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After attending Eagles training camp for a week, I thought it might be fun to figure out which guys are locks, which guys are on the bubble, and what camp battles remain to be fought. After putting it all down on paper, I reached a very disheartening conclusion - The Eagles are going to have to cut a lot of good players. First, lets get the locks out of the way. I should note that these locks don't factor in potential trades. For example, if there's a crunch at DE, the Eagles could consider trading Juqua Parker and his $3.5 million salary, but I highly doubt they'd just cut him outright. The same could be said for others like Joselio Hanson, or even Asante Samuel if a "too good to turn down" offer presented itself. The locks:
Locks - Offense
QB - Michael Vick, Vince Young, Mike Kafka (3)
RB - LeSean McCoy, Ronnie Brown (2)
FB - No locks
WR - DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Riley Cooper (4)
TE - Brent Celek, Clay Harbor (2)
OT - Jason Peters, Winston Justice, Ryan Harris (3)
OG - Todd Herremans, Danny Watkins (2)
C - Jamaal Jackson (1)
Locks on offense - 17
Locks - Defense
DE - Trent Cole, Jason Babin, Brandon Graham (may start season on PUP list), Darryl Tapp, Juqua Parker (5)
DT - Cullen Jenkins, Mike Patterson, Antonio Dixon, Trevor Laws (4)
LB - Jamar Chaney, Moise Fokou, Casey Matthews, Keenan Clayton (4)
CB - Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Joselio Hanson (4)
S - Nate Allen, Kurt Coleman, Jaiquawn Jarrett (3)
Locks on defense - 20
Locks - Special Teams
K - Alex Henery (1)
P - Chas Henry (1)
LS - Jon Dorenbos (1)
Locks on special teams - 3
Total locks - 40
Here's where it gets really tricky. Last year around this time, there were probably about 20 or so players "on the bubble." This year I have 31 players fighting for the remaining 13 spots, meaning that 18 bubble players are going to be cut. That's what happens when you draft 10+ players every year. The best players from your draft classes survive, but there are some legitimate NFL caliber casualties that simply can't fit onto the roster.
Here are my bubble players. Keep in mind that they are fighting against all the bubble players, not just those players at their individual positions. Plus, they also have to worry about guys getting cut from other teams around the league that the Eagles could potentially pick up, not to mention... free agency still isn't even over. The bubble boys:
On the bubble - Offense
QB - Nobody on the bubble
RB - Dion Lewis, Eldra Buckley, Graig Cooper (3)
FB - Owen Schmitt, Stanley Havili (2)
WR - Chad Hall, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Sinorice Moss (3)
TE - Donald Lee (1)
OT - King Dunlap, Austin Howard, Fenuki Tupou (3)
OG - Julian Vandervelde, Evan Mathis (2)
C - Jason Kelce, Mike McGlynn (G/C) (2)
On the bubble - Defense
DE - Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, Phillip Hunt (2)
DT - Cedric Thornton, Anthony Hargrove (2)
LB - Brian Rolle, Akeem Jordan, Greg Lloyd, Rashad Jeanty (4)
CB - Trevard Lindley, Curtis Marsh, Brandon Hughes (3)
S - Marlin Jackson, Colt Anderson, Jarrad Page, Jamar Adams (4)
K/P/LS - Nobody on the bubble.
Obviously, this look is really early, especially since the Eagles have yet to even play a preseason game, and this list remains very fluid, of course. This is just how I see it so far after a week and a half of camp. Think of it as a menu. Which 13 of these guys make your list, and are there any guys not listed that make your final 53?