May 30, 2016

Eagles 53-man roster projection

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Matt Rourke/AP

Obligatory three-QB shot.

Is it way too early for a 53-man roster projection? Yes. Yes, it is. However, in an effort to enjoy my Memorial Day weekend, I needed a topic I could post about whenever (that's called evergreen journalism, for those of you in school), so I wrote this last Thursday. And you know what? You'll read it and like it!

Quarterback (3)

Obviously, the Eagles' three quarterbacks will be Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel, and Carson Wentz, and probably in that order. The Eagles will (smartly) take their time with Wentz, who may not even be active on gameday.

QB1	QB2	QB3
Sam Bradford	Chase Daniel	Carson Wentz

Running back (4)

The Eagles are kind of a mess here. Ryan Mathews has not been able to stay healthy throughout his career, Darren Sproles is not a traditional running back who can carry the load if Mathews goes down, Wendell Smallwood has a long way to go with pass protection before he can get a heavy workload, and Kenjon Barner is inconsistent. There's a decent chance the Eagles will add a stable veteran to the mix before the season begins.

RB1	RB2	RB3	RB4
Ryan Mathews	Darren Sproles	Wendell Smallwood	Kenjon Barner

Wide receiver (5)

I think Josh Huff takes a tumble on the depth chart, but survives cuts.

WR1	WR2	WR3	WR4	WR5
Jordan Matthews	Nelson Agholor	Rueben Randle	Chris Givens	Josh Huff

Tight end (3)

This one is easy. I'll note that Trey Burton could also get work as a fullback.

TE1	TE2	TE3
Zach Ertz	Brent Celek	Trey Burton

Offensive line (10)

The offensive line is the toughest call on the team at this point. Allen Barbre could start... or he could get cut, and everything in between. Isaac Seumalo and Stefen Wisniewski feel like locks among the reserves, with Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Dennis Kelly not far behind. We'll stick Darrell Greene in there as well, since he was the highest paid undrafted free agent in the NFL.

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Jason Peters	Allen Barbre	Jason Kelce	Brandon Brooks	Lane Johnson
Dennis Kelly	Darrell Greene	Stefen Wisniewski	Isaac Seumalo	Halapoulivaati Vaitai

Defensive line (9)

Don't pay much attention to Brandon Graham not being listed here as a starter. Graham, Vinny Curry, and Connor Barwin should see a healthy rotation of snaps. This is the last chance for Marcus Smith. The Eagles redshirt Alex McCalister in this scenario.

DE	DT	DT	DE
Vinny Curry	Fletcher Cox	Bennie Logan	Connor Barwin
Marcus Smith	Mike Martin	Taylor Hart	Brandon Graham
			Bryan Braman

Linebacker (6)

The Eagles' starters at linebacker are set, but they severely lack depth.

SAM	MIKE	WILL
Nigel Bradham	Jordan Hicks	Mychal Kendricks
Myke Tavarres	Joe Walker	Najee Goode

Cornerback (6)

To begin, I think the starting job opposite Eric Rowe is Leodis McKelvin's to lose. I also believe Jim Schwartz imported Ron Brooks for a reason. I like his chances of being the primary slot corner better than JaCorey Shepard's. Nolan Carroll will resume his 2014 role as the dime LB while Jalen Mills and Jaylen Watkins (a Howie fave) give the Eagles cornerback/safety versatility.

CB1	CB2	Slot
Eric Rowe	Leodis McKelvin	Ron Brooks
Nolan Carroll	Jaylen Watkins	Jalen Mills

Safety (4)

The starters are set with Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod, who Jim Schwartz thinks could be among the best safety tandems in the NFL. The Eagles will also keep Blake Countess, who like Jalen Mills above has cornerback/safety versatility, and special teams stud Chris Maragos.