It’s been a wobbly week for the Eagles. From a quarterback signing to a few notable injuries and of course another preseason game, there have been plenty of waves that will unroot some of the sealife clinging on to a rock for dear life. But how does the final 53 look to be shaping up with a pair of preseason contests remaining?
Quarterback: 3 (3)
Carson Wentz, Josh McCown, Clayton Thorson
Now I know what you’re thinking, where is Nate Sudfeld?! The Answer here is hidden away in a sneaky plan I think the Eagles could deploy. Sudfeld could be out for up to 5 weeks. If Clayton Thorson continues to improve, the team may not want to expose their fifth-round selection to waivers. IF that’s the case, it may make sense to IR stash Sudfeld, at least for the opening eight weeks of the season. This allows the Birds to technically keep four quarterbacks around and they could then always waive Thorson with a higher chance of him slipping through the cracks when that time rolls around. It’s just a theory, but it wouldn’t surprise me. It’s dependent on Thorson improving, but he’s shown progress…and that may, just may be enough.
Running back: 4 (7)
Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, Darren Sproles, Corey Clement
No real shocks here Clement has returned to 11-on-11 action recently and has looked good in doing so. The first three spots are all but locked down, leaving Clement with the simple task of doing enough to sustain the RB4 spot, beating out Wendell Smallwood and company.
Offensive line: 9 (16)
Jason Peters, Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks, Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, Andre Dillard, Jordan Mailata, Stefen Wisniewski, Halapoulivaati Vaitai
The only change of note here is Matt Pryor being displaced by Wisniewski. Wis has struggled at center since the move inside and Matt Pryor has received more flags than an opening ceremony for the Olympic games. The switch makes sense here. The Eagles do need guard depth and if Seumalo is struggling then keeping a somewhat more reliable vet is logical.
Tight end: 3 (19)
Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Joshua Perkins
The injury to Richard Rodgers could be substantial and if that’s the case, expect Joshua Perkins to sneak onto the roster as the most familiar TE on currently on the team.
Wide receiver: 6 (25)
Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Nelson Agholor, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Greg Ward Jr, Marken Michel
A touchdown each for Marken Michel and Greg Ward Jr. in the preseason has propelled both former UDFA’s into the conversation here and Mack Hollins just hasn’t shown enough progress yet. There is always the worry of a ‘phantom injury’ and a lot of people place value on Mack’s special teams prowess. But with another sizeable receiver in Arcega-Whiteside now in the fold, it’s questionable whether the team will really miss his offensive contributions. I think Michel and Ward Jr. both fill niches on this team and can make an impact in 2019 if afforded the opportunity.
Continued on the page below.
Mandatory Photo Credit: AP Photo/Matt Rourke
