The Philadelphia Eagles have released their first 2016 depth chart ahead of the team's preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. Who's ready for some hasty overreactions?!
Before anyone gets too carried away, it must be pointed out that this depth chart is very unofficial. It is not assembled by the Eagles coaching staff. Rather, the team's public relations team puts it together.
Another thing to keep in mind is that even if this was the official depth chart, there's still plenty of time for things to change. The Eagles have more than a month until they play their first regular season game. There are four preseason contests and a few more weeks of training camp left before position battles are finalized.
Now let's disregard everything I just wrote and over-analyze the depth chart anyway.
OFFENSE
QB: Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel, Carson Wentz, McLeod Bethel-Thompson
RB: Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, Kenjon Barner, Wendell Smallwood, Byron Marshall, Cedric O'Neal
WR: Jordan Matthews, Josh Huff, Paul Turner, Hunter Sharp
WR: Nelson Agholor, Chris Givens, Marcus Johnson, Cayleb Jones
WR: Rueben Randle, T.J. Graham, David Watford, Xavier Rush, Deon Long
TE: Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, Trey Burton, Chris Pantale, M.J. MacFarland
LT: Jason Peters, Matt Tobin, Andrew Gardner, Dillon Gordon
LG: Allen Barbre, Isaac Seumalo, Malcolm Bunche
C: Jason Kelce, Stefen Wisniewski, Josh Andrews, Bruce Johnson
RG: Brandon Brooks, Stefen Wisniewski, Darrell Greene, Barrett Jones
RT: Lane Johnson, Dennis Kelly, Halapoulivaati Vaitai
DEFENSE
DE: Vinny Curry/Brandon Graham, Alex McCalister, Bryan Braman
DE: Connor Barwin/Brandon Graham, Marcus Smith, Steven Means
DT: Fletcher Cox, Mike Martin, Destiny Vaeao, Aziz Shittu
DT: Bennie Logan, Beau Allen, Taylor Hart
OLB: Nigel Bradham, Najee Goode, Myke Tavarres
MLB: Jordan Hicks, Joe Walker, Don Cherry
OLB: Mychal Kendricks, Deontae Skinner, Quentin Gause
CB: Leodis McKelvin, Jalen Mills, Eric Rowe, Denzel Rice, C.J. Smith
CB: Ron Brooks, Nolan Carroll, Aaron Grymes, JaCorey Shepherd, Randall Evans
S: Rodney McLeod, Blake Countess, Ed Reynolds
S: Malcolm Jenkins, Jaylen Watkins, Chris Maragos, Nick Perry
SPECIAL TEAMS
P: Donnie Jones
K: Caleb Sturgis, Cody Parkey
H: Donnie Jones, Chase Daniel
PR: Darren Sproles, Kenjon Barner, Paul Turner
KOR: Josh Huff, Wendell Smallwood, Kenjon Barner
LS: Jon Dorenbos, John DePalma
...
THOUGHTS
• The biggest "surprise" for some is going to be Rowe being listed as a third team cornerback. The 2015 second round pick has seemingly fallen out of favor with the new coaching staff.
• Ron Brooks was mostly a special teams player in Buffalo but he's in line for a starting job on the outside in Philly. He's also projected to be the team's starting nickel corner.
• The Eagles should definitely have Randle over Huff, as it's listed in this chart. Randle has had a good summer while Huff has struggled.
• Celek is listed over Ertz but the younger tight end played more snaps last year and that'll probably happen again this season. The Eagles are expected to go heavy on tight end sets.
• Barbre has taken all of the team's first team snaps at left guard in camp. He's probably going to be the starter again this year.
• Interesting to see how Graham is listed as a slash at both first team defensive end spots. The Eagles are expected to have a heavy rotation there with Barwin, Curry, and Graham.
• McCalister over Braman caught my eye. I think the rookie clearly needs a rookie season on the practice squad.
• The linebacker depth sure does look thin, huh? Not surprising to see the Eagles interested in Stephen Tulloch.
• Goode is probably the top backup at both SAM and WIL although it's not listed like that here.
• The safety depth is interesting. Reynolds has been getting first team reps over Countess but the sixth round rookie is listed ahead of Reynolds. Watkins has had a nice summer and is listed above Maragos.
• Sturgis over Parkey is probably how the kicker competition is going to play out. Sturgis would really have to be terrible in preseason to lose out. If it's close, I think Sturgis gets the edge based on how he's out-kicked Parkey in practice all offseason.
• My latest 53-man roster prediction comes out tomorrow. Try to contain your excitement.