The First 53

Tuesday was cutdown day around the NFL. Teams had to get their rosters down to 53 players by 4pm. Now that we know who’s staying and going, let’s analyze the Eagles initial 53-man roster.

QB – 3 – Hurts, McKee, Howell

Hurts and McKee were locks. The Eagles traded for Howell so they’d have another experienced QB. Howie Roseman said in his PC today that the trade had nothing to do with McKee’s injury. He said the Eagles liked Howell going back to draft prep and were happy to get him.

RB – 4 – Barkley, Shipley, Dillon, VanSumeren

No surprises here. I know some questioned Dillon making it, but I thought he had a strong summer and is a great fit for the team. At his best, he could fill the Jordan Howard role from 2021.

WR – 5 – Brown, Smith, Dotson, Metchie, Cooper

It is possible some doubted Cooper would make it, but he absolutely played his way onto the roster. Cooper was good in practices and games. The Eagles waived Ainias Smith because he just hadn’t done enough to make the team. They could bring him back on the practice squad since they were very high on him prior to the 2024 draft. There isn’t an obvious punt returner on the roster right now so the Eagles could make a move here. Britain Covey was cut by the Rams on Tuesday and could make some sense.

TE – 3- Goedert, Calcaterra, Granson

The only real question is whether EJ Jenkins would make the roster. He had some good moments this summer, but not enough to convince the Eagles to keep four TEs. Jenkins makes sense as a PS candidate.

OL – 11 – Mailata, Dickerson, Jurgens, Steen, L Johnson, F Johnson, Pryor, Kendall, Toth, Keegan, C Williams

Surprise, surprise. We knew the five starters were set. We knew Fred Johnson, Pryor and Kendall would make it. We assumed Myles Hinton would, but he was put on short term IR. The Eagles kept Brett Toth, which many thought they would. The real surprises were Trevor Keegan and Cameron Williams making it. Keegan was a fifth round pick in 2024. He really struggled this summer, playing guard and center. I thought he was at his best in the preseason finale. Williams impressed me at times in the games. He’s raw and needs a ton of work, but you could see potential. Howie said in his PC that the team kept them thinking about what they could be in a year. Neither player is ready to play now, but a year of practice and training can make a world of difference.

ED – 5 – Smith, Hunt, Uche, Ojulari, Okoronkwo

The only question with the edge rushers was whether the team would go with Okoronkwo or Patrick Johnson. Johnson was the better player this summer. But Okoronkwo has 17 career sacks, while Johnson has none. He’s not played much on defense. Howie did speak highly of Johnson and it sure sounds like they want him back on the practice squad.

DL – 6 – Carter, Davis, Ojomo, Hall, Robinson, Young

No surprises here. The Eagles kept the six guys everyone expected.

LB – 4 – Baun, Trotter, Campbell, Mondon

No surprises here. The Eagles kept the four guys everyone expected. Nakobe Dean posted on social media that he’ll be back in Week 5. That will give the Eagles a great set of LBs.

S – 4 – Blankenship, Brown, Mukuba, McCollum

Some people hoped Andre Sam might beat out McCollum. The coaches spoke highly of McCollum so keeping him didn’t surprise me. This is his third season with the Eagles. Sam would make sense for the PS. He did flash at times this summer.

CB – 6 – Mitchell, Bennett, DeJean, Jackson, Ringo, McWilliams

I wondered if the Eagles might throw us a curve ball and cut Adoree Jackson, thinking they could put him on the PS. They didn’t try to get cute and kept their top six corners.

ST – 2 – Mann, Elliott

Another surprise area. LS Charley Hughlett was cut. He will be added to the PS and promoted for the first few weeks. Then the Eagles will need to make a decision on him.

Howie stressed that the Eagles are not done yet.

