Everyone does these roster projections for teams as training camp starts. I figured I would give it a shot as well. Most of the 53 man roster is set. 45-48 guys are probably locked in. It is really only the backups who are fighting for spots. Below I will list my take on this seasons roster and who will start, be a reserve and be inactive come week 1 against Washington:
Starter Backup Inactive
Quarterback:
Carson Wentz, Nick Foles
- Carson Wentz is the unquestioned starter and the face of the franchise. The Eagles will go as he goes. He has better weapons on offense this year and a full offseason as the guy. A step forward is expected. Nick Foles is back after being traded two years ago to the Rams. He really struggled with the Rams and was released and signed with the Chiefs last year. He played pretty well in two starts last year, and should be a solid guy to step in if Wentz were to get hurt. They only kept two QB’s last year and I expect the same again this year.
Running Back:
LeGarrette Blount, Darren Sproles, Donnell Pumphrey, Wendell Smallwood
- The Eagles will use a running back by committee approach with LeGarrette Blount, was signed to a one year deal in the offseason getting the bulk of the carries. He is coming off his best season as a pro as he rushed for 1,161 yards and 18 touchdowns last year and won a Superbowl with the Patriots. He should get most of the carries this year, especially on short yardage and goal line situations. Darren Sproles is back for what could be his last year. He is more of a pass catcher at running back and has always been a tough matchup for anyone on defense. He will probably be used in the same way again this year, with an occasional carry. He will also be the primary punt returner again, as he is one of the best in the league at that still. Donnell Pumphrey is the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher and a rookie this year. He was taken in the 4th round, but fell that far because he is really small. I expect him to be used as more of a pass catcher as well, like Sproles. Wendell Smallwood looked to be the starter before they signed Blount. He may not see much time as long as Blount is healthy and effective. If Blount does get hurt, then Smallwood’s playing time should go up as he is bigger than Sproles or Pumphrey and can handle running between the tackles. He will also most likely be the primary kick returner. He took one to the house last year, so I would expect him to be that guy again this year. All four should be active on game day because of the ability to play special teams.
Wide Receivers:
Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins
- Alshon Jeffery was the big free agent signing. He gives Wentz that number one receiver he so desperately missed last year. He should put up big numbers as long as he stays healthy. Torrey Smith was another free agent signing, but he really struggled his last two years in San Francisco after putting up good numbers for the Ravens early in his career. The Eagles hope he can bounce back to his Baltimore days. He should help stretch the field because of his elite speed. Jordan Matthews should be back in his familiar role as the slot receiver. He has been their most consistent the last two years and should provide stability for Wentz over the middle. Nelson Agholor is back because his contract situation makes it hard for the Eagles to get rid of him. With less pressure and less snaps, he will hopefully get his mind right and provide the Eagles what they hoped he would be after making him a first round pick. Mack Hollins is a rookie who may not see much time on offense due to everyone ahead of him, but he should be active due to his ability to play special teams. I think they only keep five guys because of the running backs and tight ends who will line up at receiver.
Tight Ends:
Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Trey Burton
- This is by far the easiest position group to project. Zach Ertz has the potential to be a top five tight end in the league, but hasn’t quite put together a full season. If he can stay healthy through camp, I expect him to start much better, and finally have the breakout year everyone has been waiting for. Brent Celek has been in Philadelphia his whole career and is a fan favorite. However, his game at this point of his career is more of a blocking tight end than pass catching one. He probably won’t catch many balls, but he still provides value with the blocking and leadership. Trey Burton was used more on offense last year and he proved he could play. He may be limited more this year because of the players the Eagles added, and he also plays a valuable role on special teams.
