Eagles? They could then go with Logan as the starter and add the other player as a backup. Or the other NT could be the starter if he’s that high quality of a player.

Howie Roseman and Chip Kelly are trying to build the best roster possible. The scouts have been studying players on the other 31 teams. The Eagles will have some guys targeted.

The next couple of days will be very rough on the players who are getting cut, but they will be a lot of fun for the fans. It is always interesting to see how the roster is shaped and how many changes then take place in the next few days as other players become available.

_


144 Comments on “My 53”

  1. 1 GermanEagle said at 10:46 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    The more I think about, the more I can see the Eagles going with 10 Oliner. In that scenario you’d have to scratch Casey Matthews off the list, which would be totally fine with me.

  2. 2 eagleyankfan said at 11:16 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    I don’t get the value of him or Coleman. Or are we celebrating Mathews tackle in yesterdays game?

  3. 3 GEagle said at 12:03 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I can ATleast see Coleman’s value, because he is an above average ST player, but Casey is average at everything he does. He isn’t this Ike Reese type ST force. Average Nickle LB, average ST player….he needs to go!!

    I’d Keep tobin and Kruger over him

  4. 4 jackpotsdad said at 1:08 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Yeah agree. Don’t see Casey Matthews making it, Oregon connection or not. Chip will pick the best players. If that leaves him with a little too much or too little of one position, he’ll work with Howie to get what he needs.

  5. 5 GEagle said at 4:34 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    if we need to keep a Duck, I’d prefer Maehl then a 5th ILB like Casey….assuming Ancho and Knott are suitable back up Nickle and dime package backers, which I don’t know to be true or not

  6. 6 BreakinAnklez said at 10:47 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Tommy, have you seen any players that interest you on other teams that have a chance to be cut? Wasn’t sure how much you got to see outside the Birds.

  7. 7 GermanEagle said at 10:50 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    I am not Tommy but I closely followed the Seahawks defenisve backfield during this off-season. Their #5 or even #6 CB would instantly become our 4th best corner. Watch out for Byron Maxwell in case he gets cut.

  8. 8 EaglesTrolltheWorld said at 10:56 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Unrelated, but I find it amusing when people in my yahoo fantasy leagues take Sherman as a defensive player mostly because of name recognition and not fantasy points output.

  9. 9 Anders said at 10:51 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Tommy could you see Acho unseat Ryans in 1-2 years?

  10. 10 RIP Worms said at 2:55 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    No, but I bet Brian Baldinger could.

  11. 11 GEagle said at 2:56 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    LOL’ed

  12. 12 Al said at 10:51 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Didn’t Sopoaga get a decent amount of guaranteed money? Could they really cut him after doing that?

  13. 13 GermanEagle said at 10:55 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    He’s due over 2m roster bonus next week…

  14. 14 Daniel Norman Richwine said at 10:53 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    I don’t think square can play NT even in spots, and if he can’t be versitile.enough too do that, he’s not good enough to be a part time DE.

  15. 15 EaglesTrolltheWorld said at 10:55 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    What rationale do you have for keeping Momah on the PS? I haven’t really seen anything of him that says potential other than his size. Or do you think he’s just the best alternative at WR for keeping there because he brings a different skillset than the other WRs we could tuck there?

  16. 16 Anders said at 10:56 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    He showed some good things against the Jets, but still need time to develop (remember he played less than one total game at WR in college)

  17. 17 EaglesTrolltheWorld said at 10:57 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Well, right, exactly. That lack of experience on top of not seeing much of him in camp or the other 3 games makes me question why him over another WR.

  18. 18 Anders said at 11:00 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    That is why the PS is perfect for him.

  19. 19 EaglesTrolltheWorld said at 11:01 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Again, my question is why over another WR that’s actually consistently shown glimpses of something.

  20. 20 Anders said at 11:03 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    It would be between him and Salas. While Salas have shown something, his upside is not really that high.

  21. 21 Michael Winter Cho said at 1:05 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Because there aren’t many people with his physical attributes in the world, so if he happens to pan out, he could be a game-changer.

