Posted August 26th, 2026 | 1 Comment »The Eagles held an open practice at The Linc on Tuesday evening. Based on everything we heard, the defense won the session. There were some offensive highlights as well. Thankfully there were no major injuries (some of us will always associate Stewart Bradley with these practices).
There were some issues. Jordan Davis hurt his arm/wrist and sat out for a while. He did return to action. Lane Johnson left the field, but stood on the sideline afterward so that was a god sign. You don’t to lose Lane. Landon Dickerson sat out with this designated as a rest day for him.
Jeff McLane has an update on Eli Stowers and his hamstring injury.
Eli Stowers missed a second straight practice with a hamstring injury that he suffered in the second preseason game against the Patriots. The rookie tight end is expected to be out for about two weeks, from what I understand. If he’s healthy by the Wednesday before Week 1 of the regular season, he could be available for the season opener.
It doesn’t sound like he’s an IR candidate based on this timeline.
Markel Bell missed practice with leg/thumb issues. That meant Fred Johnson took over at RT when Lane went out. Jalyx Hunt ate his lunch and gave the offense fits. Moro Ojomo had multiple sacks and was disruptive.
Riq Woolen had 2 INTs, including this pick-six.
That is an impressive play from the new corner. He has good ball skills and should make his share of plays this season.
Jalen Hurts and the offense did have some good moments.
There is some good creativity in the passing game. You had Saquon scoring on the wheel route. And the Makai lining up in the backfield and confusing the defense. That left him wide open for his own TD. We’ve heard a lot about Lemon being a player that will move around and be used creatively. It was cool to see this in action.
Here was another interesting nugget.
I do like Sean Mannion’s creativity so far.
A couple of veteran receivers made plays.
DeVonta Smith had a good overall showing and made his presence felt. The passing game is much better when he’s on the field. Smitty is a difference-maker. He is poised to have a monster year.
The offense was a mixed bag. There were plenty of mistakes made by a variety of players. Hurts threw the INTs. There were some dropped passes. The blocking was erratic with Lane out. We know the offense is going to have ups and downs as they get used to the new system and there are new players learning to play together. I’m more encouraged by what went right than discouraged by what went wrong. Mistakes can be fixed. It is good for the players to get a taste of success and to see what things look like when they do execute properly. We also have to remember that the offense is going up against one of the best defenses in the league. That isn’t an easy group to learn against.
Makai Lemon got some reps as the punt returner and could take on that role. It doesn’t feel like Elijah Moore will make the roster. Britain Covey will likely start the season on the PS. It would be great if Lemon could handle that role.
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Posted August 25th, 2026 | Comments Off on Updated Roster ProjectionWith most of Training Camp and two preseason games in the books, let’s do an updated roster projection. Friday’s preseason finale might affect a spot or two, but most of the roster should be somewhat settled. Injuries are the potential X-factor. Hopefully everyone will come out of the game in pretty good shape.
The other X-factor is trades. I can see the Eagles trying to upgrade TE depth. Howie Roseman will make any deal he thinks improves the roster and makes good sense. You could argue that the Eagles should consider trading for a backup QB based on erratic summers by Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee. I’m sure Howie will also try to add draft picks if he can trade away depth pieces. You might be able to deal Gabe Hall or Jake Majors or a LB for a late round pick. Nothing great, but every pick can help. Howie could also value keeping the depth pieces on the PS. You never know when you’ll need help.
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QB – 3 – Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee, Cole Payton
Hurts and Payton are locks. The QB2 battle has been weird this summer. I think McKee should win, but the Eagles have gone out of their way to give Andy Dalton every chance possible. That makes me wonder if they have doubts on McKee or have a preference for Dalton for some reason. From the outside, it feels like McKee has done enough in the past and this year to be QB2. The team seems to feel a bit differently. We’ll see how that plays out.
RB – 3 – Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley
This is pretty obvious. Some may wonder if Carson Steele should also be included. I have him on the PS. You just don’t need 4 RBs when you feed the ball to a workhorse like Saquon.
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. Jimmy Bama mentioned Davis Allen of the Rams as a target. Could the Eagles take a chance on EJ Jenkins?
I think Jenkins is better than many give him credit for, but I don’t know if he’s good enough to be a key role player on a Super Bowl contender. It will be interesting to see how Howie handles this position.
OL – 10 – Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Lane Johnson, John Ojukwu, Markel Bell, Drew Kendall, Willie Lampkin, Micah Morris
9 of the 10 names here won’t be a surprise. The curve ball is me going with John Ojukwu over Fred Johnson. I re-watched Johnson vs NE and Ojukwu vs BAL. I think Ojukwu is the better fit for the new scheme. Watch the get-off on the second play in Fran’s video.
That is what you want on the backside of run plays in this scheme. Ojukwu has played G and T. He’s played left and right side. At the least he’ll be on the PS. They could keep Fred because they know him so well, but he’s not had a great summer and doesn’t feel like a lock to me. The health of Bell and Ojukwu will factor into this. Both are dealing with minor injuries. They will keep Fred around if there is any worry of the injuries affecting availability for Week 1.
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, but injuries can take weird turns if something happens. 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.
LB – 5 – Zack Baun, Jihaad Campbell, Jeremiah Trotter Jr, Chance Campbell, Smael Mondon
I’m sur 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 was good vs NE and I could see a team needing a LB to have interest in 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 S 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.
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. I gave up on Ringo, but Fangio didn’t and Kelee had a good showing last week. If he can build on that, he deserves to make the roster. I’m very happy to be wrong on him.
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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PRACTICE SQUAD
RB Carson Steele
WR Elijah Moore
WR Britain Covey
WR Danny Gray
TE E.J. Jenkins
OL Cam Williams
OL Jake Majors
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DL Zion Wilson
DL Gabe Hall
ED Keyshawn James-Newby
LB Deontae Lawson
SAF Andre Sam
SAF Maximus Pulley
CB Jakorian Bennett
CB Jonathan Jones
LS Rocco Underwood
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