Six factors affecting the Eagles' roster
Here are six factors that will affect how the Eagles' 53-man roster breaks down n a few weeks.
Six factors affecting the Eagles' roster
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
After returning home Wednesday, I took a few moments to look at the Eagles' current roster.
The Birds don't have to get down to 75 players until August 31 (after the third preseason game against the Chiefs).
They have to get down to 53 by September 4 (the Saturday of Labor Day weekend).
The way I've sorted things out, the Eagles have 59 players battling for 53 spots. In other words, the initial cuts before Aug. 31 won't be too difficult.
Below I've listed six questions/factors that will affect how that 53-man roster will look. Keep in mind that a lot can change between now and Sept. 4, but here are some thoughts as of right now:
1. How many wide receivers will the Eagles keep?
This is one we've discussed at length over the last three weeks. Four spots are accounted for: DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant and Riley Cooper. Hank Baskett, Chad Hall and Kelley Washington, meanwhile, are fighting to hang on. Will the Eagles keep five or six receivers? Last year, they kept seven. If I had to guess right now, I'd say they keep Baskett and Hall. But I flip-flop on this one on a daily basis. You can tell that the coaching staff sees Hall as a toy they can use in a variety of ways - special teams, halfback, wide receiver. We'll see if they use him against the Bengals as much as they did against the Jaguars, but it's looking like he has a good shot.
Which brings us to Baskett vs. Washington. At first, I felt like Baskett had lost a lot of ground when he was injured and Washington was getting his reps. But then I thought about it more, and the Eagles know what they have in Baskett. The two players are very similar. I think the fact that Baskett has been here before and brings a familiarity to the offense and special teams gives him the edge. But really, everything's still up for grabs.
2. How will the tight end situation shake out?
Consider that last year, the Eagles had two tight ends on their initial 53-man roster: Brent Celek and Tony Curtis. Curtis didn't make it to the regular season, and the Eagles added Alex Smith. Also consider that according to Football Outsiders, only two teams ran two tight-end sets less than the Eagles in 2009.
I think Clay Harbor makes the roster. And I think Cornelius Ingram needs to show something in the next two preseason games and practices. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Eagles add a tight end once other teams make cuts, either. But I'm not as convinced as others that they need to keep three on the roster, especially if the Eagles feel they have better special-teams players at other positions.
3. Who will the backup offensive linemen be?
I've got nine offensive linemen accounted for: Jason Peters, Winston Justice, Todd Herremans, Nick Cole, Mike McGlynn, Jamaal Jackson, Max Jean-Gilles, Stacy Andrews and Austin Howard. Could that be it? Maybe. The other two possibilities are King Dunlap and Fenuki Tupou. Dunlap was a seventh-round pick in 2008 and has been lining up at right tackle with the second team. Tupou was a fifth-round pick in 2008 and has been playing guard with the second team.
There are so many factors to this one: Are the Eagles confident enough in Herremans' foot that they'd slide him over to tackle if Peters or Justice were to go down? How far along is Howard? Unlike last year, would they trust Dunlap in a regular-season game? And what kind of progress has Tupou made? Can he play guard and tackle?
I'll admit to not having answers to those questions. Maybe we'll learn more in the next two weeks.
4. How many defensive linemen will the Eagkes keep?
I've got nine guys penciled in, including Trevor Laws, Darryl Tapp and Antonio Dixon - three guys some of you have asked me about. An X-factor here is Moise Fokou. He's been seeing time as a defensive end in pass-rushing situations and could count as the 10th linemen.
If the Eagles want another interior defensive lineman, seventh-round pick Jeff Owens could be an option. I have a hard time seeing Ricky Sapp fitting in here, given the Eagles other pass-rushing options.
5. What will the linebacker situation look like?
This is probably the most difficult area to figure out. The Fokou factor applies here too. Might they keep seven if Fokou is one of them? I think that's a possibility.
The way I see it, three guys are fighting it out for two spots: Omar Gaither, Tracy White and JaMar Chaney. Gaither has versatility going for him. He can back up in the middle or on the weak side, and has the most experience of the three in this defense.
Chaney brings youth, and if the Eagles think he can do a good enough job on special teams, he could make the cut. Chaney spent several practices as the backup middle linebacker when Gaither or Bradley was out.
White is a veteran who had to play quite a bit at the end of last season because of injuries. If the coaches determine he is a huge upgrade on special teams, he could be the guy.
The Eagles know what they have in Gaither and White. Keep an eye on Fokou Friday night, specifically how he performs when used at defensive end. Also focus in on Chaney when he comes in with the reserves in the second half.