  22. 22 A Roy said at 10:58 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    It would be nice to have a 6’7″ red zone target.

  23. 23 EaglesTrolltheWorld said at 10:59 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Size alone = / = talent or performance.

  24. 24 A Roy said at 11:42 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    True. Although as Lefty Drisell used to say; “You can’t coach height.” If he has the potential to be good, I’d certainly have him on the PS.

  25. 25 GEagle said at 11:52 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    if Momah had never gotten injured, and didn’t miss so much game time in his recent past, then his PS performance would not be good enough for me. but when you factor in real life human elements, and his potential, then I’m not ok with giving up on that Rare physical ability already…
    ..
    our front office isn’t throwing darts in the dark and seeing what sticks…They understood Momah would be a rusty project that they would need to be patient with before it ever paid off. They knew that drafting Kruger would require a year of Patience….We have been striking Gold left and right with Late round picks and UDFA’s these past two years…They wouldn’t have wasted a pick on Kruger if they were expecting an instant return on their investment. Joe Banner is petty, spiteful and vindictive, and with Paul Kruger in his ear, he will scoop up Baby Kruger in a heartbeat. I hope we didn’t spend a 7th rounder just to lose him to that petty prick. Bite the bullet, and keep Krugerr on this roster..louder would be a 4th round pick in the next draft. patience Daniel son

  26. 26 jackpotsdad said at 1:11 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Very unimpressed with Momah. I understand he’s going to not have the best hands or run crisp routes. I hate that he gets bullied by smaller players and don’t use that height/size to his advantage. I think he’s too much of a project strictly from a cost/benefit standpoint.

  27. 27 Neil said at 2:00 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    His problems are almost entirely about technique. The only knock on him besides that is his quickness/acceleration, especially off the line, isn’t good. Getting bullied by smaller players falls into the technique category based on what I’ve seen. The guy has a track record of not being afraid of physicality from college. He also has great character and enthusiasm for the game.

  28. 28 RC5000 said at 6:32 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Upside, hasn’t played, learning, unusual size. You can often keep a couple of guys like that around on your PS. Definitely raw but sometimes you work with a player like him. Could be a victim of numbers though.

  29. 29 EaglesTrolltheWorld said at 6:34 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Already cut today

  30. 30 RC5000 said at 5:12 PM on August 31st, 2013:

    hahahahahah your post was about Momah on the PRACTICE SQUAD. Don’t you understand your own posts? My comment was he may be a victim of the numbers game on the practice squad because that was what you were talking about not the roster.

  31. 31 EaglesTrolltheWorld said at 5:26 PM on August 31st, 2013:

    You said he could be a victim of numbers, which he was as he was cut. I never said that precluded him from the PS

  32. 32 A Roy said at 10:55 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    I’ve now seen several “mock 53’s” that predict 24-O and 26-D. With the talent level of our defense, why would we keep extras there? If we have 4 weak safeties and ony 3 serviceable CBs, why project 10 slots between them? Just to keep Colt for STs?
    Even if we do that, I would tend to agree w/ GermanEagle and keep an additional OL instead of #50. Last LB I saw in the wrong place as often as Matthews was Ernie Sims.

  33. 33 Anders said at 10:56 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    You need more players on D than O in general. 26/24 is a common split.

  34. 34 GEagle said at 12:11 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Just think how often you see Dlineman rotated in and out…different defenders coming in on Nickle packages…..How often to you see teams rotate offensive lineman in and out?

  35. 35 TheRogerPodacter said at 11:14 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    since we have a pile of players that are hurt, is it possible for us to put them on IR? would they have to first make the ‘final 53’ roster in order to be put directly to IR instead of first being waived?

  36. 36 Anders said at 11:18 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Players can go directly to IR already without been waived (see Maclin)

  37. 37 Jack Waggoner said at 11:22 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Not until they’ve had 4 years experience

  38. 38 Anders said at 11:25 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Didnt Benn go directly to IR?

