Consensus Eagles 53 Man Roster Projection

This is the latest in a series we've be doing here on BGN written by John Breitenbach (@PFF_John), who is a big Eagles fan and best known for his work on Pro Football Focus. Check out the rest of the series here.

With the amount of quality Eagles' coverage from both beat guys and bloggers it shouldn't be too difficult to work out who'll make the team's final roster should it? Well that's what this study's designed to do. By finding a consensus amongst all of them is it possible to accurately project what the final 53 will look like? Here's all their projections, with the consensus at the bottom.

So there it is folks, your final roster according to the best there is covering the Eagles.

Now time for my thoughts:

QBs - Michael Vick, Nick Foles, Mike Kafka (3)

Trent Edwards couldn't really have done more than he did in an attempt to earn a roster spot but I still have him missing out. With Foles' impressive performance, the Eagles' may as well gamble on Kafka's upside, seeing as the number three is very unlikely to see any action. People are also quick to dismiss training camp performance where, by all accounts, Kafka looked much improved and far superior to Edwards. Perhaps if Kafka had played a string of poor games he might have found himself on the outside looking in but you can't glean much from just a handful of snaps.

RBs and FBs - LeSean McCoy, Dion Lewis, Bryce Brown, Stanley Havili (4)

There's been talk of the Eagles trading Lewis and keeping the pair of rookies but I'd say there's slim to no chance of that happening. Lewis fits this offense well and has the potential to be a playmaker in a way that the other two don't. He's also entering his second year meaning Reid is more likely to trust him. I don't see the Eagles' keeping all four either, considering how rarely backup running backs are used in this offense. It also seems the coaches are committed to keeping a fullback so Havili earns a spot.

TEs - Brent Celek, Clay Harbor (2)

This one seems pretty clear cut as neither of Brett Brackett or Chase Ford have distinguished themselves.

WRs - Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Riley Cooper, Damaris Johnson (5)

I initially had McNutt making the roster but he's done very little this pre-season. Chad Hall is simply a lesser version of Damaris Johnson while Mardy Gilyard misses out to some more talented players at other positions.

OL - King Dunlap, Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce, Danny Watkins, Todd Herremans, Demetress Bell, Dennis Kelly, Dallas Reynolds, Julian Vandervelde (9)

I was specifically watching the interior offensive line during the final pre-season game and Reynolds outplayed Vallos. He can play both guard and center and has experience in the Mudd system having been on the practise squad in 2011. The offensive line guru isn't afraid to go with the younger player if he proves himself, just as he did with Jason Kelce last year. There's a real lack of offensive tackle depth as both Kelly and Bell have struggled, that's a major concern heading into the season.

DEs - Trent Cole, Jason Babin, Philip Hunt, Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry (5)

I went back and forth on whether the Eagles would keep Tapp and decided that they probably take a good offer if they get one. His reasonably high salary and place on the depth chart make him expendable, so long as the compensation is decent. His impressive performance against the Browns will almost certainly have got some team's attention meaning an offer may well be coming. It's a risk to be sure but probably a worthwhile one.

DTs - Cullen Jenkins, Fletcher Cox, Derek Landri, Cedric Thornton (4)

I just don't see any way Antonio Dixon makes the roster. Even if they're unable to trade him to a 2-gap team I still don't see the value in keeping him around. "Invisible" doesn't really describe Dixon's production this pre-season as concerns over his ability to play in the Wide 9 have steadily grown. Analysts like to point out his ability as a run stuffer, based mainly on his weight, but he's shown very little of that so far and simply looks lost. It's a shame because Dixon was developing into a top young defensive tackle but now it looks like the Eagles may get nothing in return. The other four are locks, and rightfully so. I never thought I'd say this but it's possible Mike Patterson is the team's fifth best DT.

LBs - Mychal Kenrdicks, Demeco Ryans, Akeem Jordan, Jamar Chaney, Brian Rolle, Casey Matthews, Keenan Clayton (7)

I agonised over this one for a while and just decided that Clayton offers too much of a unique skill set simply to cut. With both Chaney and Matthews sidelined by injuries, he'll probably be active for the first few weeks and will at least have a role to play on special teams. I really want to see him matched up with the best TEs in the NFL to see how he could handle that situation. Green Bay and New England use Jermichael Finley and Aaron Hernandez in the slot a significant amount of the time so Clayton's deficiencies against the run would be less obvious.

CBs - Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Curtis Marsh, Joselio Hanson, Brandon Hughes, Brandon Boykin (6)

In my first roster prediction I had Hanson missing out, but I've mellowed somewhat on Boykin as the slot cornerback so he makes it in this scenario. Brandon Hughes is probably the special team's ace while Colt Anderson continues his rehab so he makes the team too. He also has versatility to play on both the outside and inside.

S - Nate Allen, Kurt Coleman, OJ Atogwe, Jaiquawn Jarrett, Philip Thomas (5)

Jarrett actually played a decent game against the Jets. I don't buy that he's really turned it around as I still think UDFA Philip Thomas has outplayed him this pre-season but he did enough to hold onto a roster spot. It's alarming how close he came to not securing one, considering he was a second round pick just a year ago. The aforementioned Thomas makes it based primarily on some impressive special team's plays. That's not to say he hasn't shown up on defense however, where he's shown a lot of potential in coverage.