PHILADELPHIA − The Eagles had plenty of stars who didn't have to sweat out the final days and hours leading up to the NFL's 53-man roster deadline at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
That, of course, is a reflection of the talent of Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith and others. And it's also a reflection of the lofty expectation for the Eagles for the 2024 season.
But it also shows the potential for disaster if those key players get hurt. That was evident during the three preseason games as the offensive starters were held out of every game, leaving the backups and roster hopefuls to play in the games.
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And it was evident Tuesday as the Eagles formulated their 53-man roster.
That's because the Eagles did not keep a backup center by releasing sixth-round pick Dylan McMahom along with veteran centers Nick Gates, Matt Hennessy and Max Scharping. They also have only two tight ends in Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra.
As Eagles GM Howie Roseman said Tuesday, the roster is "top heavy" with star players on big contracts. So he had to fill in the roster with young players on rookie contracts.
And that is still a work in progress.
After all, there's still a practice squad to fill out, plus the possibility of signing a player or two waived by another team. So it's possible that some of the final players who made the roster Tuesday − offensive lineman Darian Kinnard, defensive tackle Thomas Booker or defensive backs Eli Ricks or Tristin McCollum − might not be on the roster Wednesday.
"We're incomplete right now," Roseman said. "We're at 53, but we really view it as a 70-man roster (including practice squad). We gotta go through that in the next 24 hours to get some players back. We don't know how that's going to go, but we feel like we're prepared for whatever the scenarios are on that."
So the intrigue lay in the bottom half of the roster, and that included veteran James Bradberry, who won a spot at safety after spending his first eight years as a cornerback. But so did second-year man Tristin McCollum, who spent most of last season on the practice squad. They are both behind starters CJ Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship and third safety Avonte Maddox.
There's also Sydney Brown, the third-round pick in 2023, who is on the PUP list and will miss at least the first four games.
In all, the Eagles kept 11 defensive backs. Roseman said that was by design after the Eagles' lack of depth was exposed last season during the 1-6 collapse to end the season. That list at cornerback included Eli Ricks, who played a lot last season, but would now be considered the sixth cornerback behind Darius Slay, Quinyon Mitchell, Isaiah Rodgers, Kelee Ringo and Cooper DeJean.
"(Depth in the secondary) was a big offseason priority for us," Roseman said. "I feel like I needed to take responsibility for not putting the coaches in good enough spots in our defensive backfield last year. And I didn't want it to happen again."
Still, it's easy to see how much trouble the Eagles would be in if starters were to get injured.
At wide receiver, Brown and Smith are among the top receivers in the NFL. It's a big dropoff to Jahan Dotson and rookie sixth-round pick Johnny Wilson, and that the case even after the Eagles traded for Dotson, the Commanders' first-round pick in 2022, last week.
The offensive line is also considered among the best in the NFL, and that's with Cam Jurgens replacing franchise legend Jason Kelce at center. Here, too, there's a big dropoff from Lane Johnson to Fred Johnson, or whoever would have to replace Landon Dickerson at left guard.
The same is true at defensive tackle behind the triumvirate of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams.
And Eagles fans everywhere are no doubt shuddering at the possibility of Hurts or Barkley missing significant time. As entertaining as the battle for the backup quarterback job might have been between Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee, the fact that it was a battle should tell you all you need to know about the dropoff from Hurts.
So as the Eagles have the initial 53-man roster set for now, keep in mind why it's called initial.
For now, though, the Eagles will quickly turn their focus to preparing for the season opener a week from Friday against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.
Eagles initial 53-man roster
Quarterback (3)
Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett, Tanner McKee
Running back (3)
Saquon Barkley, Kenny Gainwell, Will Shipley
Tight end (2)
Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra
Wide receiver (5)
AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Britain Covey, Johnny Wilson
Offensive line (9)
Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Mekhi Becton, Lane Johnson, Fred Johnson, Tyler Steen, Trevor Keegan, Darian Kinnard
Edge rusher (6)
Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Patrick Johnson
Defensive tackle (6)
Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Moro Ojomo, Marlon Tuipulotu, Thomas Booker
Linebacker (5)
Devin White, Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean, Jeremiah Trotter, Ben VanSumeren
Cornerback (6)
Darius Slay, Quinyon Mitchell, Isaiah Rodgers, Kelee Ringo, Cooper DeJean, Eli Ricks
Safety (5)
CJ Gardner-Johnson, Reed Blankenship, Avonte Maddox, James Bradberry, Tristin McCollum
Specialists (3)
Jake Elliott, Braden Mann, Rick Lovato
Here's who Eagles released
- LB Oren Burks
- WR Parris Campbell
- OL Nick Gates
- QB Will Grier
- G/C Matt Hennessy
- CB Parry Nickerson
- OLB Julian Okwara
- WR John Ross
- G/T Max Scharping
- OL Brett Toth
Here's who the Eagles waived
- T/G Gottlieb Ayedze
- T Anim Dankwah
- RB Tyrion Davis-Price
- TE Kevin Foelsch
- DT Gabe Hall
- WR Jacob Harris (Injured)
- WR Griffin Hebert
- DE Tarron Jackson
- TE E.J. Jenkins
- CB Josh Jobe
- OLB Terrell Lewis
- C Dylan McMahon
- CB Zech McPhearson
- RB Kendall Milton
- DT P.J. Mustipher
- WR Joseph Ngata (Injured)
- RB Lew Nichols
- G/C Jason Poe
- TE Armani Rogers
- S Andre Sam
- LB Brandon Smith
- CB Shon Stephens
- S Caden Sterns (Non-Football Injury)
- T Laekin Vakalahi
- WR Austin Watkins
Here's who the Eagles kept on PUP list
- S Sydney Brown
Here's who Eagles placed on IR/designated to return
- TE Albert Okwuegbunam
- WR Ainias Smith
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.