  39. 39 Jack Waggoner said at 11:31 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    I think they count the current year, this is his 4th year

    1. Players with less than 4 years of service time are “waived” and are subject to waivers. The waiver period in the NFL is 24 hours. So, a player waived on Monday can be claimed by another team by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. If multiple teams place a waiver claim on the same player, the player is awarded to the team with the highest waiver priority (the reverse order of the standings, worst to first). If a player goes unclaimed, he clears waivers and is a FA, free to sign wherever he can find work.

    2. Players with 4+ seasons of service time are “released”. These players, known as “vested veterans”, do not pass through waivers and are free agents immediately, free to sign with any other team.

    These rules apply until the trade deadline (presently week 6 of the NFL season). After the trade deadline (until the start of the next league year in March), all players – whether a vested veteran or a non-vested veteran – are subject to the waiver process.

    3. Injured players with 4+ seasons of service time can be immediately placed on Injured Reserve (IR).

    4. Prior to the first cutdown date, injured players with less than 4 years of service cannot go onto IR until they pass through waivers. Those players are released with the “waived/injured” designation. Known as “injury waivers”, this process exposes the player to waivers, but warns other teams that the player is injured. If the player clears injury waivers, the team can then either place the player on IR or agree to an injury settlement (paying the player for the weeks that he is expected to be recovering from his injury) and then release the player.

    Injury waivers only applies during the offseason up until the first cutdown date, thereafter, a player with less than 4 years of service time can be placed directly on IR.

  40. 40 Jack Waggoner said at 11:21 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    My understanding is they have to be “waived/injured” before final cutdown day, at some point after that players on the roster can go directly to IR, not sure if that’s before the first game or not.

  41. 41 TheRogerPodacter said at 1:59 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    apparently, Joe Kruger was just placed on IR so i have absolutely no idea how this works. lol

  42. 42 GEagle said at 2:08 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Yeah I meant to ask how is it that Krugs landed so quickly on IR?

  43. 43 Homer Frizzell said at 2:16 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I think it’s that after the cut down to 75 a player does not have to go through waivers.

  44. 44 GEagle said at 2:38 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Thanks

  45. 45 JettMartinez said at 11:16 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Gee, I thought Lane Johnson would be the emergency QB. He’d be money on QB sneaks!

  46. 46 laeagle said at 11:43 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Nope, Sopoaga. That’s the real reason they’re keeping him!

  47. 47 Tyler Phillips said at 11:17 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    If Matthews isn’t cut then I give up. 5th best ILB behind undrafted and former 6th rder. Probably the 9th best LB overall. why would he even be active on gameday?

  48. 48 Dan said at 2:29 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Special teams

  49. 49 Tyler Phillips said at 5:05 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    There are street FAs that are as good as him on ST. Nothing special at all.

  50. 50 eagleyankfan said at 11:17 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    I’m surprised with Soap being mentioned as possible off the team. I haven’t watched him. Has he been that bad?

  51. 51 Anders said at 11:19 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    For me he hasnt been bad, but he has not stood out either. He can eat a double team, but he does not command it when he is single blocked.

  52. 52 Jack Waggoner said at 11:24 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Logan has been better. Still, I think they need to keep Soap around unless they find someone else who can handle that role.

  53. 53 GEagle said at 11:59 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    I think Soap has been better at eating Double teams…He hasn’t gotten a push, but I saw him Eat double teams and stand his ground and I thought to myself, No Way that Logan is ready to do that. I really don’t think Soap is going anywhere, And I think it could be a mistake to judge a 12yr vet who plays such a grueling position on his preseason performance. just see how effective Mykal has been when Soap has been in the game, and when Chip is praising our young Dline as a strength to build a defense around, then as a Mentor he becomes invaluable.. I have a feeling we are selling him short. Go back and watch his most recent game, the Super Bowl…I’m pleased to get That player

  54. 54 ATLeagle said at 11:27 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    I know that the goal is to win the game now, but is this the right time to (unfortunately) get rid of a guy like Avant? Salas seems to have all of the same limited upside as a permanent slot guy, and made a couple of sick catches that seemed like they were purely a result of refusing to not make the catch. Im not saying he is as good as Avant now, but this could be the right time to make a gamble that Salas in two years is better than Avant now.