6. Where does Macho Harris fit in?
If the Eagles keep five cornerbacks, it's tough to see Harris being one of them (Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, Joselio Hanson, Dimitri Patterson and Trevard Lindley). And he hasn't had a single rep at safety this season, although he played there all of last season. Harris is only in his second season, and I have a hard time believing the Eagles would cut ties with him, especially considering how much faith they showed in him a year ago. His versatility should help him, and I think Harris makes the roster. I'm just not sure exactly where at this point.
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Hide Ingram and Sapp on IR, dump King Dunlop yesterday. Baskett is gone too. Amazing how much depth they have at WR now. For 11 years it was a black hole and even after trading away Gibson and Amendola[sp] last year they STILL have a plethora of talent there. Bravo AR and Rosey.— tpizza
For those of you who like to complain about how the Eagles move players around from position to position trying to find a spot where they fit, it might be reassuring to remember that they drafted a guy out of Clemson in 1996 who played most of his college career at linebacker, and converted him to free safety. I can't remember his name, but I remember him being a pretty decent player...— JLB- How far out on a limb does one go to predict the Eagles keep Stacy Andrews? God! The news flash is that there's no chance they release him. Macho Harris should be utilized in the return game, especially as Hobbs is recovering from injury. He was a great return guy at VT. And I can't see them cutting Sapp so soon after taking him. My guess is that Patterson and harris both make it, and they cut slack at LB spot.— montgomeryhopkins
Ricky Sapp will have season ending turf toe and will sit on the IR for 2010. Just a hunch— dpcoz- soybot = Sheil's mom— iamkingdunlap
- As always, speculation at this point is just playing mind games. After the first couple of games in the regular season, we'll know if we have enough good players. Besides, the O-line will not be very good this year.....and if there are more injuries to starters there, well, just FUHGEDDABOUDIT! 'cuz we will stink the place out, and poor 'lil KK will be flattened every other pass attempt. This is one of two areas (D-Backfield the other) that will NEED fixing next off-season. Drafting the two best O-Linemen available, and perhaps trading for a REAL goodwould be best. And Andy nust find a way to get at least ONE great player for the D-backfield. I figure we'll be drafting somewhere around Position #12, so there might be a GREAT player available for one of those two areas. If he can upgrade those two areasw, and keep everything else together at the same time, I think 2011 will be a GREAT season (if there IS one!) perhaps even going to the Conference Championship if they get a favorable slot. This year?....9-7 at best. With serious injuries...6-10.— TBear
- With Austin Howard stepping in and being a lock to make the team, it should speak volumes about the complete lack of confidence the birds have in King Dunlap. He has been with the team for years and is a physical specimen, but obviously not worth much with a helmet and pads on...I know the Eagles are shallow on the O-line but Dunlap is on the chopping block in my opinion.— bobo_29
- This game is about productivity, not emotions. Dunlap, Abiramiri, and Baskett have all show their ceilings, they aren't just going to magically find new talent within themselves. Good luck elsewhere. Sapp and Fokou aren't proving their worth, so they get one last chance with the 2nd and 3rd games, but be ready to send them on their way as well. I think you have to keep Hall and hope he can provide the spark returning punts, along with gadget offensive plays, to spare 1yard from taking them himself. They do seem to have some depth, and if the injuries are down from last year, especially at a couple of key positions (MLB, CB), the Birds will be able to compete. But they have to come up the learning curve quickly, with the lack of experience they have right now.— Bleue
- Please get rid of Victor "IR" Abusedandreary!— younged
- I think Ingram needs to be kept, before his injury last year, he was outstanding, he may just need a little more time to learn to trust his knee. I would take Washington over Baskett, I think his ST upside is higher and Cooper can give us whatever we need from a big WR. Fokou is gone, and Sapp should go to the IR to give his knee another year to recover. Howard over Dunlap is the most obvious decision.— The Reddgie
- Put Hank out with the trash in the Baskett.....keep the newer guys and develope them, youth babbby, King Dunlap = human turnstile, Ingram = draft bust or expensive failed rehab experiment...all are goners, there are 3 of your 6...nice piece sheil— SkipinWV
Chad Hall's versatility will land him on the roster; Chad was an air force officer and an 'academy' graduate a smart dude with lots of offensive talent ARs kind of guy...johnnyu- Sheil always lays this stuff out real clear. I think Stacy Andrews makes the team because we don't have that much after McGlynn, Jean Gilles and Austin Howard. Another guy or two like Howard and it's hard to see keeping Andrews. We have a bunch of decent linebackers. That will be very hard. If space allows I can see keeping Bradley, Jordan, Sims, Fokou, Gaither, Chaney, Clayton, and White. Sapp to the practice squad. They were right to let Joe Mays go. No room for him. Would not surprise me if Sims is gone next year. He was a good bargain, but there's probably a reason why.— tacklinjoe
