While the Philadelphia Eagles still boast one of the NFL‘s best rosters, they could be dealing with a decent amount of turnover heading into 2022. The Eagles still have many of their core pieces in place, but they might be fielding as many as eight new starters as they attempt to defend their NFC crown.
Let’s run through how Philadelphia’s 53-man roster could look by the time NFL clubs are required to reduce their rosters on Aug. 29.
Philadelphia Eagles 53-Man Roster Projection
Quarterback
- In: Jalen Hurts, Marcus Mariota, Tanner McKee
- Out: Ian Book
NFL teams often like to find backup quarterbacks whose play styles match that of their starters, and Mariota’s mobility will come in handy if he ever needs to relieve Hurts due to injury.
The No. 3 job will come down to McKee, whom the Eagles selected in the sixth round of this year’s draft, and Book, who spent all of 2022 with Philadelphia after they claimed him off waivers from the Saints. McKee has the early edge thanks to his draft status, but Book does have familiarity with the Eagles’ scheme. There’s a chance Philadelphia opts to keep only two QBs while attempting to sneak one of McKee or Book onto their practice squad.
Running Back
- In: D’Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott
- Out: Kennedy Brooks, Trey Sermon
After allowing Miles Sanders to depart in free agency, the Eagles rebuilt their running back room by signing Penny and acquiring Swift from the Lions on the cheap. Swift figures to be Philadelphia’s primary receiving back, while Gainwell — who saw ample work down the stretch in 2022 — will also handle plenty of time as a pass catcher.
Sermon stayed on the Eagles’ roster all season long, even though he handled just two carries. That could be an indication that Philadelphia wants to retain Sermon, whom they claimed from the 49ers last offseason. But Scott’s roster spot is too secure.
Wide Receiver
- In: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Olamide Zaccheaus, Quez Watkins, Britain Covey
- Out: Devon Allen, Deon Cain, Tyrie Cleveland, Jadon Haselwood, Joseph Ngata, Charleston Rambo, Greg Ward
The Eagles have never been worried about receiver depth. In 2022, they had just four wideouts on the roster for the first two months of the season. Brown, Smith, Watkins, and Zach Pascal were the only Philadelphia WRs to earn targets last year.
Brown and Smith are locked in as one of the NFL’s best wide receiver tandems, while Zaccheaus and Watkins will battle for slot snaps. Covey should make the Eagles’ roster based on his skills as a return man.
Tight End
- In: Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra
- Out: Dan Arnold, Tyree Jackson, Brady Russell
The Eagles ranked 14th in two-tight end set usage in 2022, but there’s a chance that rate could increase next season. With Pascal no longer on Philadelphia’s roster to handle blocking-specific work, Stoll could potentially see more snaps if the Eagles went to use heavy personnel. Stoll has never contributed to the passing game (just 19 targets and 15 receptions over two NFL seasons), but he’s a solid blocker.
Among the players we currently have on the outside looking in at the 53-man roster, Arnold may have the best shot of earning a spot on the club. With a pair of 30+ catch, 400+ yard receiving seasons under his belt, Arnold could be an interesting addition to Philadelphia’s offense. But we’re sticking with Calcaterra for now, primarily because he’s four years younger than Arnold and was an Eagles draft pick in 2022.
Offensive Line
- In: Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Cam Jurgens, Lane Johnson, Jack Driscoll, Tyler Steen, Brett Toth, Dennis Kelly
- Out: Julian Good-Jones, Fred Johnson, Roderick Johnson, Chim Okorafor, Sua Opeta, Trevor Reid, Tyrese Robinson, Cameron Tom
Philadelphia still has the best offensive line in the NFL, and four of their five spots up front won’t change in 2022. But the team will have a new face at right guard, where Jurgens and Steen will compete to replace Isaac Seumalo. Neither player has any experience at guard (Jurgens was a college center while Steen was a tackle), but we’ll give the edge to Jurgens thanks to his year of experience in the Eagles’ system.
Driscoll and the loser of the Jurgens/Steen battle will be roster locks, which leaves two spots open if Philadelphia keeps nine offensive linemen. Toth can play anywhere up front, and the Eagles have kept him around for three years even though he barely played due to injuries. Meanwhile, Kelly — who spent the first three seasons of his career in Philadelphia before being traded to Tennessee — re-signed last week and will push Opeta off the roster.