Howie Roseman: “I would say this: We’re not done here. … We’ll see what happens in the next 24 hours. We got a lot of picks here, and we’re happy to use those picks in the draft, but I think for us, the early part of the season, September, we gotta see what we have. If we need…

— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) August 26, 2025

This is the initial 53-man roster, but there will be a lot of changes throughout the season. Howie is always searching for ways to get better, whether a big move or a small one. You never know what move can make the difference in a key moment in the season.

*****

Here are some players that were cut today who are interesting.

WR Britain Covey – He knows the offense and was a good PR back in 2023.

RB Damien Martinez – Late round pick back in April. Impressed me at the Senior Bowl.

CB JuJu Brents – Big, long CB. 2nd round pick in 2023. Eagles had him in for a pre-draft visit.

CB Damarri Mathis – Big corner from Denver. Played for DB coach Christian Parker.

S Marcus Epps – Former Eagles DB. Would offer good depth at safety.

I’m sure there are plenty more guys I missed. These are just three that stuck in my head.

Roster Update

Tuesday will be a busy day around the NFL, with teams making cuts to get rosters down to 53 players. The Eagles started making some of their cuts on Monday. So far there aren’t any surprises.

QB Kyle McCord
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson
RB Montrell Johnson
RB Keiland Robinson
RB ShunDerrick Powell
WR Terrace Marshall
WR Elijah Cooks
TE Tanner Muse
TE EJ Jenkins
OL Kenyon Green
ED Ochaun Mathis
S Maxen Hook
S Andre Sam
S Lewis Cine
CB Eli Ricks
CB AJ Woods

I had McCord pegged to make the roster before the trade for Sam Howell. He was an obvious cut after that. Some thought Andre Sam might make the roster. I wasn’t one of those people. The coaches spoke highly of Tristin McCollum so I had him projected over Sam.

I think these guys have a shot at the practice squad.

QB Kyle McCord
RB Montrell Johnson
RB Keiland Robinson
WR Elijah Cooks
TE EJ Jenkins
OL Kenyon Green
S Maxen Hook
S Andre Sam

McCord needs to be developed. The Eagles liked him enough to draft him so I’m assuming they’ll want to keep him around. Johnson has potential. He’s got to work at making decisive cuts on the move, especially at the second level. Cooks is a big WR who really flashed in camp. Green has struggled for most of the summer, and his career. The key will be if Jeff Stoutland thinks Green is fixable. Sam has earned a PS spot. I like Hook and think he could be worth developing. We’ll see.

Let’s take a look at my projection for the rest of the roster.

QB – 3 – Hurts, McKee, Howell

RB – 4 – Barkley, Shipley, Dillon, VanSumeren

WR – 5 – Brown, Smith, Dotson, Metchie, Cooper

TE – 3- Goedert, Calcaterra, Granson

OL – 10 – Mailata, Dickerson, Jurgens, Steen, L Johnson, F Johnson, Pryor, Kendall, Hinton, Toth

ED – 5 – Smith, Hunt, Uche, Ojulari, Okoronkwo

DL – 6 – Carter, Davis, Ojomo, Hall, Robinson, Young

LB – 4 – Baun, Trotter, Campbell, Mondon

S – 4 – Blankenship, Brown, Mukuba, McCollum

CB – 6 – Mitchell, Bennett, DeJean, Jackson, Ringo, McWilliams

ST – 3 – Hughlett, Mann, Elliott

There weren’t too many tough choices here. I am not a huge fan of keeping Toth, but he was the #1 LG for a lot of the summer. There isn’t another OL that I’m scared to lose. Trevor Keegan and Cameron Williams make sense for the practice squad.

I hated cutting Patrick Johnson. It wouldn’t shock me if he stayed and they went light elsewhere. He could be a good STer.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that Howie Roseman is looking for the best 53 players. He will be checking cuts by other teams. He will be making calls to see who might be available via trade. The Eagles front office will be very busy for the next 48 or so hours. Always be looking. You never know when you’ll find someone who can help you, either now or down the road.

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