The Eagles had their first practice of Training Camp on Saturday and the possibilities for this season are endless. But before the Eagles start their journey on September 7th against the Jaguars, the 53 man roster will have to take shape. Over the next month or so, starting spots will be challenged, the depth chart will be altered, and the battles for the last few spots on the roster will be heated.
The four preseason games the Eagles have against the Bears, Patriots, Steelers, and Jets, will help Coach Chip Kelly and his staff whittle down the roster from 90 to 53. Without the benefit of assessing a month’s worth of practices or the four preseason games, I will attempt to guess the Eagles final roster because I am a stupid and foolish man. Here goes nothing.
Note: I have 55 players making the 53 man roster because of the suspensions to Lane Johnson and Jason Phillips which allow both guys to be on the roster but not active on game-days for the first four weeks of the year.
QB (3): Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley
Unlike last year, there is no question who will start week one at the most important position in football for the Eagles. It will be Nick Foles and that’s that. I believe that Mark Sanchez will roast his fellow USC alum, Matt Barkley, during Training Camp and earn the number two spot on the depth chart. The odds are pretty high that Nick Foles will miss a game or two this year and it will be up to the Sanchize to make sure the offense keeps humming. I’m not very comfortable with this scenario. Barkley will probably beat out G.J. Kinne for the third QB spot, but I honestly don’t think Barkley is better than Kinne.
In limited reps during last year’s preseason games, Kinne displayed a shockingly strong arm and great mobility. Kinne probably has the best arm and legs of any Eagles quarterback. Ultimately, the Eagles will stash Kinne on the practice squad and hope that he keeps improving his ball placement and his understanding of the subtle nuances that comes with the QB position.
RB (4): LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles, Chris Polk, Matthew Tucker
The running back group is the strongest position on the Eagles’ roster and is the simplest to project. Shady McCoy is making this roster unless he suddenly gets dementia and forgets that he’s a football player, Darren Sproles is making this roster unless he suddenly decides that he will spend his life searching for Andy Dufresne in Zihuatanejo, and Chris Polk is making this roster unless he suddenly gets kidnapped by a drug cartel and held for ransom.
Even then, these guys might still make up the Iggles backfield. Considering how heavily Chip leans on the ground game, I think carrying four running backs is a fairly safe assumption. If four backs are kept, I expect Tucker to be the fourth. The only real questions at this spot are how Darren Sproles will be utilized, how many touches he will get per game, and what happens if McCoy goes down (please God, don’t do it. Anything but that).
O-Line (9…kinda): Jason Peters, Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce, Todd Herremans, Lane Johnson*, Allen Barbre, Matt Tobin, Dennis Kelly, David Molk
Lane Johnson‘s four game suspension for taking PEDs makes predicting the offensive slightly more complex. While Johnson is out, the Eagles, in this scenario, will only have eight offensive lineman on the 53 man roster. After week four, Johnson can join the group and make it nine. Since the Eagles will be a little bit thin — is it possible to use the word thin when I am talking about a group that collectively weighs, like, a zillion pounds? — on the offensive line while last year’s fourth overall pick is out, I thought it was important to have very flexible backups.
Tobin and Kelly can both play any position on the offensive line besides center, which leaves Molk and Julian Vandervelde to fight to the death for the backup center spot. I think Molk wins that fight as Vandervelde has been the definition of “meh” since he’s been drafted.
TE (3): Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, James Casey
After running back, tight end is the easiest spot to predict. Brent Celek is not going anywhere. Zach Ertz is on the precibus of some big things. James Casey is a really good (albeit, overpaid) third string TE, who can block in-line, catch passes in traffic, and contribute on special teams. The thing to watch during training camp and throughout the regular season is how Ertz’s role evolves. Does he start taking snaps away from Celek? Does Chip Kelly place more faith in him as a blocker? Does he become the main target in the red zone? So on and so forth.
WR (6): Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper, Jordan Matthews, Josh Huff, Brad Smith, Jeff Maehl
Maclin, Cooper, Matthews and Huff are all locks to make the roster. Maclin and Cooper are expected to help carry the receiving core and Matthews and Huff are rookies who the Eagles have big plans for. Smith is a player who would shock me if he was cut. He can play in the slot or on the outside, return kicks, rack up tackles on special teams, and even come in and play quarterback when Chip Kelly wants to throw a fastball right at the opposing defensive coordinators’ head.
The sixth spot comes down to Jeff Maehl and Arrelious Benn. Benn is the better receiver of the two, but Maehl knows the ins and outs of the system (he’s an Oregon guy), works his tail off on special teams, and is a quintessential role player. Wide receiver is a spot on the roster where the guys on the back end will need to help out on special teams. I’m not sure if Benn can or will do that. Also, I keep thinking of the Chip-ism “the best ability is durability”. I’m not sure if the Eagles could rely on Benn to be there when they need him the most.
D-Line (7): Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan, Cedric Thornton, Vinny Curry, Beau Allen, Taylor Hart, Joe Kruger
Cox, Logan, and Thornton make up the nucleus of a young and promising defensive line. Behind them is a medley of more players, young and promising. Curry will be the situational pass rusher who flies off the ball on third and longs and then everyone starts talking about how he needs more snaps.