Offensive Line:
Jason Peters, Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Stefen Wisniewski, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Chance Warmack, Dillon Gordon, Tyler Orlosky
- This has a chance to be one of the best lines in football if all stay healthy and/or don’t get suspended. Four of the five linemen are locked in. The only real starting spot up for grabs is at left guard. I’m giving the advantage to second year man Seumalo. Wisniewski can play guard or center and should be the first player in the game if either guard or center gets injured. Vaitai played a lot last year due to Lane Johnson’s suspension and played better as the year went on. The Eagles like him and should one of the tackles get hurt, he would enter the game. The experience last year should help him. Warmack is mostly a guard, but can play some tackle. He still has the potential to be a very good starter in this league. He was a top 10 pick for a guard. You don’t see that often. Let’s see if getting back with his old offensive line coach from Alabama helps. Dillon Gordon made the roster last year as an undrafted free agent. The Eagles saw something that they liked, so I can see him making the team again. He was even practicing some at fullback in OTA’s. He was a tight end in college, so maybe they can find a small role for him at some point. Tyler Orlosky was the highest rated undrafted center according to Pro Football Focus. He chose the Eagles because of uncertainty with Kelce and the center position. I can see the Eagles not wanting to give him up, so he could make the team and be inactive all year.
Defensive Line:
Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan, Vinny Curry, Derek Barnett, Chris Long, Destiny Vaeao, Beau Allen, Steven Means, Elijah Qualls
- The strength of this Eagles team is the line. They need to be good and wreak havoc of opposing QB’s to make up for the lack of cornerback play. Graham had a breakout year last year and should continue to improve and is locked in at one of the end spots. Cox is the $100 million man and is arguably the best player on the team. If he continues to play hard and do what he is being paid to do, this defense could be very good. Adding Jernigan in the offseason was a great move. He is a great pass rusher from the interior and with Cox getting potentially double teamed a lot; he could be in for a huge year. I’m going with Curry to start because I think they might want to ease in Barnett. DC Jim Schwartz loves to rotate the line so Barnett and Long will see the field plenty of times. The backup tackle spot is a concern because there isn’t much behind the two starters. Vaeao made the team last year and played, so he should again carve out a small role. Beau Allen injured his pectoral in the offseason, but I’m going to assume he is healthy and ready to go by opening day. If he isn’t he could start the season on short term IR and come back later in the year. Means was another guy who made the team last year and has some nice moves and can also play a little bit of special teams. Qualls is a sixth round rookie who will probably make the team, but could be inactive all year.
Linebackers:
Jordan Hicks, Nigel Bradham, Mychal Kendricks, Najee Goode, Joe Walker, Nathan Gerry
- Since most teams run three receivers now, we are going with only two starters since you would put a nickel corner in that spot. Jordan Hicks is one of the most underrated linebackers in all of football. He quietly put up pro bowl numbers last year. He broke his hand in the offseason and will be limited to start camp, but he should be fine come week 1. The Eagles can ill afford to lose him as the depth behind him isn’t great. Nigel Bradham had a tremendous year for the Eagles last year. He came over from Buffalo where he played under Jim Schwartz. The only issues with him last year were off the field. He has stayed trouble free this year and as long as he doesn’t get suspended from those issues last year, should be on the field plenty and make an impact. Mychal Kendricks was in the middle of every trade scenario. He has the skill set to play in the NFL, but he seems to need a change of scenery. Schwartz doesn’t seem to use him well and since Bradham and Hicks are better and only two linebackers play most of the time, he doesn’t play very often. Najee Goode is an excellent special team’s player who will make the team due to that ability. The team is comfortable with him as a spot guy to come in in case of injury. Joe Walker is recovering from an ACL tear last year and was going to make the team as a 7th round rookie if that hadn’t happened. As long as he recovers well, he will provide some depth and youth to the position. He needs to contribute to special teams as well. Nathan Gerry was a fifth round draft pick out of Nebraska. He is converting from safety in college to linebacker in the NFL. He’s small for a linebacker, but if he can learn to play the run and tackle better, he could be a solid player. The coverage skills are there because he played safety. He could be inactive on game days if the team doesn’t feel he is ready. He also needs to be able to play special teams.
