Final Roster Prediction

The Eagles have one of the best rosters in the league. There are Pro Bowl players all over the lineup. That said, there are some odd spots on this team. Howie Roseman will be making calls to see if he can find help for those spots.

Normally we have a really good feel for the top 50 or so guys. With the 2 IPP players and some injury situations, this is a confusing year. It will be interesting to see the decisions that Howie and the coaching staff make.

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QB – 3 – Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee, Cole Payton

The QB2 battle has been weird this summer. Whatever the Eagles plan was, it didn’t work. Neither McKee nor Dalton was good. I don’t think anyone is trading for either guy. If Howie can find a taker for Dalton, go ahead and put him in Canton. I don’t have a lot of confidence in what the team will do here since things were so weird this summer. Nothing will shock me, including a trade to add a QB.

RB – 3 – Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley

This is pretty obvious. Dameon Pierce showed some juice vs Cincy and could be PS material. Some may wonder if Carson Steele should also be included. I think Pierce is better, but Steele could have value as a practice player.

WR – 5 – DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon, Darius Cooper, Hollywood Brown

The first four feel set in stone. Brown has guaranteed money and that will help push him onto the roster. He’s also been playing better recently, which definitely helps. Elijah Moore has had a good summer and could earn a spot, but I’m guessing they think they can get him through to the PS. It is possible the team adds a receiver from another team (trade or waiver claim) if they think it is needed.

TE – 4 – Dallas Goedert, Johnny Mundt, Eli Stowers, Cam Latu

TE is the position most likely to see a change. The first question is about Stowers health. He’s dealing with a hamstring. Could that push him to IR for the start of the season? Latu make sense for the roster because he is a solid blocker and STer. He can play FB and TE. Howie is likely talking to other teams to see who is available. The Eagles would be okay if healthy, but an injury to DG would lead to issues. It is possible the Eagles add Zach Ertz after Week 1 (so his salary isn’t guaranteed). He reportrdly would like to return.

OL – 10 – Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Lane Johnson, Fred Johnson, Markel Bell, Drew Kendall, Willie Lampkin, Micah Morris

The starters are set. the backup who gave me pause is Fred Johnson. He hasn’t had a great summer and isn’t an ideal fit for the new scheme. Bell didn’t practice this week so I think you need Fred just in case. John Ojukwu, Jake Majors and Cam Williams showed promise and could all be PS material.

DL – 6 – Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, Byron Young, Ty Robinson, Uar Bernard

No surprises here. Robinson has played his way onto the roster. Bernard has shown enough progress that I think you want to keep him on the roster so he can practice and continue to develop. He won’t play this year, but practice reps will be crucial for him. Gabe Hall is roster-worthy, but gets caught in a numbers crunch.

ED – 6 – Jonathan Greenard, Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, AJ Epenesa, Arnold Ebiketie, Josh Weru

The only real question here is if Greenard has a setback that puts him on IR to start the season. I don’t anticipate that. Weru has shown enough that he deserves a roster spot. If you cut him I have no doubt that a bad team would snatch him right up. Epenesa had a strong summer and Ebiketie was solid. They could try to put Ebiketie on the PS, but that would be risky with how pass rushers are valued around the league.

LB – 5 – Zack Baun, Jihaad Campbell, Jeremiah Trotter Jr, Chance Campbell, Smael Mondon

I’m sure Howie will see if he can deal one of his LBs since this is such a deep position. Mondon and Campbell make the most sense. If they can deal one of them, Deontae Lawson could be added to the roster. Campbell played well in his two preseason games. You can see why Vic Fangio like him.

SAF – 4 – Drew Mukuba, Marcus Epps, Michael Carter, Kapena Gushiken

Remember when assessing this position that Cooper DeJean has to be factored in. He will be playing safety in the base defense. Epps has had a good summer and will start in the sub packages. Carter gives them depth at S and nickel. I went with Gush over Maximus Pulley because Gush is more versatile, more athletic and I feel like they have played about the same. It certainly wouldn’t shock me to see Pulley make the team over him. Both guys have flashed. I’m guessing rookie Cole Wisniewski goes on IR. He’s had a string of injuries this spring and summer. He’s currently dealing with a concussion. If he is healthy, they could go with him, but I feel like that is more of a long shot right now for durability reasons. It is possible an outside player could be added. Andre Sam’s injury takes away a veteran option.

CB – 5 – Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Riq Woolen, Mac McWilliams, Kelee Ringo

The big three are set. I think McWilliams has played well enough this summer to make the roster. He’s not been great, but has gotten better and has good potential. He’s also versatile, with the ability to play inside or outside. Ringo has played his way onto the roster with good showings in each of the past two games. The light finally went on for him. Give Fangio credit for believing in Ringo when many of us wanted him gone. Jonathan Jones could make it, but he seems more like a PS option at this point.

ST – 2 – Braden Mann, Jake Elliott

Rocco Underwood is the LS. The practice reports haven’t been glowing in regard to him. If the Eagles want to go heavy elsewhere, this is a spot where they can take a chance. Put him on the Ps to begin the season and then figure out if he’s your long term solution or you want to find another snapper.

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