- Baskett will get the boot! Washington is a better receiver & one of the best Special Teams players in the league. I can't ever remember a player on Eagles special teams almost blocking a punt. Washington almost did against the Jags! A blocked punt could win a game for the Eags. The Ravens are the only team I have seen where special teams players do that type of thing. This year, with the new Special Teams coach, Eagles will have more emphasis on things like that!— I See
- Baskett will get the boot! Washington is a better receiver & one of the best Special Teams players in the league. I can't ever remember a player on Eagles special teams almost blocking a punt. Washington almost did against the Jags! A blocked punt could win a game for the Eags. The Ravens are the only team I have seen where special teams players do that type of thing. This year, with the new Special Teams coach, Eagles will have more emphasis on things like that!— I See
Great work as usual Sheil. Caught you on the Football Guys podcast the other day and you did great in that form as well.— soybot- Hanson might be battling Harris for a job in the last three games. Patterson won't get any better, marginal player at best. Give the edge to Harris, if he's healthy. Got to see more of Howard. If he plays like last week, you can't try to sneak him on to the practice squad.— jimmyj
- Sheil, I think they IR Howard and go with Tupou b/c of the versatility he brings by playing G. I could see them IR'ing Sapp and seeing if he can gain some weight and get more explosion out of that knee in 2011 (if we have one). I wonder what they'll do with Abiainjiri? IR? Microfracture surgery is hard to come back from. I think they'll keep Harris as a DB over Patterson--with an improved LB Corp, you don't need Patterson to cover the TE like last year. I don't get where you are keeping 18 on the O and D lines and have to choose between Gaither, White and Chaney. By my count, they can keep all 3 if they dump Fokou--the guy just can't play at this level.— JofreyRice
- philharmonic55...Baskett played on the Vikings? Must have missed something on that one.— EaglesBleedMoney
Seriously, this team was decimated by injury last season and still had enough depth to go 11-5. They had an awesome draft and signed some good players who were undrafted. They traded for a couple of guys who have played well in the NFL before. This team is loaded! Sapp was a beast in college, Lindley was All-SEC as a junior (ahead of Haden), Owens was the strongest player at the combine (he did the most reps). These are some of the guys that might NOT make the roster! Graham, Sims, Allen and the return of Bradley make the defense a strength again. Cooper, Harbor, Mallett, Bell, Hall, Washington and Ingraham are all good new additions to an offense that was already loaded at the skill postions. They just can't keep them all. If I was Andy I would put all they guys who are banged up on the PUP list (J. Jackson, Ingraham, Bell, Abiriami, Gaither, Cole). By the time they are completely healthy again other guys will be hurt and in need of replacements.- Yes, we should keep Baskett. With the Vikes, he had 4 catches last year and a key special teams fumble in the NFC championship. Yeah, the Birds know what they have with him: Kendra's husband.
- Austin Howard can play LT/RT in the NFL. My guess is McGlynn is being showcased and if there are no takers could be the starting center opening day or until Jackson returns. We need to account for Todd's foot but again, McGlynn can plat center or guard. Nick Cole is not a center but a good RG. We need to hear more about the RBs.— oldBird
- This team makes some interesting player moves. They move OLB's to DE, DE's to OLB, and CB's to Safety and back. They expect guys like Macho and Fokou to change positions and be better at a new position they've played at for a week, then the position they've played their entire life. Why draft Sapp if he's a 3-4 guy? FYI- We run a 4-3 moroons! We have so many "tweeners" on our team. They fall in love with a guys speed and forget he has to give up size in order to be fast. It's starting to look like the Knicks roster.— rob808pf
- If the Eagles drafting Ricky Sapp was considered to be a steal where they got him then perhaps another team would be willing to give up something in trade. This would require the Eagles to be willing to keep him on the roster, otherwise no team would give up anything to get him. He's a better fit on a team that plays a 3-4 defense which I think is better than half of the teams in the league now. He has to show something though. Will the Eagles play enough 3-4 in the final pre-season games to showcase him a little?— Rick Wise Guy
Comment removed.- Guess the Eagles are planning on 16 games without an injury to an offensive tackle or cornerback. Because the backups are brutal.— dragoon6
- Macho should not be cut. He was awful last year but there was sooo much pressure on him last year. If he can be kept around this year and have a season with less pressure on him he could turn into a keeper. Having all that experience as a rookie can only help him.— therev
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