August 16, 2026
Now that the Philadelphia Eagles have had 10 practices and played their first preseason game, let's update our 53-man roster projection. (Gameday inactives bolded in red.)
Quarterback (3): Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee, Cole Payton
The Eagles feel likely to trade either McKee or Andy Dalton, with Dalton being the more likely candidate, though Howie Roseman will have to hope nobody watched the Eagles' first preseason game. For now, I'll project that Roseman will be able to get that done before 53-man cutdowns. However, I also believe that he'll be willing to keep four quarterbacks at 53-man cutdowns if he doesn't get any trade value for either guy.
Running back (3): Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley
Dameon Pierce was pushing Shipley for the RB3 spot early in camp, but he's currently on the shelf with an injury. Pierce is a guy the Eagles can probably safely stash on the practice squad, and call him up if/when he's needed.
There's no need to keep four running backs on the 53-man roster, like the Eagles did in 2025 when they carried A.J. Dillon all season for no good reason.
Wide receiver (6): DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, Darius Cooper, Marquise Brown, Johnny Wilson
Smith, Lemon, Wicks, and now Cooper are all locks. I previously had Brown as a lock, but he has not had a great camp. Ultimately, I believe the Eagles will value Brown's game tape, which in my opinion is solid, over what he showed in camp this summer. It's also worth noting that Brown is making $5 million in guaranteed money, so cutting him would be a difficult loss for Howie to swallow.
Between Johnny Wilson and Elijah Moore, I have Wilson on the 53. Moore has had a better camp, but Wilson gives the Eagles a size element that they don't have on their roster at receiver otherwise.
Tight end (4): Dallas Goedert, Johnny Mundt, Cameron Latu, Eli Stowers
Goedert, Mundt, and Stowers will all be on the 53-man roster, though I believe that Stowers could be a gameday inactive, at least initially.
Latu gets on the 53 as a solid blocker and core special teamer.
Offensive line (10): Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Lane Johnson, Markel Bell, Drew Kendall, Fred Johnson, Willie Lampkin, Micah Morris
The five starters, plus Fred Johnson, Markel Bell, and Drew Kendall are all locks. Lampkin gets in on merit after a great camp, while Morris has shown enough that he is worth long-term development.
Fred Johnson has not had a great camp, while Bell has looked very promising this summer. If the Eagles believe that Bell can be a reliable swing tackle as a rookie, they could try to trade Johnson. Otherwise, let's not overthink this one. Johnson has filled in capably as a starting OT each of the last two seasons and is worthy of a roster spot if he isn't dealt.
Edge defenders (5): Jonathan Greenard, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Arnold Ebiketie, A.J. Epenesa
For now, we'll project that Greenard will ready to play Week 1. If not, then the Eagles will be a little thin on the edge until he returns. If Greenard's injury appears as though it will drag deeper into the regular season, he could stay on the PUP list through the first four games. But we're not there yet.
I considered keeping Joshua Weru on the roster, but he was undrafted and can probably be brought back to the practice squad. If he flashes in the next two preseason games, the Eagles will have to consider rostering him instead of exposing him to waivers.
Interior defensive line (6): Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, Byron Young, Ty Robinson, Uar Bernard
The Eagles knew full well that Bernard would take a lot of time to develop, and I do not believe that they will expose him to waivers. If they can redshirt him this season on IR, that could be an ideal situation for both parties. Otherwise, I have him on the roster.
Linebacker (5): Zack Baun, Jihaad Campbell, Jeremiah Trotter, Smael Mondon, Chance Campbell
Vic Fangio told us to have Chance Campbell on our 53-man roster projections, so, you know, I'm just going to trust him. (I had him on my pre-camp 53-man roster projection as well, so trusting Vic here isn't a hard leap of faith.)
If Campbell does indeed make the roster, the question then becomes whether Smael Mondon is bumped off. I don't see that. Mondon is a core special teamer and the team will likely want to continue developing him as a linebacker.
Cornerback (5): Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Riq Woolen, Jonathan Jones, Mac McWilliams
Jones is injured and will miss some time, but the severity of his injury is unknown. I'll keep him on my 53, for now.
I also have McWilliams overtaking Kelee Ringo, who Fangio very clearly does not trust. Ringo is a very good gunner on the punt team, but is that valuable enough? Ringo could be traded another back of the roster type of player at another position, and his impressive INT Saturday night against the Ravens could help that cause.
Safety (4): Andrew Mukuba, Marcus Epps, Michael Carter, Maximus Pulley
Mukuba will start at one safety spot, and Cooper DeJean will play the other safety spot in the base defense. The sub-package safety spot is being battled out Epps and Carter.
Because DeJean and Carter both have SCB/S versatility and improve the team's depth at multiple positions, the Eagles can perhaps opt to keep an undrafted rookie in Pulley at safety instead of a more established vet.
Specialists (2): Jake Elliott, Braden Mann
Rocco Underwood has struggled snapping both in punting and field goal situations this summer. He can still continue to develop and eventually make it in the NFL, but for now he's too big a risk for a Super Bowl contender to rely on. There are a half dozen teams with two long snappers on their roster. I believe the Eagles will give those guys a hard look, as well as other available veterans on the open market, and sign someone after cutdowns.
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