OTAs have begun, and we’re going to learn a little bit about which players the Philadelphia Eagles trust to run back another Super Bowl season. In the grand scheme of things, these practices don’t necessarily mean that much. It’s more about getting players familiar with each other, familiar with the schemes, and development. On a smaller level, they can probably give the coaches an idea of who’s got it and who doesn’t.
Unfortunately, the Eagles have few holes on their roster. Fortunately, the coaches in charge of deciding who will fill those holes are Vic Fangio and Jeff Stoutland. If there are two people to trust to make the right decisions, it’s them.
It's nice to only have one battle for a starting spot
I’m not Fangio or Stoutland, and I’m not going to pretend that I have a tenth of a tenth of a percentage of football knowledge that they have. What I do know is the Eagles’ tendencies and what kinds of players they like. So there’s no better time than now to be brave and try to predict what the Eagles' 53-man roster will look like in September.
There are going to be three specialists: Jake Elliott (kicker), Braden Mann (punter), and newcomer Charley Hughlett (long snapper). That leaves us 50 roster spots to figure out. These are the 26 guys that I think will be on the Eagles roster in the fall.
Quarterback:
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Jalen Hurts | QB1 |
Tanner McKee | QB2 |
Kyle McCord | QB3 |
This one is easy. The only decision that has to be made here is between Kyle McCord and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. It’ll end up being McCord. The best way to describe D.T.R. is that he was the guy the Browns started near the end of last season because they wanted to lose. He’s just not good.
Running back:
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Saquon Barkley | RB1 |
Will Shipley | RB2 |
A.J. Dillon | RB3 |
Ben VanSumeren | FB |
Avery Williams | Specialist |
There are five players on this list, but Ben VanSumeren and Avery Williams both have very specific jobs. VanSumeren is the fullback, and Williams will be the return specialist.
Other than that, A.J. Dillon gets the RB3 spot over Lew Nichols or one of the two UDFAs. Dillon is coming off a neck injury, which is a little tough. It’s not like he’s trying to get over a shredded knee; it’s more about whether or not he can handle contact … which is something that won’t really get tested in OTAs.
Tight end:
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Dallas Goedert | TE1 |
Grant Calcaterra | TE2 |
Harrison Bryant | TE3 |
Again, there’s nothing big at the top of the list — run it back with Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra as TE1 and TE2. The discussion comes with TE3 between Harrison Bryant, Kylen Granson, and E.J. Jenkins.
Unless Jenkins really balls out in OTAs and training camp, he seems like the kind of guy who will probably ride the practice squad. He only got some burn in Week 18 last season, and that’s because the Eagles were resting most of their starters. He was also super deep on the depth chart last year, so expectations are low.
Not only was Bryant one of the first guys the Eagles signed in free agency, but he’s also more productive and a little bit bigger (two inches and 10-ish pounds) than Granson. The Eagles like a big-bodied tight end.
Wide Receiver:
Player | Position |
|---|---|
A.J. Brown | WR1 |
DeVonta Smith | WR2 |
Jahan Dotson | WR3 |
Johnny Wilson | Chonko WR4 |
Ainias Smith | WR5 |
A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jahan Dotson are at the top. We already know that.
The only wide receivers that the Eagles added in the offseason were UDFAs who I imagine will be camp bodies/practice squad guys. That means they’ll be running it back with the six-foot, six-inch tall leviathan that is Johnny Wilson. As for the last wide receiver spot, I think it’ll be Ainias Smith if he has a good summer.
Offensive Line:
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Jordan Mailata | LT |
Landon Dickerson | LG |
Cam Jurgens | C |
Tyler Steen | RG |
Lane Johnson | RT |
Kenyon Green | RG |
Trevor Keegan | G |
Darian Kinnard | T |
Matt Pryor | T/G |
Cameron Williams | T |
The only position group on offense that isn’t returning all of the starters from 2024 is the line, and even then, it’s just the right guard. Regardless of whether Tyler Steen or Kenyon Green gets the starting job, they’ll both be on the 53-man roster.
After that, it gets fuzzy. In the playoffs, the Eagles chose to throw Landon Dickerson in at backup center when Cam Jurgens went down with a back injury. It feels safe to assume they’re going to keep a backup center on the practice squad rather than use roster space for one.
The biggest question mark will come with a swing tackle. For that, I chose rookie Cameron Williams. His whole thing is that he was really good at Texas, but he only has one year of starting experience.
I doubt the Eagles would allow him to go to the practice squad because he has the potential to be Lane Johnson’s replacement, so they have two choices: put him on the 53-man roster but on the bottom of the depth chart, or do some wonky roster management by making him go on IR. Whatever Howie Roseman and Jeff Stoutland choose to do with him is probably going to be the right decision.