Philadelphia Eagles Depth Chart: Post-NFL Draft Offense Edition

The Philadelphia Eagles acquired a total of eight new players from the 2017 NFL Draft. The team also signed 11 undrafted rookie free agents. Now let's take a look at what the team's 2017 projected depth chart looks like with respect to these draft additions. We'll start with the offense today before moving on to defense and special teams. (Before we get started, look at how different the roster looks compared to last year at this time.)

Quarterback

1 - Carson Wentz

2 - Nick Foles

3 - Matt McGloin

Wentz is heading into the second year of his career as the Eagles’ unquestioned starter under center. Last year at this time the plan was him for to be inactive on game day. How quickly things changed. This is a big year for Wentz. He unquestionably flashed potential last year, but he also experienced some rookie growing pains. Foles returned to Philadelphia to be the backup to Wentz. Hopefully we won’t have to see much of him. McGloin might not make the roster considering the Eagles only kept two quarterbacks last season. You could do worse for a camp arm.

Running Back

1 - Darren Sproles

2 - Wendell Smallwood

3 - Donnel Pumphrey

4 - Corey Clement

5 - Ryan Mathews

Not hard to understand why people are concerned about the Eagles’ running back group when the 34-year-old Sproles, who will retire after this season, is the team’s top player at the position. Sproles can still contribute but he’s just not a starter. Maybe Smallwood can step up and be a starter, but he has to prove he can stay healthy after suffering multiple injuries last season. Pumphrey is intriguing but projects to be a role-player. Clement might be able to make the roster if he has a strong summer. Otherwise he’s probably a practice squad guy. Mathews is still expected to be released if/when he’s healthy enough to pass a physical, so that’s why he’s listed all the way at the bottom.

Wide Receiver

1 - Alshon Jeffery

2 - Torrey Smith

3 - Jordan Matthews

4 - Nelson Agholor

5 - Mack Hollins

6 - Shelton Gibson

7 - Paul Turner

8 - Dorial Green-Beckham

9 - Bryce Treggs

10 - Byron Marshall

11 - Marcus Johnson

12 - David Watford

13 - Greg Ward

I can’t get over how much better this position looks than last year. Seriously, last year’s top five included the likes of Agholor at No. 2, Rueben Randle at No. 4, and Chris Givens at No. 5. Now the Eagles have Jeffery, Smith, and some promising rookies. Jeffery projects to be the legitimate No. 1 wide receiver the Eagles have lacked for some time now. Smith needs to play a lot better than he did with the 49ers; he can recapture the magic of his Ravens days? JMatt might get traded before the season starts. If not, he’ll play out the final year of his rookie deal in the slot. Agholor will undoubtedly be pushed down the depth chat, which is a good thing. Hollins and Gibson will need to fight for their playing time this summer. Turner, a fan favorite, might be poised for the practice squad. DGB and Treggs are probably are their way out. Marshall was reportedly moved to receiver despite still being listed as a running back on the team’s roster. Johnson, Watford, and Ward are long-shots competing for a practice squad spot.

Tight End

1 - Zach Ertz

2 - Brent Celek

3 - Trey Burton

4 - Anthony Denham

5 - Billy Brown

Pretty straight-forward here. Ertz is the starter. Celek will get a decent amount of playing time as an extra blocker. Burton will be a role-player who also contributes on special teams. Denham spent time on the 2016 practice squad. Brown is transitioning to tight end after playing wide receiver at Division II Shepherd University. The Eagles will likely only keep the top three players at this position.

Fullback

1 - (No one)

The Eagles aren’t carrying a true fullback on their roster. They could look to get creative and use different players in that role. Perhaps Dillon Gordon? Or maybe rookie defensive tackle Elijah Qualls, who has experience in that role?

Offensive Tackle

1 - Jason Peters

2 - Lane Johnson

3 - Allen Barbre

4 - Halapoulivaati Vaitai

5 - Matt Tobin

6 - Victor Salako

7 - Taylor Hart

The 35-year-old Peters is still playing at a high level, but it remains to be seen how much gas he has left in the tank. Having Johnson not miss 10 games should be a nice boost for the Eagles this year. The Eagles were much better with him than they were without him last season. I’m projecting Barbre to move out of his starting job at guard and into a top backup role at tackle. Big V could also be this year’s swing tackle. Tobin is probably finally going to be gone. Salako could be a practice squad guy at most. Hart is switching from defensive tackle to offensive tackle, which probably won’t amount to much.

Offensive Guard

1 - Brandon Brooks

2 - Isaac Seumalo

3 - Chance Warmack

4 - Dillon Gordon

5 - Darrell Greene

6 - Dallas Thomas

Brooks is locked in as the starter at right guard. He had a good season in 2016. The left guard spot is less clear. It could be 2016 third-round pick Seumalo who wins the job. Or it could be Stefen Wisniewski, who isn’t even listed here (more on him later). Warmack is trying to rehab his career after earning the bust label with the Titans. The Eagles moved Gordon from tight end to tackle to situational fullback to guard. He made the 53-man roster last year so Philadelphia likes his potential to some extent. The Eagles made Greene the highest paid UDFA last year before having him bounce on and off their practice squad. Thomas is a former third round pick who flamed out with the Dolphins. There’s some good competition at this position.

Center

1 - Jason Kelce

2 - Stefen Wisniewski

3 - Tyler Orlosky

4 - Aaron Neary

Is Kelce going to be on the roster by the time Week 1 gets here? His name has come up in trade rumors quite often this offseason. It seems like he could still be the odd man out. The Eagles unexpectedly re-signed Wisniewski to a three-year, $9 million deal. He could have a chance to start at center if Kelce is gone, or it could be Seumalo who takes over in the middle. Orlosky is a really curious addition for the Eagles because many draft experts had him as their third best center. Why would he sign with the Eagles unless he thought he had a good chance to make the team? Neary spent the 2016 season on the practice squad.