  55. 55 GEagle said at 12:09 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    No way. Avant’s total catches have gone up every single year he has been in the NFL and it’s not easy to find bett blocking then he provides from the position….. with Maclin down, Cooper might be the number 2 WR, but Avant is the #2 Recieving option for our QBs….Remember where you heard this, In this offense, with Maclin down, we can see Avant have a 70-75 catch season…not to mention is leadership/mentor role is invaluable.
    .

  56. 56 holeplug said at 1:00 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Still dont understand why ppl on here are so eager to dump Avant.

  57. 57 ATLeagle said at 1:02 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    i dont want to. I am just wondering if a full on youth movement is in the cards.

  58. 58 GEagle said at 2:50 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Vick over Foles, Cole of Graham should put your youth movement worries to rest….and this is coming from someone who would have been happy going all out young!

  59. 59 jackpotsdad said at 1:14 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Salas is definitely not the same as Avant. Salas is younger and has a bigger body, but he’s not anywhere close to being as sure handed. As we saw in last night’s game, we can’t afford to lose players who can make catches. YAC is great, but you have to catch the ball first.

  60. 60 Dan said at 2:30 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Avant provides a good locker room presence which is also important, so even if the two were similar, Avant gets it from his intangibles.

  61. 61 GermanEagle said at 11:28 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    I know the NFL is not the NBA and blockbuster-trades normally don’t happen, but when comparing the Bills roster/depth chart with the Eagles’ Buffalo jumps out as the perfect trade partner to me.
    The Bills could easily use Danny Watkins, and Brandon Graham would give them a nice DE duo with Mario Williams too:
    Watkins + Graham + Allen for WR Brad Smith and S Jairus Byrd.

  62. 62 GEagle said at 11:55 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Watkins, Allen and a 4th for Byrd……They have NO leverage and everyone knows it. rather be weak at Safety for a year then weak at edge pass rusher…We can sign Byrd at the end of the year and give them Nothing!!!

  63. 63 GEagle said at 12:40 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    the Bills are getting Jadaveon Clowney…they will be the only terrible team picking at the top of the draft that isn’t desperate for a QB

  64. 64 Anthony Hart said at 12:59 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I’d be shocked if they’re bad enough to have a top 4 pick. They have a lot of talented pieces and have looked good in the pre-season. They can lean on their defense and Spiller and squeak out at least 5 wins despite who the QB is.

  65. 65 GEagle said at 1:46 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    The have a bad Oline, a rookie QB, and will probably be the worst team in there division…out f the teams that picked in the top 10 this year, I think Eagles,Browns,Cardinals,Lions all will be better then the Bills…..Name the teams you think will definitely pick higher then the bills this year…all I got is Oakland, Jags, and Jets

  66. 66 Anthony Hart said at 4:35 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I could the Dolphins taking a dive, Chargers, Cardinals, Panthers, and there’s always some teams that shockingly have a great or horrible season out of nowhere. I think picks 8 – 12 is a more likely spot, but I could be wrong. Will depend on the health of Spiller/Manuel.

  67. 67 GEagle said at 4:37 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Fair argument…Teams can certainly nose dive and you never know who will get injured.. I do like where the Dolphins and Cardinals are headed tho…but every team is 3 major injuries away from nose diving

  68. 68 Superbowlsoon said at 11:31 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Tommy, I like the idea of seeing if we could move Watkins to the Bills for Easley (since I was a big fan when he came out of UConn). He reminded me of a more dynamic version of Avant (at the time). I’m kinda confused as to why in the world would you have Matthews making this roster. I’d be interested to hear what you think he adds to the team or better yet…what does he have that the other young guys don’t. Personally, I don’t think he belongs in the NFL, but we all see things a bit differently. I typically am onboard with your assessments but this one befuddles me.

