The Eagles are in the process of cutting down to their 53 man roster. Chances are that they will cut down to 53 on Tuesday, but make a trade or two, then to finally get to their true 53 man roster. Here’s who I think stays and who I think goes.
Quarterbacks: Jalen Hurts and Gardner Minshew – I don’t think Carson Strong was picking up the system, so they gave up on him very quickly. Coaches will push you as long as you have a chance of making the team, but once they know you’re done, they say don’t worry about it, if you keep making mistakes. Strong was shut down early in camp. He must have struggled picking up the system. They call that “Dead Man Walking”. You’re still in uniform, but you know your fate has been sealed. Minshew started slowing during camp, but he got into the groove against the Browns. Reid Sinnett cut himself, when he stunk up the place against the Dolphins.
Now Hurts needs to establish himself amongst the better quarterbacks in the league by quickly reading the defensive coverages, getting ball out of his hands, and making accurate throws. If that happens look out for an unstoppable offense. I don’t want to see him destroy everything by running too much and getting hurt. They’ve got to discourage him from running and tell him to run like Russell Wilson, by getting on the ground when tacklers approach him. Remember Cam Newton, he was a big monster, but now he’s an injured monster because he ran and ran and ran and ran.
Running Backs: Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Kenny Gainwell – The Eagles running backs are going to have a great deal to do with how far this team goes. Miles Sanders is a tremendous talent, but can he stay healthy. There’s a big year waiting for Sanders if he can stay healthy. I think they’re going to add another running back to to the trio. Gainwell has been disappointing so far this summer.
Wide Receivers: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Zach Pascal, Jalen Reagor, Britain Covey – I think the Eagles are going to hang onto Reagor and Covey because they return kicks and punts. Unfortunately for him, but Deon Cain doesn’t return kicks or punts. If you’re going to be a back up wide receiver, you must be able to return punts and kickoffs or you’re going to be released. If I were him I would have at least have given it a shot.
This should be the “Coming Out Year” for the Eagles wide receivers. They are talented and ready to role. Brown is an “Absolute Beast” and the Slim Reaper is due for a big year. Watkins is getting better every time he steps on the field and I had no idea Pascal would be so good.
Tight Ends: Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra – Stoll has made major improvements in his game and that’s why he’s clearly ahead of Richard Rodgers. Like Goedert, Stoll is a complete tight end. There’s a good chance that Rodgers will be around at some point in the season. He knows the system.
Offensive Line: Jordan Mailata, Lane Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Isaac Seumalo, Lane Johnson, Andre Dillard, Sua Opeta, Jack Driscoll, Cam Jurgens, Kanode Awosika – The Eagles have a tremendous offensive line and they’re deep. There’s a chance that Dillard could be moved but I doubt it because there’s always a chance somebody could injured. The offensive line is a tremendous strength of this team and they should take advantage of the fact that they have depth. Injuries are a part of NFL football.
Defensive Line: Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Jason Hargrave, Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Tarron Jackson, Marlon Tuipolotu – Graham returns from injury and they’ve added rookie Jordan Davis and Williams is going into his second year. They are going to be one of the keys to playing a more aggressive style of play. Jonathan Gannon has got to turn these guys loose to get after the quarterbacks.
Linebackers: Haason Reddick, Kyzir White, T.J. Edwards, Shaun Bradley, Nakobe Dean, Kyron Johnson, Patrick Johnson – This might be the most improved position on the football team, if it’s not the wide receiver position. They expect Reddick and White to shine. Reddick as a pass rusher and White in coverage and stopping the run.
Defensive Backs: Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Zech McPhearson, Josh Jobe, Josiah Scott, Marcus Epps, Anthony Harris, Andre Chacherre, Reed Blankenship – The Eagles surprised everybody by releasing Jaquiski Tartt, but he clearly wasn’t the answer at the safety position. Epps is the only safety who has shined consistently. They need somebody else to step up.
Special Teams: Rick Lovato, Jake Elliott, Arryn Siposs – The Eagles talented punter, Siposs didn’t finish strong last year, so there was speculation that he might be fighting for his job this year. That hasn’t been the case as of yet.
