The Eagles' roster bubble

THE LAST several days in the Eagles' locker room, there has been a lot of talk about the importance of tonight's final preseason game, against the visiting Jets.

It isn't important to the starters, who won't be playing, or to the key reserves, who if they have to play tonight, can only hope not to get hurt, 10 days before the season opener.

But it is important to the guys on the roster bubble, as the cutdown from 75 to 53 by Saturday looms large, and to the ones who have little hope of making the Eagles. Many in that last group figure to get a lot of playing time tonight. That exposure will translate to "film" for them, the precious currency of the about-to-be-unemployed football player.

Is this game important to the coaches? They will tell you it is. But really, they have watched almost all of the players since last spring, through minicamp and OTAs and training camp and three previous preseason games. They know what they think. Is something going to happen tonight that's really going to move the needle?

Maybe for Kenjon Barner, who just arrived from Carolina last week. Or Cody Parkey, also acquired last week, making a last-minute bid for the kicking job that Alex Henery seems to be in the process of giving away.

Everybody else, not so much, which is why a lot of the talk in the locker room this week had a wistful, plaintive tone, players sounding like gamblers hoping to win it all back with one magical toss of the dice.

The Birds do face some tough roster choices, whether tonight is the key to solving them or not. Here are some prominent ones:

1 Matt Barkley or G.J. Kinne for the third quarterbacking spot: I would take Barkley 10 times out of 10. Kinne is athletic, but I haven't seen the decision-making or accuracy from him I would need to see, even to be real comfortable with him as the third QB. The main issue with Barkley is, we all know he chafes at being buried on the depth chart, even if he's careful never to say so. Could you trade Barkley for something, then get away with Kinne as your third QB, even maybe stash him on the practice squad? Very risky, as Chip Kelly said on Tuesday.

2 Third and fourth running-back spots: I am in Chris Polk's corner. Don't care how rusty he looks tonight, playing with a still-healing hamstring. Polk is an NFL back, he proved that to the Eagles well enough for them to jettison Bryce Brown. His injury history is concerning, and Polk ran mostly inside in college at Washington, taking a pounding, averaging almost 21 carries per game each of his last three seasons. But I'd keep him and Matthew Tucker, the Eagles' biggest back, at 6-1, 227. I'd hope to slip undrafted rookie Henry Josey through to the practice squad, with the knowledge that he might not make it. Unless Kenjon Barner is going to be the kick returner - which is quite possible - I don't really see a need for him. If Barner is going to return kicks, my man Polk might be in trouble. Or you could practice-squad Tucker and let Josey find a spot on another roster, which would be what I'd do. You could keep five backs on the 53, because it's hard to give away talent, but is there really a need for five?

3 How many wideouts? This will be a key consideration in roster construction. I might be tempted to just keep five, with at least one on the practice squad, but I'd probably end up keeping six. Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper, Jordan Matthews, Brad Smith and Josh Huff get you to five. I might make Ifeanyi Momah my sixth guy; he really has come that far, and I'd be worried about trying to slip him through to the practice squad. Jeff Maehl or Damaris Johnson could be shunted to the practice squad, as one of the two guys on the now-10-man list who don't need to fit the normal criteria. (Which is, no more than eight NFL games played.) The Eagles loved how Arrelious Benn rehabbed, but I just haven't seen him do much in camp or the preseason. Maybe they'll keep him, figuring Benn just needs more time to get comfortable and in sync, but they didn't show that kind of patience with fellow ACL victim Jason Phillips, the linebacker who was the first player cut this year.

4 How many defensive linemen? This might be the toughest place to cut. Somebody will be cast loose who can go right onto another team's roster. Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan, Cedric Thornton, Vinny Curry, Brandon Bair, Beau Allen, Damion Square - that's my top seven. Fifth-round rookie Taylor Hart instead of Square? In addition to Square? I'd try to get Hart through to the practice squad. But Chip Kelly said he wanted to draft Hart in the third round instead of the fifth, so the Eagles probably won't do it my way. Square probably heads to the practice squad, as one of the two guys allowed who don't have to fit under the usual rules, or heads elsewhere.

5 Inside, outside, too many linebackers and also not enough: The outside linebackers are pretty simple - Trent Cole, Connor Barwin, Marcus Smith, Brandon Graham, plus Bryan Braman for special teams. Inside is trickier. I think there will be somebody here next week, after the league cuts down, who isn't here now. But let's say DeMeco Ryans, Mychal Kendricks - my breakout star of 2014 - Najee Goode and Travis Long, who also can play outside. Nine linebackers? Well, it is a 3-4. Long is eligible for the practice squad, but if he isn't on the 53, and you jettison Emmanuel Acho and Casey Matthews, as I envision, you only have one backup ILB on the roster. That could get hairy, since practice-squad callups during games aren't allowed. (The NFL will get around to that next year.) Graham still could end up getting traded or released, I guess. I would keep him.

Eagles (1-2) vs. Jets (2-1)

What: Final preseason game

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: Lincoln Financial Field

TV: 6ABC. Radio: WIP (94.1-FM)

THREE THINGS TO WATCH:

1 Michael Vick and Riley Cooper: Riley isn't scheduled to play and Mike might not play much, but they'll definitely have a little confab somewhere, after Vick was quoted by ESPN New York's Ian O'Connor yesterday as saying he felt "a certain kind of way" when he texted Cooper to congratulate him on his new contract, and Cooper didn't reply. Vick said he feels he saved Cooper's career, in the wake of the "n-word" video controversy that flared right after training camp started in 2013. Also, there's just the fact that Vick is returning to the Linc, something that fans probably will want to note with applause.

2 The kicking battle: Reporters had an extended exchange with Chip Kelly on Tuesday about whether it might be smart to take a knee on third-and-8 from the Jets' 22, just so you can set up a field-goal try. Chip didn't rule it out. Very tough to have a one-game kicking competition (what if the Eagles don't move the ball much, there are no field goals and only a couple kickoffs?). I'm not convinced the team is ready to move on from Alex Henery just yet, I think this whole bring-in-more-competition thing might last into the season, but if Henery misses tonight ... well, that just about has to be it for the fourth-round pick from 2011. Is Parkey really the answer? Not sure we'll know that tonight.

3 Kenjon Barner: The idea that you can make the roster off the final preseason game, if you've been around all spring and summer, is silly (see accompanying story). But Barner, Chip Kelly's ace running back at Oregon, just got here last week, from Carolina. He very well might make or not make the team on what he does tonight. Really interested to see if he returns kicks, and how well.

Blog: ph.ly/Eagletarian