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Who makes the Eagles roster: QB/specialist

The Eagles have to narrow their roster to 53 players by Sept. 3. Here's a look at each position as final cut-down day looms:

Aug 23: Offensive line
Aug. 24: Defensive line
Aug. 25: Linebacker
Aug. 26: Wide receiver/tight end
Aug. 29: Running back
Aug. 30: Defensive back
Aug. 31: Quarterback/specialist

QUARTERBACK

LIKELY TO KEEP: 3

WHO STAYS

Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel, Carson Wentz

This one's easy. Some teams keep only two quarterbacks (see: Patriots, N.Y. Giants), but the Eagles are a slam dunk to keep three. They have invested more on the position ($22.5 million in salary cap space) than any other NFL team this season. Sam Bradford is essentially on a one-year deal even though the Eagles inked him to a two-year contract before free agency. We all know Bradford's circumstances at this point. He faces extremely long odds if he wants to be back in Philly next season. If Bradford and the Eagles struggle, the team will likely pull the trigger on Carson Wentz late in the season or during the offseason. If he plays well, the Eagles will likely trade him. Even if Bradford leads the team to the playoffs, there's still a strong chance he will be dealt.

I was asked the other day who I thought was the most underrated player on the Eagles roster and my response was Bradford. He is poised to have a good season, even with the new offense, behind a shaky offensive line and the lack of skill position game breakers. Bradford enters the season as healthy as he's been in three seasons. He has experience in the West coast offense. He's back to having the luxury to change plays at the line of scrimmage. He's always motivated, but he should have a little extra juice of motivation considered his situation. I'm not going to sit here and say Bradford will all of a sudden become an elite quarterback. He's disappointed before. He's had far too many injuries to say that 16 games is anywhere near a lock. But given time – and that's a legit question mark – he has the arm, accuracy and acumen to move the offense down the field. But he has to elevate the level of his teammates because the offense has holes, especially at wide receiver.

Chase Daniel will back up Bradford, but I wonder if there's really any need to use him if Bradford were to go down. Maybe Daniel would finish a game if Wentz doesn't dress. But Wentz, who should be recovered from fractured ribs by the season opener, has shown enough in only one preseason game that Doug Pederson should get him into game situations as quickly as possible. It says here that the rookie has shown enough to suggest that he's already surpassed Daniel, who followed Pederson from Kansas City to Philly. Daniel had a rough start, but to be fair, a good deal of his problems in the preseason opener weren't his fault. He was much steadier in the next two preseason games – partly because he had better o-line personnel. He knows the offense inside and out. He's a leader. But he has obvious physical limitations. Maybe Daniel would initially give the Eagles a better chance than Wentz. Maybe not. I'm not convinced it would offset the benefit of getting Wentz on the field.

Wentz certainly still has a lot to learn. No. 1, he has to do a better job of protecting himself. No. 2, he has to get better at everything else. He's no different than any quarterback. He has the physical skills. He's a tremendous athlete. But that will only carry him so far. There are missing pieces. We don't know yet how he does at recognizing defenses. We don't know yet if he has elite hand-eye coordination. We don't know yet if he has quick-twitch reaction time. Wentz will have fewer opportunities to work on his craft as long as Bradford is the starter. The Eagles can only allocate so much time to the practice field. Game planning is catered almost exclusively to the starter and then the backup. Wentz will have to do a lot on his own. He seems to have the necessary work ethic. Stay tuned.

WHO GOES

McLeod Bethel-Thompson has done a fine job as the fourth quarterback, but he'll be released after the fourth preseason game on Thursday. The Eagles could bring him back to fill a practice squad spot.

SPECIALIST

LIKELY TO KEEP: 3

WHO STAYS

Caleb Sturgis, Donnie Jones, Jon Dorenbos

Donnie Jones had no training camp competition. He's back for his 13th NFL season and fourth with the Eagles. His 41.6-yard net average on punts last season was the second best of his career. He's one of the most efficient in the NFL at dropping bombs inside the 10-yard line. The Eagles brought another long snapper into camp, but John DePalma was released on Sunday. Jon Dorenbos is the longest-tenured Eagle. He had a few struggles last season, which prompted the Eagles to try out a few long snappers, but he retained his job. He's in the last year of his contract. If the Eagles don't bring him back next year, He's Got Talent to do other things.

Caleb Sturgis appears to have a significant lead in the kicker competition. He's been 3 for 3 on field goals (47, 42, 32) and perfect on all his extra points so far in the preseason. He missed one game with a concussion. He connected on about 92 percent of his field goal attempts during open practices. He has had the stronger leg.

WHO GOES

Cody Parkey has struggled. He hasn't looked like the same kicker he was before groin surgery. He made about 77 percent of his field goal tries during open practice. He did well when Sturgis missed the Steelers game, hitting a 40-yard field goal and having touchbacks on 2 of 4 kickoffs. But he missed an extra point the next week against the Colts.