  69. 69 GEagle said at 11:45 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    I think there is a place for Mathews in the NFL, but I do not think he is good enough to where he should be kept as a 5th ILB…you keep 5ILBs if you have a play with potential who you just hate to lose. Mathews is what he is, he has no potential. There is no way I would keep him over potential in Knott(just imagine what he can become once he learns to take on blockers) or Ancho who is game ready to contribute off the bench…If our 5th ILB had untapped potential, I would be ok with keeping 5, but there is no point in keeping Mathews as a 5ILB…especially since there is already plenty of emphasis on ST Lreday on this roster. heck you are keeping 5 safeties, 4 of which shouldn’t be in a game playing safety, and 3 of those 4 can have an impact on ST…There is enough ST emphasis on this rosters to make Mathews expendable…if you think we can sneak Knott on the PS then and only then I would be ok with keeping Mathews….but I don’t want him at all as a 5th ILB

  70. 70 eagleyankfan said at 11:48 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Every team needs someone to get the tee after kick off…

  71. 71 GEagle said at 11:53 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    Don’t sell short the importance of a 3rd string Emergency water boy

  72. 72 GEagle said at 11:40 AM on August 30th, 2013:

    This was one of the final roster projections I have seen that is close to mine…
    ..
    IMO:
    -we like Soap more then some people think and I don’t see any way he isn’t on the team this year

    -I would rather protect Kruger then Keep Gaethers(who I like), Mathews(don’t need 5 ILBs)….Mathews pretty much has no upside, he is who he is.

    I Definitely agree that one of our corners isn’t on this Roster yet…Think Micheal Buble’s “I just haven’t met you yet” lol, but I do think Poyer has a chance to sneak on this roster. Poyer missed a lot of this offseason and has been coming on in the past two games. he also brings a lot of versatility with the ability to play Nickle, CB, PR, Gunner, Coverage Units….I think when you factor in how much time he has missed, coming on these past two games could be enough to save him…However, he isn’t a player we would have to worry about being poached off waivers so if better CBs are available on waivers(keep in mind they have to reach us and that the Jags will snatch up any Seatle defenders that get released), then we won’t have any problems cutting Poyer and bringing him back to the practice team

  73. 73 jackpotsdad said at 1:22 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Poyer has had a poor preseason. As an Oregon resident, I was excited to see him drafted and he played amazingly for Oregon State. But he seems too slow, out of the position and he doesn’t wrap up. I was expecting to see much more aggression and physicality. Kind of what you see in Wolff – a lot of mistakes but not a lack of effort or physicality. As much as it pains me to say it, I don’t think Poyer makes your 53.

  74. 74 GEagle said at 1:41 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I thought he was ok the past two weeks, but watching a CB on TV doesn’t tell the entire story

  75. 75 ICDogg said at 1:48 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I think he’s gaining confidence, but he’s not that talented. He will always be an “effort guy” (See Coleman, Kurt)

  76. 76 Weapon Y said at 12:14 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    There’s very little I would change in my 53 man roster compared to yours, Tommy. I like keeping all 5 ILBs. Acho, Knott, and yes, even Casey Matthews, have potential and I’d hate to let any of them go. I’d probably still keep Watkins on the roster simply because he’s more ready to play now than Bamiro is. With Peters, Mathis, Kelce, and Herremans all coming off of injuries, I think it’s important to keep the best backup linemen on the roster. For me, that is 1. Allen Barbre 2. Dennis Kelly 3. Danny Watkins. Then, somebody has to be the backup center and I’d still like that to be Dallas Reynolds (unless someone good from another team gets released), but I’m almost certain it will be Julian Vandervelde. I think Chip does keep Michael Bamiro and either trades or releases Watkins, judging from his comments last night.

    There a few things that wouldn’t surprise me. I wouldn’t be shocked if 4 quarterbacks made the 53-man roster, but that isn’t my ultimate prediction. Why hasn’t Chip released either Kinne or Dixon, when he didn’t play either of them last night? I think he likes having lots of quarterbacks to rotate in drills, to ensure good depth in the event of injury, and give defenses different looks. Matthew Tucker might make the team as the fourth running back. I wouldn’t be shocked if Emil Igwenagu sneaked onto the team as a fifth tight end, especially because Chip has used four tight end formations. He might only keep four cornerbacks, and use Kurt Coleman (gasp) as a cornerback/safety hybrid. Same for Patrick Chung. The secondary is the weakest part of the roster, so it should have fewer players than usual anyway.

