Philadelphia Eagles 53-man roster projection: Post-minicamp edition

The Philadelphia Eagles finished their spring workouts late last week. The team will now be able to enjoy some time off before players start to report for training camp on Monday, July 24. But while the teams rests, Bleeding Green Nation does not.

Here's an updated Eagles 53-man roster projection. The last time we did one of these was following the 2017 NFL Draft. We've learned a lot about the Eagles' roster since then. Philadelphia’s OTAs and minicamp practice sessions helped clear up some question marks on the depth chart. A lot of position battles are still yet to be won, but this activity will give us a general sense of what the final roster should look like. We'll update these projections multiple times throughout the summer.

OFFENSE

QB: Carson Wentz, Nick Foles (2) [2]

Wentz came on strong after a shaky start to spring practices. Foles looked just about what you’d expect out of him. Matt McGloin could potentially push for the third job here. It’s just a matter of whether the Eagles will kept that many. Last year they only kept Wentz and Chase Daniel with Aaron Murray on the practice squad. I’m projecting them to only go with two passers this year, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them keep McGloin instead.

RB: LeGarrette Blount, Darren Sproles, Donnel Pumphrey, Wendell Smallwood (4) [6]

In addition to being used in short yardage situations, Blount figures to carry a bulk of the workload. Sproles should continue to play in his normal role. The Eagles lined up Pumphrey all over the formation in spring practices: in the backfield, in the slot, out wide, everywhere. It seems like the Eagles want to force feed him some touches. Remains to be seen how big of a role Smallwood will have. He’ll play ... I just don’t know how much. His playing time could go way up if Blount is injured/ineffective.

WR: Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, Shelton Gibson (6) [12]

Jeffery was quite clearly the Eagles’ best wide receiver this spring. He didn’t drop passes. He consistently got open. He made big plays. He just looked like the real deal out there. Smith also had a good spring. There’s been an idea floating around that the Eagles could cut him since they only gave him $500,000 guaranteed. Not happening. Smith is a good player and a good locker room guy. He’s easily one of the best five receivers on this roster. Matthews missed the entire spring with knee tendinitis, which raised some suspicions. It’s possible he still gets traded but for now he’s the team’s starting slot receiver. Agholor had a surprisingly encouraging spring. I’m not counting on him to suddenly be a huge difference maker, though. The more reasonable hope is that he might be able to be a competent NFL player now. Hollins looked pretty solid and figures to be a key special teams guy. Gibson is in danger of not making the roster. He really struggled with drops this spring — even when he was doing drills with no defenders on him. He could be a practice squad guy. Or the Eagles could determine some team will take a chance on his raw speed and just try to stash him on the bottom of the roster as a game day inactive each week. Marcus Johnson is a name to keep an eye on here.

TE: Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Trey Burton (3) [15]

Pretty straightforward here. Ertz had a strong spring, just like he does every year. Anthony Denham had a nice showing but I’m not sure it was good enough to convince the Eagles to keep four tight ends. I think another team might pick him up on waivers. If not, he’s a practice squad candidate. So is Billy Brown (see below).

OL: Jason Peters, Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Allen Barbre, Stefen Wisniewski, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Chance Warmack, Dillon Gordon (10) [25]

The Eagles feel very confident in their offensive line. Frank Reich said he feels like a lot of Philadelphia’s backups could be starters elsewhere in the league. Four out of the five starting spots are locked in. The only question is: who will start at left guard? Seumalo and Barbre have split reps there. I’d lean with Seumalo, the young option, taking the job. It’s kind of difficult to imagine the Eagles move on from Kelce at this point but you can never say never. Barbre, Wisniewski, and Warmack are versatile backups with plenty of starting experience. Gordon is a developmental player the Eagles like to use in various roles (fullback, sixth offensive lineman, etc.)

DEFENSE

DE: Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Vinny Curry, Chris Long, Steven Means (5) [30]

This has the makings of a strong unit. Graham led the NFL in total pressures last year. Barnett showed great promise as a rookie in spring practices. He won his fair share of matchups against an experienced NFL tackle in Lane Johnson. Curry said injury factored into his disappointing 2016 season. He really needs to step it up this year. Long seems like a nice rotational veteran pass rusher to have around. Means had a strong spring. Marcus Smith is bound to be gone since the Eagles can save over $1 million in cap space by cutting him before his roster bonus is due on the third day of training camp.

DT: Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan, Destiny Vaeao, Gabe Wright, Elijah Qualls (5) [35]

Another strong unit in terms of the starters, at least. Cox and Jernigan could create some real havoc while playing next to each other. Jernigan looked very disruptive in OTA and minicamp practices. The Eagles kept Vaeao around last year so it seems like they like him. Wright was taking a number of first team reps this spring due to injuries at his position, so that’s something to watch. Qualls hopes to make the team after being drafted in the sixth round.

LB: Jordan Hicks, Nigel Bradham, Najee Goode, Joe Walker, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Nathan Gerry (6) [41]

The Eagles mainly used two linebacker sets last season, so Hicks and Bradham are your real starters here. I believe this is the year where Hicks plays well enough to catch the attention of the national media. He’s currently underrated in that regard. Mychal Kendricks isn’t listed here because I still think the Eagles might trade him. Goode is a versatile backup who can also contribute on special teams. Walker showed promise last summer at MLB before getting hurt. Grugier-Hill is another special teams guy. Gerry could end up being stashed away on injured reserve. He showed he has some good coverage skills but he’ll need to prove he can handle the physicality when the pads come on.

CB: Jalen Mills, Patrick Robinson, Rasul Douglas, Aaron Grymes, Ron Brooks (5) [46]

Mills and Robinson are you most likely outside starters at corner. Douglas will get some playing time but he’s not ready to be thrown into the fire as a full time starter. The Eagles might rotate Douglas like they did with Mills and Leodis McKelvin last year. Grymes had a strong offseason last year and he picked right up where he left off this spring. He got some looks in the slot with the first team nickel defense. Brooks can also play the nickel and he’s a special teams guy.

S: Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Terrence Brooks, Chris Maragos (4) [50]

Jenkins and McLeod combine to form a really nice pair of starting safeties. Brooks outperformed Jaylen Watkins over the last month. He could see some playing time as the team’s third safety. Maragos is a special teams ace who provides veteran depth.

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Caleb Sturgis (1) [51]

Sturgis was sharp in spring practices. Didn’t see too many misses.

P: Donnie Jones (1)

Jones celebrates his 37th birthday on July 5.

LS: Jon Dorenbos (1)

Dorenbos celebrates his 37th birthday on July 21.

INJURED PLAYERS

There’s still no timetable for a Sidney Jones return. The feeling here is the Eagles should be patient.

Beau Allen is recovering from an offseason pectoral injury. There’s hope he can return by Week 1, but right now I’m not going to assume that’s the case.

Both Allen and Jones will be candidates for the PUP/NFI list(s). This means they won’t be eligible to return to the active roster until Week 7 at the earliest.

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Practice Squad (10): C Tyler Orlosky, QB Jerod Evans, RB Corey Clement, CB Mitchell White, CB C.J. Smith, LB Don Cherry, DT Winston Craig, TE Billy Brown, DE Alex McCalister, WR Marcus Johnson