Eagles' 53-man roster projection before 2023 training camp

Before training camp begins this week, it’s time to take a stab at a 53-man roster projection.

Jobs will be won and lost this summer as the Eagles practice by themselves, against the Browns and Colts and play in three preseason games.

But before seeing all this, here’s the latest 53-man roster projection:

Quarterback (3): Jalen Hurts, Marcus Mariota, Tanner McKee

After handing Hurts a $255 million contract, they’ll probably keep him around. The real battle here is for the No. 3 job. The Eagles drafted McKee in the sixth round out of Stanford and he’ll be fighting to take the job from incumbent Ian Book. Book has the advantage of a year in Nick Sirianni’s system but the edge here goes to the draft pick with a higher upside.

Out: Ian Book

Running back (4): D’Andre Swift, Kenny Gainwell, Rashaad Penny, Boston Scott

These four seem pretty safe, barring an injury, which is always a possibility. And those top three names will be competing for roles this summer. Is there a chance that Trey Sermon could earn a roster spot? Maybe. The Eagles claimed him after final cuts last year and kept him on the 53-man roster all season in 2022. We’ll finally get a closer look at the former 49ers third-round pick this summer.

Out: Trey Sermon, Kennedy Brooks

Receiver (5): A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus, Britain Covey

The Eagles boast one of the top pairs of receivers in the entire NFL. You can even make a strong case that this is the best duo in the league. But after that, there are some question marks. Watkins and Zaccheaus will fight for the WR3 job in camp. After that, Covey sneaks onto the roster as a primary punt returner. There are some other intriguing names in camp this summer, including Devon Allen and Joseph Ngata. But it’s tough to see a clear path to the roster for any other receivers.

Out: Greg Ward Jr., Tyrie Cleveland, Joseph Ngata, Devon Allen, Charleston Rambo, Jadon Haselwood

Tight end (3): Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra 

This is the same group from the 2022 season and it looks like there’s a really good chance the Eagles just run it back at this position. Even though he didn’t play much as a rookie, the Eagles used a sixth-round pick on Calcaterra last year. Could Dan Arnold compete for that TE3 job? Maybe, but the Eagles will probably stick with their own draft pick and the younger player with upside.

Out: Dan Arnold, Tyree Jackson, Dalton Keene, Brady Russell

Offensive line (9): Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Cam Jurgens, Lane Johnson, Jack Driscoll, Dennis Kelly, Tyler Steen, Brett Toth

The locks are the starting five, Driscoll and Steen. After that, the offensive line is up in the air a bit. The Eagles kept 10 offensive linemen on their initial 53-man roster last year but they had just two quarterbacks on the roster so there was an extra roster spot. The Eagles added Kelly as some veteran swing tackle depth last week so he’s on the roster. That last spot might come down to Toth vs. Sua Opeta. For now, I have Opeta as the odd man out.

Also, keep an eye on Trevor Reid from Louisville. He’s a super athletic but raw tackle prospect and could become a project for Jeff Stoutland. I have him sticking on the practice squad for now.

Out: Sua Opeta, Trevor Reid, Fred Johnson, Roderick Johnson, Tyrese Robinson, Julian Good-Jones, Cameron Tom, Chim Okorafor
Exempt: Josh Sills

Defensive tackle (6): Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, Moro Ojomo 

It was a little tricky to figure out the defensive tackle spot. The top four — Cox, Davis, Carter, Williams — are locks. Then you have four players fighting for one or two roster spots. The Eagles really seemed to like Tuipulotu last year before he suffered a season-ending knee injury. So if he’s healthy, I have him on the roster. And the rookie Ojomo will have to earn it but I have him edging out the veteran Kentavius Street. Don’t sleep on Noah Elliss either, though. He missed his entire rookie season but is a more prototypical nose tackle and if the Eagles want a backup to Davis, he could earn a roster spot with a nice training camp.

Out: Kentavius Street, Noah Elliss

Edge (6): Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Nolan Smith, Derek Barnett, Patrick Johnson

I didn’t know what to do with Derek Barnett. I’m not sure he’s really in the Eagles’ plans but training camp is about to begin and he’s still on the roster. So he’s in here as the fifth edge player and then I kept one more with Patrick Johnson. If Barnett doesn’t stick around then Janarius Robinson is definitely intriguing. We’re mixing in defensive ends and SAM linebackers in this category but Robinson is definitely a defensive end-sized player.

Out: Janarius Robinson, Tarron Jackson, Matt Leo

Linebacker (4): Nakobe Dean, Nicholas Morrow, Christian Elliss, Shaun Bradley

This is the one position I’m not convinced is complete. There seems to be a chance Howie Roseman could still add more talent at linebacker, but for now, I’m sticking with these four. Dean and Morrow are the most likely starters, backed up by Elliss and Bradley, who will be key special teams contributors. I wouldn’t completely sleep on Davion Taylor, the former third-round pick, who still has some potential. Former sixth-round pick Kyron Johnson doesn't make it after a position switch to off-ball 'backer.

Out: Davion Taylor, Kyron Johnson, Ben VanSumeren

Cornerback (6): Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Kelee Ringo, Zech McPhearson, Josh Jobe

The most underrated battle entering this training camp is at cornerback, where the top spots are locked in but then you have a bunch of players competing for one or two jobs. Slay, Bradberry and Maddox are the starters and the Eagles certainly aren’t going to cut Ringo after trading away a third-round pick to draft him in the fourth round. After that, they’ll have one or two spots left at the position and plenty of players fighting for those jobs. I gave the edge to McPhearson, who has backed up outside and is now playing inside; he has also played a ton of special teams. And I also kept Jobe, who is entering his second NFL season after making the team as a UDFA last summer. If Ringo doesn’t look ready to be the top backup cornerback on the outside, then there’s a better chance the Eagles keep the veteran Greedy Williams around.

Out: Greedy Williams, Josiah Scott, Eli Ricks, Mekhi Garner, Mario Goodrich

Safety (4): Reed Blankenship, Terrell Edmunds, Sydney Brown, K’Von Wallace

The Eagles will have two new starting safeties in 2023 after C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps left in free agency. Some combination of Blankenship, Edmunds and Brown will start this year, so those three feel like safe bets to keep on the roster. Then we might see a competition between Wallace and newcomer Justin Evans for that final spot. If the Eagles keep five safeties, then Evans sticks around.

Out: Justin Evans, Tristin McCollum

Specialists (3): Jake Elliott, Arryn Siposs, Rick Lovato

It might surprise some people to see Siposs still on my roster. The Eagles finally brought in some competition for him this summer but I’m not sure Zentner is going to be good enough to wrestle that job away from him. It’s a possibility, though. This one really should come down to performance in camp.

Out: Ty Zentner

Subscribe to Eagle Eye anywhere you get your podcasts: 
Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | Spotify | Stitcher | Simplecast | RSS | Watch on YouTube