    My Prediction:
    3 QB Vick, Foles, Barkley
    4 RB McCoy, Brown, Polk, Tucker
    5 WR Jackson, Cooper, Avant, Johnson, Shepard
    4 TE Celek, Ertz, Casey, Harbor
    9 OL Peters, Mathis, Kelce, Herremans, Johnson, Barbre, Kelly, Bamiro, Vandervelde
    7 DL Cox, Sopoaga, Thornton, Curry, Logan, Geathers, Square
    4 OLB Barwin, Cole, Graham, McCoy
    5 ILB Ryans, Kendricks, Acho, Matthews, Knott
    4 CB Williams, Fletcher, Boykin, Poyer
    5 S Chung, Allen, Coleman, Anderson, Wolff
    3 ST Henery, Jones, Dorenbos

  77. 77 GEagle said at 12:16 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    HOw much better Can Mathews really become?

  78. 78 Weapon Y said at 12:20 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    He looks better this year than he did the past two. You don’t know for sure what you have until you throw him on the field and find out. The dysfunctional defensive staff in 2011 and 2012 might have stymied his growth, or the 4-3 scheme might just not have been a good fit for him particularly because he has to engage linemen a lot. This year’s 3-4 defensive scheme is much better for linebackers because the defensive linemen, often but not always, absorb blockers allowing them room to run. It’s the scheme Casey Matthews did well with in Oregon, and it’s the scheme Chip trusts, so my answer is maybe he could be good enough to become a competent starter in a year or two. Maybe not. I’d hate for another team to get him and have him be great, though.

  79. 79 GEagle said at 12:28 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Fair enough…I just don’t think it’s that hard to spend a 4th round pick and find a guy like him, if not better. if we are going to keep Casey, then I hope to see Knott on the PS and not the roster…and the only reason I’m willing to concede on Mathews is because I don’t know what Acho and Knott can be as backup Nickle and Dime LBs, for me that is Casey’s only saving grace

  80. 80 GEagle said at 12:14 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    eagles just waived GJ Kinney

  81. 81 ICDogg said at 1:20 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    “ravens waived late round CB Marc Anthony”

    Probably played like Cleopatra

  82. 82 phillychuck said at 2:34 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Or J’Lo.

  83. 83 ICDogg said at 2:40 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    good point

  84. 84 Solomon said at 12:19 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    A pretty good mock 53, but like everyone else, I do not understand keeping Matthews.

  85. 85 GEagle said at 12:23 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    last night the Bills who are already pathetic at Guard, lost their backup guard with what looks like a serious leg injury. Doug Legursky backed up multiple positions for them on the line….Danny Watkins just might have gotten a little sexier lol

  86. 86 GEagle said at 12:52 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Don’t think Mathew Tucker would go unclaimed if waived. Kruger and Tucker are the biggest risks to not make it to the PS squad

  87. 87 ICDogg said at 1:15 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    To me, Casey Matthews blew it in this game. He was on the edge. Meanwhile his ILB competitors stepped it up.

  88. 88 Corry said at 1:18 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Kruger gets to red shirt this year. Suffered a shoulder injury last night and is now on IR.

    Also, Momah cut.

  89. 89 ICDogg said at 1:19 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Heh. Lots of that going around this time of year in the NFL…

  90. 90 GermanEagle said at 1:19 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Surprise, surprise… 🙂

  91. 91 GEagle said at 1:42 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Friggin LOVE IT!!!!! ! take that Banner!!

  92. 92 DamonL86 said at 1:20 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Good move

  93. 93 ICDogg said at 1:22 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Antonio Dixon, Everette Brown, Dennis Dixon, David King, Matt Kopa, Trevard Lindley, Ifeyani Momah all cut today

  94. 94 jackpotsdad said at 1:27 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I think Maehl sneaks into 53 man roster. This is my prediction of the only surprise when final cuts are made. He made 8 catches last night. Reminds me a lot of Avant except he’s bigger. He’s also an excellent downfield blocker.

