Eagles training camp preview: 53-man roster prediction

Philadelphia Eagles training camp is almost upon us!

Players will report to the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday, July 23 ahead of the team’s first practice on Wednesday, July 24.

While we still have some time to kill, let’s run through everyone’s favorite summer activity: a 53-player roster prediction. The objective here is to get an early look at how the Eagles’ initial depth chart could play out. We’ll certainly update these projections throughout the summer to reflect meaningful developments from practices and preseason games.

OFFENSE

QB: Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett, Tanner McKee (3) [3]

Hurts didn’t look super comfortable during spring practices in an offense he described as “95%” new. His progress adjusting to Kellen Moore’s vision bears monitoring. In theory, Pickett and McKee will be battling it out to be QB2. But until McKee actually takes some second-team reps, it’s hard to believe Pickett doesn’t already have the job locked up. Will Grier appears to be a camp arm who will eat up some preseason snaps. Perhaps his relationship with Moore will land him a spot on the practice squad? Or perhaps even the coaching staff?

RB: Saquon Barkley, Kenny Gainwell, Will Shipley (3) [6]

After a quiet spring, it’d be nice to see Barkley have some flashes in camp. It’ll be interesting to see how many targets he gets; will he truly be a factor in the passing attack? Gainwell shouldn’t merely be a lock to be the second running back but the coaching staff seems to love him a lot so, he might be. Shipley was active as a pass-catcher in spring practices; will that continue in camp? The Eagles probably don’t need to keep a fourth running back on the roster. If anyone could make the case for that RB4 spot, though, it might be Kendall Milton. Keep in mind the Eagles typically keep at least one undrafted rookie free agent on their roster. To that point, they’ve had one UDFA on the Week 1 roster every season since at least 2013 … with the rare exception of 2020, when the pandemic was a major factor working against undrafted players.

WR: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Parris Campbell, Britain Covey, Johnny Wilson, Ainias Smith (6) [12]

We do know that A.J. and DeVonta are awesome players. We don’t know if there are any quality depth options behind them. Based on him taking first-team reps in the spring, Campbell will get the first crack at the WR3 job. Hurts seemed to have some level of trust in him. Covey is arguably the best punt returner in the NFL and he’s no small part why the Eagles had the top-ranked special teams unit last year. It remains to be seen if he can actually contribute on offense. As a tall receiver, Wilson is primed to be a training camp darling. Smith didn’t have a great spring but he wasn’t 100% healthy. If John Ross can stay healthy, which is a big if, he could very well push for a roster spot. If no one seizes the WR3 job, Howie Roseman could look to make a trade. Perhaps a reverse Ronald Darby situation from 2017 where the Eagles deal a cornerback and a draft pick for a wide receiver this time.

TE: Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, C.J. Uzomah (3) [15]

I can’t help but feel like Goedert is a better player than last year’s numbers would indicate. I think he’ll get back to being a more efficient target after logging a career-low 10.0 yards per reception in 2023. The TE2 and TE3 jobs appear to be up for grabs. Calcaterra earned praise from the coaching staff and saw some first-team work in the spring. He offers more pass-catching ability while Uzomah is more of a blocker in the Jack Stoll mold. E.J. Jenkins made some flashy catches in the spring; it’ll be interesting to see if he can continue to stand out.

OL: Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Lane Johnson, Mekhi Becton, Matt Hennessy, Fred Johnson, Trevor Keegan, Dylan McMahon (10) [25]

The thinking here is that the Eagles will give Steen every chance to prove he should be the starting job. If he falters, though, it might not take long for them to plug Becton between Jurgens and Johnson. If he’s not starting, Becton could be the top backup at every non-center position. Hennessy could be the designated in-game replacement for Jurgens in addition to providing extra guard depth. The Eagles signed Johnson to an extension last summer; they might value him as a fourth tackle option. Keegan and McMahon could be bigger factors in the future than they will be as rookies. Max Scharping could have a chance to make the team as a backup with experience at both guard spots. Anim Dankwah’s potential is intriguing but he’s probably not close to being ready to play as a rookie.

DEFENSE

EDGE: Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, Brandon Graham, Jalyx Hunt (5) [30]

There’s reason to be excited about Huff’s potential as a full-time player but he’s not yet a proven commodity in that regard. Sweat took a pay cut to remain on the team ahead of a contract year; one would think he’ll be motivated to prove he’s better than his relatively invisible second half in 2023. The Eagles’ pass rush being really effective or not could hinge on whether Smith makes a leap in Year 2. Graham figures to be a quality role player in his final NFL season. It’s hard to believe Hunt will see the field on defense but he could be a contributor on special teams.

