The 53

I just got off the phone with Howie Roseman. He told me this is it. The Eagles roster is set and there won’t be any changes this year. I asked him about always being on the lookout for ways to improve. He said he just makes roster changes so Jimmy Bama will have something to write about between cartoons. Who knew?

Here are the 53:

QB – 3 – Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett, Tanner McKee

RB – 3 – Saquon Barkley, Kenny Gainwell, Will Shipley

WR – 5 – AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Britain Covey, Johnny Wilson

TE – 2 – Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra

OL – 9 – Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Mekhi Becton, Lane Johnson, Fred Johnson, Trevor Keegan, Tyler Steen, Darian Kinnard

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DL – 6 – Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, Moro Ojomo, Thomas Booker

Edge – 6 – Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff, Brandon Graham, Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, Patrick Johnson

LB – 5 – Devin White, Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean, Jeremiah Trotter Jr, Ben VanSumeren

SAF – 5 – CJ Gardner-Johnson, Reed Blankenship, Avonte Maddox, James Bradberry, Tristin McCollum

CB – 6 – Darius Slay, Quinyon Mitchell, Kelee Ringo, Isaiah Rodgers, Cooper DeJean, Eli Ricks

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ST – 3 – Rick Lovato, Braden Mann, Jake Elliott

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Let’s talk about this. That is 22 offensive players and 28 on defense. That kind of imbalance is rare and I’m guessing it won’t last. The expanded practice squad does changes things a bit. It still feels like the Eagles will add a TE and possibly OL. They would let go of a DB and probably an Edge.

Keeping James Bradberry seems like a sign that the Eagles are hoping some team will trade for him. This would be low compensation, but the Eagles would hope someone will take on a bit of his salary. I would give it a day and then move on. The Eagles might keep him around, figuring it can’t hurt. We’ll see.

I’m also not sure about keeping Patrick Johnson. He played well this summer, but the #6 edge rusher isn’t likely to play a lot. This is his fourth year in the league. Will he become more than a STer?

The Eagles are light at TE. There were a few that were cut today (including Jack Stoll) who could be of interest. We’ll see what happens there. EJ Jenkins was one of the cuts. He showed flashes this year and has potential, but still feels like a bit of a project.

Albert O is going on IR. Someone in the front office really likes Albert. Maybe he tells great stories and is fun to eat lunch with. Maybe he knows all the state capitals. Whatever it is, we don’t get it. He’s played in 30 games. He’s got 54 catches and 4 TDs. Albert has talent. We just haven’t seen it in Philly. The Eagles want to keep him around and see what happens when he’s healthy.

Rookie OL Dylan McMahon got cut, as did Brett Toth. That means there isn’t a true backup center on the roster. I would expect both players to be added to the practice squad. Landon Dickerson can play center and the Eagles could put Trevor Keegan or Tyler Steen at OG if needed. McMahon showed good potential this summer. He just needs more work. Toth, who is about to turn 28, has 2 career starts. He’s versatile, but not really good at any one spot. He is the kind of guy you want on the PS.

I’m glad Darian Kinnard made the roster. He’s big and has pretty good feet. He showed potential. More work this year will help him to keep improving. He is the kind of young guy you want to take a chance on. He might not pan out, but his size and strength make him intriguing.

Thomas Booker played his way onto the roster. He was an athletic guy coming out of Stanford. He’s still athletic, but has added strength and the ability to play the run. He is a good example of a player who has developed over time. Nick Sirianni made sure to praise Booker for the work he put in last year while on the PS.

Tristin McCollum had a good summer, in practice and games. He’s fast and physical. He is aggressive, which serves him well on D and STs. McCollum needs to work on coverage skills, but played well enough to deserve a roster spot.

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Howie Roseman did say in the PC that the PS will be a big part of the roster. Now that you can have veterans on the PS and bring them up for games it gives you more roster flexibility than ever.

Expect to see announcements on the PS in the next day or two.

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No UDFAs made the roster. Howie said they knew this would be a unique year for that. That was a polite way of saying the overall draft class was weak and the UDFA class wasn’t good.

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There were some interesting WRs cut today. The Eagles might want to add another receiver. Covey and Wilson are interesting role players, but there is a case for adding someone who is more of a pure receiver. We’ll see what happens. If they can add Parris Campbell to the PS, that might be enough to make them feel comfortable.

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