  95. 95 ICDogg said at 1:28 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I just saw a tweet that he was cut

  96. 96 Corry said at 1:30 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    if you saw McLane’s tweet, he’s saying Maehl is still alive. Jeff McLane is terrible at twitter.

  97. 97 ICDogg said at 1:31 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    9 more cuts to go

  98. 98 GermanEagle said at 1:31 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    That’s why i am not following him.

  99. 99 GermanEagle said at 1:29 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Maehl has PRACTICE SQUAD written all over him.

  100. 100 ICDogg said at 1:34 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I’d rather go light on WR for now, hold on to Harbor, and see about picking up another WR for depth after 53 cut

  101. 101 SteveH said at 1:34 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    + Salas – square to PS

  102. 102 MAR62 said at 1:35 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Yes to keeping Bamiro and cutting Watkins

  103. 103 GEagle said at 1:35 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Hahahahaha Eagles placed Krugs on IR cause he hurt his shoulder yesterday…LOVE IT!!!!!

  104. 104 BreakinAnklez said at 1:38 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Beat me too it…

  105. 105 phillychuck said at 2:30 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Actually a severe hangnail. That’s what I heard and I’m sticking to it.

  106. 106 GEagle said at 1:39 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    So far we cut:
    GJ Kinney
    Dennis Dixon
    Antonio Dixon
    Will Murphy
    Momah
    Everrette Brown
    Kopa
    Dallas Reynolds
    Adrian Rob
    Tennant
    king
    ..
    Snuck Kruger on IR, and came to an injury settlement with Lindley(according to PhillyMag)

  107. 107 eagleyankfan said at 2:42 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    So far, I don’t see my name. My fingers crossed.

  108. 108 ICDogg said at 1:41 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    so far no shockers

  109. 109 GEagle said at 1:43 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    That’s cause we are still trying to trade the Shockers and get value for them

  110. 110 ICDogg said at 1:46 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I don’t care about value for Watkins, but I think he might be better in a more traditional blocking scheme, and I don’t want him to end up on another team in our division who desperately needs O-line help. I’d move him to Buffalo for the proverbial “future considerations”.

  111. 111 GEagle said at 1:47 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I’m good with that

  112. 112 GermanEagle said at 1:50 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Byrd, Byrd, Byrd…

  113. 113 GEagle said at 1:58 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Say Word for Big Byrd!!!

  114. 114 ICDogg said at 2:18 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    a-well-a Byrd Byrd Byrd
    buh-Byrd is the word

  115. 115 aub32 said at 2:12 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Watkins and Graham for Byrd? (I can dream)

  116. 116 First Cuts Made | Eagles Blog said at 2:14 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    […] You can see my roster projection here. […]

  117. 117 phillychuck said at 2:31 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Cutting Matthews, keeping Turner. Otherwise I agree 100%. Poyer might take one of the outside CB spots.

  118. 118 ICDogg said at 2:33 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I think if Avant had a nickname, like Gregg ‘Trash’ Garrity did, he’d be a lot more popular.

  119. 119 GEagle said at 2:44 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Jason “the catching Savant” Avant…..lol that’s all I got

  120. 120 GermanEagle said at 2:52 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Had to steal this from another site:

    The Eagles landed the big Duck (Chip Kelly). It’s time that they land a Byrd

  121. 121 GEagle said at 2:53 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    !!!!!!!!!!

  122. 122 ian_no_2 said at 3:16 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    QB Vick Foles Barkley
    RB McCoy Brown Polk
    WR DJax DJohns Avant Salas Shepard Cooper
    TE Celek Ertz Casey Harbor
    OL Peters Mathis Kelce Herremans LJohns Kelly Barbre Vandervelde Tobin Bamiro
    26
    DL Cox Logan Curry Thornton Sopoaga Geathers EBrown
    OLB Barwin Cole Graham McCoy
    ILB Kendricks Ryans Acho Knott
    S Chung Wolff Coleman Anderson
    CB Williams Fletcher Boykin Poyer Hughes
    24
    ST 3
    Looking to add to the secondary and one or two defensive lineman.. replacing Sopoaga
    PS Dixon Maehl Square five from other rosters.. I kept a lot of rookies

  123. 123 GermanEagle said at 3:34 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Too little too late, buddy. 😉
    But you’re not alone, Jimmy Bama didn’t post his roster before the first cuts were made either.