DT: Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, Moro Ojomo (5) [35]

I think Carter is actually underrated. I don’t think anybody seriously doubts he’s going to be really good. But realistic expectations should be even higher than that. This is a dude who was on an Aaron Donald-like trajectory for a good portion of last season before the entire defense fell apart. At his best, Davis has shown that he’s capable of making an impact … we just need to see more consistency. This season is a make-or-break opportunity for him with Fletcher Cox gone. Williams made more of an impact last season than the stat sheet indicates (he logged just half of a sack) and I expect the numbers to catch up this year. Mr. T has the makings of an acceptable DT4/DT5. Ojomo has the potential to make a leap as a quality rotational defensive tackle. The Eagles might want to keep six players here; they’ve commonly used a six-man DT rotation in previous season. Of course, that was before Vic Fangio arrived. The Eagles’ defensive coordinator wasn’t so inclined to rotate his defensive linemen last year on the Miami Dolphins. P.J. Mustipher (who projects as a backup nose tackle) and UDFA Gabe Hall are fighting to stick on the roster.

LB: Devin White, Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean, Oren Burks, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (5) [40]

White seems like a sure bet to start for the Eagles, which feels a little weird since he finished the 2023 season by getting benched in a playoff game. But he looked good in spring practices and unencumbered by nagging injury issues that plagued him last year. Fangio seems to like Baun more than anyone expected him to. If Dean turns in a single standout training camp practice, it’ll be the first of his career. Burks feels like someone the Eagles might be able to re-sign after Week 1, when his salary wouldn’t be guaranteed as a vested vet. But the Eagles might value his game experience and special teams ability too much to get cute and risk losing him. A young guy like Ben VanSumeren or Brandon Smith could make Burks expendable if they can step up. Trot Jr. will likely have to cut his teeth on special teams before he gets a shot to play on defense.

CB: Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers, Avonte Maddox, Kelee Ringo, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Josh Jobe (7) [47]

Slay is locked in as a starter. After that? There’s a fierce competition going on here. I’m buying what I saw from Rodgers in spring practices; the way he moved in coverage and broke on the ball was just different, in a good way. I also don’t think Fangio will mind leaning on a veteran as opposed to untested young guys. That being said, Ringo looks like he’s ready to make a strong push to start. Mitchell figures to have a role even if he’s not starting on the outside; the Eagles were utilizing him in dime packages. For now, we’ll say Maddox starts in the slot in addition to providing depth at safety. But it would hardly be a shock if DeJean usurps him sooner than later. Jobe’s defensive potential is probably worse than Eli Ricks’ ability in that regard … but he’s the superior special teams player, which is more relevant down the depth chart. Besides, Ricks could be a trade candidate when it comes to trying to add more depth at another position (such as receiver). James Bradberry is also a candidate to be traded if the Eagles can find a taker offering anything remotely of value. Call me naive but I do think there’s a deal to be made since there has to be a team out there that doesn’t love their CB situation and could use a low-risk flier on someone who’s 1) had high-level success in the past and 2) who’s had a history of bouncing back after down seasons. Of course, the NFL could decide to wait it out and hope the Eagles merely cut Bradberry. Tyler Hall is a dark horse candidate to stick around, especially if there are injuries at nickel. He could be a nice depth option to keep on the practice squad since he has some NFL experience.

S: Reed Blankenship, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Sydney Brown (3) [50]

The consensus is too low on Blankenship, who is going to make big plays this year. Count on it. It’ll be interesting to see CJGJ in his first training camp with the Eagles (he joined the team after camp in 2022). Over/under on fights he’s involved in: 1.5. Brown is reportedly beginning camp on the active/PUP list but there seems to be an expectation he’ll avoid going on reserve/PUP and automatically missing the first four games. The Eagles are clearly thin at safety but Maddox is also a factor here. And they could still look to sign a veteran, should they need to go that route. Perhaps Mekhi Garner is being slept on here.

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Jake Elliott (1) [51]

This will be Elliott’s eighth season as the Eagles’ kicker. There aren’t many kickers you’d rather have.

P: Braden Mann (1) [52]

Mann is a quality punter. This will be his first full offseason working with Elliott and Lovato, so, the extra reps should only help their collective timing and coordination.

LS: Rick Lovato (1) [53]

The Eagles’ long snapper is in a contract year. Best for him to avoid any mistakes.

PRACTICE SQUAD

RB Kendall Milton, WR Jacob Harris, WR John Ross, TE E.J. Jenkins, OT Anim Dankwah, OG Gottlieb Ayedze, EDGE Julian Okwara, EDGE Patrick Johnson, DT Gabe Hall, DT PJ Mustipher, LB Ben VanSumeren, LB Brandon Smith, CB Tyler Hall, DB Mekhi Garner, S Tristin McCollum, S Andre’ Sam

International exemption: OT Laekin Vakalahi