Beau Allen, at 333 pounds, will be the situational run-stopper who can provide the beef inside that Bennie Logan can’t. Hart, a steal in round five, should be able to rotate in with Cox and Cedric Thornton to ease their burden. Kruger is the wild card. The Eagles put Kruger on the PUP list last year, displaying their urge to develop him in their system. At just 22 years old, Kruger is an intriguing player going forward who the Eagles will look to reap the benefits of starting this year.
OLB (5): Connor Barwin, Trent Cole, Marcus Smith II, Bryan Braman, Travis Long
Yep, no Brandon Graham. Graham clearly belongs on a 4-3 defense and I think the Eagles will do right by him, releasing him and letting him find the right ecosystem for him to thrive in. But, the Eagles wouldn’t do right by a player if it didn’t help out their own interests too. Graham can’t drop back and cover in space, rendering the scheme more predictable and thus, less effective. Moreover, Graham is a non-factor on special teams. Chip Kelly is a special teams zealot and this must be eating away at him inside. Travis Long, a younger, cheaper, and more versatile player, takes Graham’s spot in this scenario.
ILB (5…kinda): DeMeco Ryans, Mychal Kendricks, Najee Goode, Jason Phillips*, Josh Kaddu
Ryans and Kendricks will man the midde for the Eagles defense for pretty much all of the snaps. Neither of them left the game very much and the Eagles didn’t take linebackers off of the field in sub packages too often in 2013. When the Eagles went to the nickel defense, Brandon Boykin came in and whoever was playing nose tackle came out. As a result of the lack of snaps the reserves get, special teams play becomes all the more imperative.
Goode is a special teams beast who showed last year in Green Bay that he can competently fill in at ILB in case of emergency. Just like Lane Johnson, Jason Phillips will be out for the first four games because he used PEDs. Come on Dez Bryant, all the cool kids are doing it!! Just try PEDs and then pee in this cup… you can do it!!! This will hurt Phillips chances to make the roster, but Kelly sought out Phillips in free agency a year ago for his work ethic and special teams play. I think that will earn him a roster spot this year.
Kaddu is a former Oregon Duck who played under Kelly and was drafted in round five by the Miami Dolphins just two years ago. While most consider him a long shot to make the roster, I think he will surprise some people. He has the size Kelly loves (6-3, 252 pounds) and was an all Pac-12 first teamer under Kelly’s watch. Also Kaddu has the versatility that Kelly covets in his backups. Kaddu can be the rush linebacker on the outside in a 3-4, he can man the middle, and he thrives on special teams.
CB (5): Cary Williams, Nolan Carroll, Brandon Boykin, Bradley Fletcher, Jaylen Watkins
Cornerback lacks the “fighting for your job” intensity that the front seven has. Every player listed above has their roster spot more or less etched in stone. My only unique take — and it’s not even very unique — on this position is that Carroll will overtake Fletcher and start opposite Williams on the outside by season’s end.
S (5): Malcolm Jenkins, Nate Allen, Earl Wolff, Chris Maragos, Ed Reynolds
Like cornerback, safety is a breeze to predict. Jenkins will start and be flanked by either Allen or Wolff. Whoever loses that battle will be the backup safety who comes in whenever one of the two starters gets hurt or needs a quick breather. Maragos is here to be a better version of Colt Anderson (R.I.P. Colt Anderson). Reynolds just got drafted this year at a position of relative weakness so the Eagles will give him a year to see what he’s got.
K (1): Alex Henery… unfortunately
In the epic battle of Henery v. Carey Spear for Eagles kicking duties, Henery appears to be mopping the floor with his competition. For better or worse, this is Henery’s job to lose. Hopefully the Eagles will answer my prayers and sign a veteran kicker off the street to challenge Henery like the Saints did last year with Shayne Graham. You know, Rob Bironas is out there. Just sayin’.
P (1): Donnie Jones da God
Donnie Jones should be the Eagles’ punter until his leg falls off. End of discussion.
LS (1): Jon Dorenbos
Jon Dorenbos should be the Eagles’ long snapper until his arms fall off. End of discussion.
Practice Squad (8): QB G.J. Kinne, RB Henry Josey, WR Ifeanyi Momah, TE Trey Burton, OG Donald Hawkins, DE Alejandro Villanueva, ILB Emmanuel Acho, DB Davon Morgan
I already detailed my thoughts on G.J. Kinne. Josey was a very good running back at Mizzou and is the kind of one-cut, downhill runner that Coach Kelly looks for. Momah is a player with a rare size and speed combination who is learning how to use his gifts. He is supposedly looking much better this year, so I think the Eagles will try to stash him here. Trey Burton is an offensive weapon who I think Chip will think highly of.
If there are two things Chip Kelly loves they are big people and the Armed Forces. Villanueva checks both of those boxes. Acho flashed in last year’s preseason and getting him on the practice squad would be a coup for the Eagles. Morgan made the 90-man roster in impressive fashion, wowing the coaches during a tryout. He can play safety or corner and that flexibility is what I think will land him here.
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