Cornerbacks:
Jalen Mills, Patrick Robinson, Ron Brooks, Rasul Douglas, Aaron Grymes, CJ Smith
- This group doesn’t inspire much confidence. The one position the Eagles will look for outside help via trade or guys’ getting released is at cornerback. In fact, I almost expect them to make some sort of move to help improve this position. For now, we will go with the guys they got. Jalen Mills is probably the only lock to start at one of the outside spots. He didn’t have the best year, but for a 7th round pick last year, it wasn’t bad. He certainly has the confidence, but he isn’t the fastest guy. He should improve this year, however, since he knows what to expect. Patrick Robinson is a former first round pick of the Saints who has bounced around the league and has been injured. He has failed to live up to that status of being a high pick. He has the most experience of this group though. Doug Pederson recently said that Ron Brooks was the starting nickel corner. I’ll take him at his word and put him there. He is recovering from an injury and needs to prove he is healthy. He took a pay cut in the offseason to stick around. Rookie Rasul Douglas doesn’t have much competition ahead of him, but they may try and ease him into action if they can. He has the ideal size to play on the outside and should see some action. Aaron Grymes would have possibly made the team last year if he didn’t get hurt. He has looked good in the spring and if he can continue that in training camp, he has a good chance of making the team. CJ Smith was undrafted last year and hung around on the practice squad all year, until a late season call up. With the lack of cornerback depth, I have him making the team.
Safeties:
Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Chris Maragos, Terrance Brooks
- The Eagles have one of the best safety duos in the league with Jenkins and McLeod. Jenkins is the leader of the defense and one of the best safeties in the league. He came into the league as a cornerback and will jump up and play the nickel when needed. He is one of a handful of players this team can ill afford to lose. McLeod started off strong last year with a couple of picks, but struggled some as the year went on. He needs to continue to play with confidence and not be afraid to hit people. That’s what made him who he is and made the Eagles sign him in free agency last year. Chris Maragos won’t play much on defense, but he is one of the best special team’s players in the league (if not the best). That is where he makes his mark, and you almost always notice him making a tackle during a punt or kick return. Terrance Brooks came over last year later in the year and actually intercepted a pass against the Giants to seal the victory. He will basically be the third safety since Maragos won’t be playing much on defense. Last year the third safety played about 35% of the snaps on defense because Jenkins had to cover the slot and be a corner. So, he could be an important player that the Eagles need.
Specialists:
Caleb Sturgis (K), Donnie Jones (P), Jon Dorenbos (LS)
- This is also an easy position to pick. First, of all Sturgis has no competition in camp and is the only kicker. He is coming off his best season as a pro, so if he can match last year and improve from longer range the Eagles will be fine. Donnie Jones (MVP) is a solid, steady vet who is still one of the better punters in the league. The Eagles did bring in a punter in training camp, but there is no way Jones isn’t the punter come opening day. Jon Dorenbos, the famous magician is back for another season. He is as steady as they come. You never see him have a bad snap. When he broke his wrist last year, you really saw what the Eagles were missing without him.
IR:
Sidney Jones (CB), Shelton Gibson (WR)
- Two rookies that the Eagles took this year will be put on IR. Sidney Jones was expected because he tore his Achilles during his pro day. He would have most likely been a top 15 pick if he didn’t. He fell to the Eagles in the second round and they believe they have a great cornerback prospect when he gets healthy. Shelton Gibson has really struggled in OTA’s and early in camp. Doug Pederson even recently said he’s not where they want him to be. That’s a telling sign, but with his speed and him being picked in the 5th round they might not be able to get him through waivers and onto the practice squad. They may come up with a phantom injury and place him on IR so they don’t lose him to another team. They did it last year with DE Alex McCallister.
Practice Squad:
QB Dane Evans, RB Corey Clement (LETS GO BADGERS!!!), WR Marcus Johnson, WR Greg Ward, TE Billy Brown, OG Darrell Greene, DE Alex McCallister, LB Don Cherry, CB Mitchell White, CB/S Randall Goforth
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