Defensive Line
- In: Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Milton Williams, Moro Ojomo, Marlon Tuipulotu
- Out: Noah Elliss, Kentavius Street
The Eagles always build through the trenches, and that didn’t stop in 2022, when general manager Howie Roseman used the 10th overall pick in the draft on Carter. Losing Javon Hargrave in free agency represents a tremendous blow, but a defensive tackle rotation that starts with Cox, Davis, and Carter could be among the best in the league.
Street has appeared in 52 games over four NFL seasons and could become an option if Philadelphia wants more experience up front. But for now, we’re going with a youth movement as the Eagles reorganize their defensive line. Ojomo can also play on the edge, while Tuipulotu is fully recovered after tearing his meniscus in November.
EDGE
- In: Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Nolan Smith, Derek Barnett, Patrick Johnson
- Out: Tarron Jackson, Janarius Robinson
Reddick, Sweat, Graham, and Smith are all roster locks. Barnett might’ve been on the outside looking in, but he’s probably safe after accepting a pay cut last week. Previously set to make $7.5 million (with $1.5 million guaranteed), Barnett agreed to slash his base salary to $3.5 million.
Patrick Johnson and Robinson could be competing for one slot in the Eagles’ front seven. Johnson played 315 special teams snaps last season, the fourth-most on Philadelphia’s roster, so he has the early edge in camp.
Linebacker
- In: Nakobe Dean, Nicholas Morrow, Christian Elliss, Shaun Bradley
- Out: Kyron Johnson, Davion Taylor, Ben VanSumeren
Although the Eagles rarely invest significant resources at linebacker, they could stand to add one more body here before the season begins. TJ Edwards and Kyzir White’s departures will elevate Dean into a starting role, and he’s also expected to handle communication duties.
Morrow, who signed a veteran minimum deal this offseason, should be on the field in base and nickel situations after starting 28 games for the Raiders over the past two seasons. Elliss has been a standout at Eagles camp this summer and could play his way into a contributor role. Johnson and Taylor are still options for LB4, but Bradley’s special teams contributions probably make him something close to a roster lock.
Cornerback
- In: Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Zech McPhearson, Kelee Ringo, Josh Jobe
- Out: Mehki Garner, Mario Goodrich, Eli Ricks, Josiah Scott, Greedy Williams
For a time, it looked like both Slay and Bradberry would depart Philadelphia this offseason, but the Eagles found a way to retain both veteran corners. Maddox is still an ascending player who will lock down the slot, while McPhearson is the club’s primary backup on the inside.
Jobe and Ringo have been the Eagles’ backup outside corners during training camp. But it’s hard to imagine Philadelphia keeping seven CBs, and Ringo will make the roster after being selected in the fourth round. Jobe has an age advantage over Williams, so we’re going with the 2022 UDFA here. But Williams should have every opportunity to seize a roster spot over the next several weeks.
Safety
- In: Terrell Edmunds, Reed Blankenship, Sydney Brown, K’Von Wallace
- Out: Justin Evans, Tristin McCollum
As expected, Edmunds and Blankenship have lined up as the Eagles’ starting safeties during recent practices. Brown will have a chance to see more playing time as the season progresses, but he’s a clear third on the depth chart.
Wallace vs. Evans represents one of Philadelphia’s more intriguing positional battles this summer. Wallace is a known commodity for the Eagles and regularly serves on special teams, but Evans may be more versatile and offer higher upside. There’s a chance Philadelphia will keep both defensive backs, but that would obviously entail paring down at another position.
Specialists
- In: Jake Elliott (K), Arryn Siposs (P), Rick Lovato (LS)
- Out: Ty Zentner (P)
Eagles fans’ most recent memory of Siposs includes his shanked fourth-quarter punt in the Super Bowl that Chiefs wideout Kadarius Toney returned for 65 yards. Nevertheless, he’s likely to return as Philadelphia’s punter next season. Zentner, an undrafted rookie free agent, would have to dominate during training camp to usurp Siposs on special teams.
