Eagles training camp: 53-man roster projection as preseason approaches (2024)

PHILADELPHIA — On the first day of training camp, Nick Sirianni said “everything is being evaluated.”

Conditioning. Walk-throughs. Unpadded practices. Fully padded practices.

“Everything, competition is happening,” the Eagles coach said. “That’s a core staple of who we are as a program.”

Frontrunners for starting jobs have emerged. So have surprises. Play distribution continues to fluctuate as the organization enters its first week of practices in which a preseason game awaits. The Eagles have four straight days of practice scheduled before they break Thursday and travel to Baltimore. They open exhibition play Friday night against the Ravens.

Revamped offensive and defensive systems that debuted publicly last Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field will meet a televised audience. Position battles will be tested against a true opponent. Fringe players will have their first of three possible opportunities to prove themselves before the Aug. 27 cut day.

Here’s our first look at who could be filling out the 2024 Eagles roster.

Quarterbacks (2)

Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett

Practice squad:Tanner McKee

Cut:Will Grier

McKee is not yet developed enough to supplant Pickett as the team’s second-best option behind center. Pickett threw the first interception of training camp on Thursday night, but McKee was twice picked off during practice on Monday. The first was McKee’s error: Tyler Hall leaped along the sideline to snatch a pass that likely shouldn’t have been thrown. The second was bad luck. The pass ricocheted off the hands of rookie running back Will Shipley and was corralled by a defender. There are potential savings that’d benefit the Eagles if McKee eventually becomes QB2. As of yet, the main question is whether the Eagles can keep him on the practice squad as their emergency game-day quarterback.

Running backs (3)

Saquon Barkley, Kenneth Gainwell, Will Shipley

Practice squad:Tyrion Davis-Price

Cut:Kendall Milton, Lew Nichols

The only question here is the position group’s snap distribution. Barkley is an every-down back who played more than 80 percent of the offense’s snaps during both of his Pro Bowl seasons with the New York Giants. He’s a $12.6 million per year asset whose talent warrants a similar snap share. These next three preseason games (in which Barkley ought not to play) should sort out how Gainwell and Shipley will split the remaining percentage — and in what scenarios. Shipley has flashed as a pass-catcher. Can the fourth-round pick create ground yards, especially after contact?

Wide receivers (6)

A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Johnny Wilson, Britain Covey, Parris Campbell, John Ross

Practice squad:Joseph Ngata, Griffin Hebert, Jacob Harris

Cut:Ainias Smith, Shaq Davis, Austin Watkins Jr.

Brown and Smith should once again receive the lion’s share of targets. Much has been made of Philadelphia’s recent lack of a true No. 3 WR. There was indeed little threat there throughout 2023, but restocked depth should yield more productivity at a similar snap share. Enter Wilson, the biggest surprise so far this summer. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler noted during the draft process how Wilson’s lack of consistent focus and route precision in college resulted in a receiver who “doesn’t always play up to his frame.” But position coach Aaron Moorehead said he’s enjoyed how Wilson has responded to hard coaching. Yes, there were times in college when Wilson slowed down on the field when he got tired. But there’s a noticeable improvement in camp, Moorehead said. At 6-6, Wilson supplies length the Eagles didn’t have. He caught another touchdown in tight coverage on Monday, this time over cornerback Kelee Ringo.

Wilson’s increased time with the first-team offense coincides with Campbell’s absence with a groin injury. Campbell, who averages 4.04 yards after the catch in his career, is still a productive receiver who should supply the unit with more variance.

Ross, 28, came back from retirement to sign with the Eagles three days after DeVante Parker retired. He gives the position room an element of speed. Ainias Smith, a fifth-round pick, has struggled in camp. He dropped two passes on Monday. The Eagles are also flush with return specialists. Smith could be the first draft pick to not make the initial 53-man roster since JaCoby Stevens (sixth-round pick, 2021).

Tight ends (3)

Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, C.J. Uzomah

Practice squad:Albert Okwuegbunam Jr.

Cut:E.J. Jenkins, Kevin Foelsch

New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore hasn’t often deployed 13 personnel. Three of the last four offenses he’s overseen fielded three tight ends at a rate less than the league average, according to TruMedia. But Moore did run 12 personnel on 22.4 percent of his plays with the Los Angeles Chargers last season (ninth in the NFL), and the play caller fielded at least two tight ends who logged over 170 yards receiving in each of his last two seasons. Goedert is an established mainstay. Moore has said Calcaterra “has really done an excellent job” in training camp, and the catches made so far by the 2022 sixth-round pick suggest he’ll have more than his career-high nine targets. No tight end beyond Goedert had more than five catches in 2023. Uzomah has both the blocking size (6-5, 271) and the experience as a pass-catcher (1,881 career yards, 16 touchdowns) to fulfill the No. 3 role.