  124. 124 GEagle said at 3:39 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Bears waive CB Demontre Hurst…would we have any interest?

  125. 125 JoeD said at 4:08 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    No Kinnie over Dixon for PS?

  126. 126 ICDogg said at 4:09 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I’m in favor of GJK

  127. 127 ICDogg said at 4:08 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Johnathan Amaya cut from AZ, could be worth a look at S

  128. 128 jshort said at 4:12 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    What happens to a guy like Kruger, being placed on IR. How much contact are these guys allowed with the team? Can they practice, or be around the nova care center? What are they allowed to do?

  129. 129 Anders said at 4:15 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    attending meeting and lifting weights. No training

  130. 130 jshort said at 4:15 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Thank you

  131. 131 GEagle said at 4:16 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I can’t answer you definitively and also would love some clarification, but if you are injured(or ATleast claim to be), then there will be some rehab in the process which means players have to be at the novacare ATleast working with our strength and conditioning coaches which is needed for Krugs anyway

  132. 132 bridgecoach said at 4:24 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Hoping the Giants cut Cooper Taylor – smart rookie safety from Richmond with size and athleticism…

  133. 133 GEagle said at 4:26 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I would want us to jump on Cooper Taylor or Raiders Dexter McCoil immediately…but tall safeties like that might not make it past Gus Bradley on waivers

  134. 134 Anders said at 4:52 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I doubt he is cut. After the Brown injury, they got zero safeties. I mean fans even talked about signing Kenny Phillips

  135. 135 Mac said at 4:25 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    That Jarrett fellow on the Jets looked good last night.

  136. 136 GEagle said at 4:31 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Damn… Cardinals will keep 5 RBs on the 53 man roster….I guess it might not be so crazy to keep Tuckr and protect him from teams who’s RBs have been getting injured

  137. 137 Iskar36 said at 5:43 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    One thing I always found crazy was that in 2006, the Eagles opening day roster had 6 (that is not a typo) RBs on the team:

    Correll Buckhalter
    Brian Westbrook
    Ryan Moats
    Reno Mahe
    Thomas Tapeh
    Bruce Perry

    I know Perry got cut after week 1 or 2 and Mahe was effectively just a returner, but thinking back to AR and how he used his back up running backs, I have no idea how he came up with 6 RBs being a good idea for the opening day roster.

  138. 138 Anders said at 6:14 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    We had 5 RBs on the roster last year.

  139. 139 RC5000 said at 4:49 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Matthews on the final roster , no. Tucker, yes.

  140. 140 Phils Goodman said at 4:50 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I watched out for Square after the early hype and didn’t notice much. I don’t even think he anchored all that well. JAG to me.

  141. 141 Anders said at 11:31 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    He had two good first games, but the last two was less than optimal. He is clearly not a NT in this league

  142. 142 A_T_G said at 8:06 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    I have seen a lot of talk about “sneaking” guys onto the practice squad. As I understand it:
    a. Players have their choice of squads, and
    b. players can be plucked from anyone’s PS to an active roster at any time.

    So, how does deception help? If a player wants to be on our PS over the others, he can be. If we want teams to think we are down on a player so they don’t sign him, as soon as we put him on the PS the deception is blown and they can sign him away.

    If we really want a guy on our PS and are afraid they will join another, just pay the man a little extra. What am I missing here?

  143. 143 AZ_Eaglesfan said at 9:50 PM on August 30th, 2013:

    Kruger went on IR thankfully, so he is ours to keep!

  144. 144 Arby1 said at 10:39 AM on August 31st, 2013:

    I would LOVE to take a snap from C Julie Dorenbos! I promise it wouldn’t be a long snap…