Offensive line (9)

LT Jordan Mailata, LG Landon Dickerson, C Cam Jurgens, RG Tyler Steen, RT Lane Johnson, T/G Mekhi Becton, T Fred Johnson, G/C Trevor Keegan, C/G Dylan McMahon

Practice squad: T Laekin Vakalahi, T Darian Kinnard, G/C Brett Toth, OL Max Scharping

Cut:Nick Gates, Matt Hennessy, Anim Dankwah

Steen missed five days of practice with an ankle injury. The 2023 third-round pick returned to practice Monday, and he could soon reclaim his spot at the start of the summer as the team’s starting right guard. Becton, who filled in for Steen, and Fred Johnson, who played with the first-team offense on Monday, appear to be the coaching staff’s favored options for depth. Nothing yet suggests Keegan and McMahon won’t get an opportunity to develop as rookies, although veterans Matt Hennessy and Nick Gates will challenge that notion during the preseason. Toth, who missed part of the first week with a hamstring injury, has also warranted first-team reps at left guard. Scharping has played tackle, guard and center in camp, although the sixth-year veteran has logged 12 career snaps at center and just three at left tackle, according to Pro Football Focus.

Defensive line (7)

Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Moro Ojomo, Marlon Tuipulotu, P.J. Mustipher, Thomas Booker

Cut:Gabe Hall

New defensive coordinator Vic Fangio historically plays his linemen at a higher clip, particularly those on the exterior. General manager Howie Roseman prefers a rotation, which makes their fusion something to keep an eye on. But Fangio said Monday that there’ll still “need to be a minimum of five to seven on the roster.” So, here’s seven. The starting three are self-evident, but, regarding Williams’ place in it, it’s still notable that Fangio likes him enough to mention Monday that he wanted the Dolphins to trade for him last season. “But Howie wouldn’t do it,” Fangio said. Booker, a midseason addition to the practice squad in 2023, has had an impressive camp. He’s been tough in one-on-one drills. He batted a pass incomplete at the line Monday. If a cut to six must be made, it wouldn’t be surprising if it were someone else.

Edge rushers (5)

Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff, Brandon Graham, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt

Practice squad:Julian Okwara

Cut: Tarron Jackson, Patrick Johnson, Terrell Lewis

Another position group in which there should be no surprises. Okwara, a 2020 third-round pick who signed with the Eagles in the offseason, has improved over the summer. On Monday, he made a critical stop on a screen in which he separated himself from a blocker and closed on the would-be tackle. He’s been bested in coverage, but he may use the preseason to play himself onto a roster elsewhere.

Linebackers (5)

Zack Baun, Devin White, Nakobe Dean, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Ben VanSumeren

Practice squad:Shaquille Quarterman

Cut:Oren Burks, Brandon Smith

It’s hardly fair to suggest Burks gets cut before any preseason games are played, but he only practiced once before he was sidelined with a knee injury. Sirianni has avoided giving timelines for player recoveries. A waive/injured designation could befall Burks if the injury persists. VanSumeren, a practice squad member in 2023, has roamed well throughout camp, especially in coverage. On Monday, after receiving instruction from Fangio, he covered Davis-Price tightly on a flare route that forced Grier to throw deep and incomplete. VanSumeren later disrupted a pass intended for Nichols during a full-contact 11-on-11 drill.

Cornerbacks (7)

Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers, Quinyon Mitchell, Kelee Ringo, Avonte Maddox, Tyler Hall, Eli Ricks

Designated for return: Cooper DeJean

Practice squad:Zech McPhearson, Josh Jobe

Cut: Mekhi Garner, Shon Stephens, Parry Nickerson

On the first day of training camp, Roseman repeated that “I didn’t do a good enough job last year fortifying the secondary, and it showed with our depth.” A recharged cornerbacks room has yielded a close competition for the No. 2 CB spot. Mitchell, the No. 22 pick, is most consistently playing as the first-team nickel but played his first snaps along the outside with the unit on Sunday. Mitchell and Maddox consistently play together in Dime packages, and Hall, who intercepted McKee on Monday, has also played in the slot with the second-team defense. Sirianni has still not offered an official return timetable for DeJean, who suffered a hamstring injury during the offseason. Even if the second-round pick does not return in the preseason, the Eagles will still need to designate him for return (kickstarting a 21-day clock for activation) through the cut deadline to avoid losing him for the season.

Safeties (3)

C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Reed Blankenship, James Bradberry

Designated for return: Sydney Brown

Practice squad:Tristin McCollum

Cut: Andre Sam

Depth at safety is slim. Bradberry, a career cornerback, logged first-team reps on Monday after Gardner-Johnson exited practice early and did not return. Sydney Brown, who suffered a Week 18 ACL tear in 2023, is still recovering from the injury. Teams can designate two players for return through the cut deadline, and this is most likely Brown’s pathway back to the field in 2024. Once DeJean returns, it’s possible the rookie also gets a look at safety.

“We’ll see where he is at,” Fangio said Monday of DeJean. “When he comes back, it’s not going to be, ‘Okay, he’s back, like nothing ever happened to him.’ I’m sure the guys downstairs will have rep limitations on him, practice limitations. So, it will be dependent upon where he is at and how he’s doing.”

Specialists

K Jake Elliott, P Braden Mann, LS Rick Lovato

Same school, new rules.

(Top photo of Shon Stephens (41): Terence Lewis / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Brooks Kubena is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering the Eagles. Brooks has covered the NFL since 2021, most recently as a reporter for the Houston Chronicle covering the Texans, and he previously reported on LSU football for The Advocate | Times-Picayune from 2018-2020. Brooks, a graduate of the University of Texas, has received APSE National Top 10 honors eight times for his reporting, which includes his beat writing coverage during the 2022 season. Follow Brooks on Twitter @BKubena