An Early Eagles 53-Man Roster Projection

With all major stages of the offseason complete, the makeup of the Philadelphia Eagles 2016 roster is complete. 

Now that the transitions, trades, and draft picks have all played out, the coming months will be all about competition as roster spots and the depth chart will be decided. 

Here's an early assessment of how the final roster could look. 

Quarterback (3): Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel, Carson Wentz

No surprises here. 

If Bradford had chosen to extend his holdout, it might have made things a little more interesting, but the roster spots here are all set in stone, barring injury. 

Running Back (3): Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood

I think there's a chance that a fourth running back will make the team, but I don't think it's Kenjon Barner

A lot of people like Barner, but I don't think he's more than a fringe player. Barner's best asset is his return ability, and the Eagles are stacked with kick and punt returners from Sproles, to Leodis McKelvin, to Josh Huff.

Wide Receiver (6): Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Rueben Randle, Chris Givens, Josh Huff, T.J. Graham

I think Huff survives for at least one more season. He has enough explosive talent that he could be worth hanging onto. 

Offensive line (10): Jason Peters, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Stefen Wisniewski, Allen Barbre, Dennis Kelly, Isaac Seumalo, Halapoulivaati Vaitai

The Eagles go heavy on the offensive line, shelling out an extra roster spot to keep some of their more talented young prospects in place.

Notable cuts here are Matt Tobin and Andrew Gardner, both who have seen extensive time as starters over the last few years.

Tight Ends (3): Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, Trey Burton

The one position group other than quarterback which is set in stone.

Defensive Ends (6): Vinny Curry, Connor Barwin, Brandon Graham, Marcus Smith, Bryan Braman, Alex McAllister

I think Marcus Smith makes this team. He showed some good flashes, in the final week of the season and I think he has a chance to thrive under Jim Schwartz.

Defensive tackles (4): Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan, Mike Martin, Beau Allen

Chip Kelly draft picks Beau Allen and Taylor Hart are on the outside looking in here.

It's going to be tough for either player to make the roster, but Allen may hang on simply because the team has no other options at this point. 

Linebackers (5): Jordan Hicks, Nigel Bradham, Mychal Kendricks, Joe Wilson, Najee Goode

Linebacker depth is a concern, but Connor Barwin could still shift to one of the outside positions in a pinch if necessary. The Eagles really haven't done enough to build up depth at this position. 

Cornerbacks (6): Eric Rowe, Nolan Carroll, Leodis McKelvin, Rod Brooks, JaCorey Shepherd, Jaylen Watkins

Blake Countess and Jaylen Watkins may figure into the equation here as well, but both seem like long shots to make the roster. 

Safety (4): Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Chris Maragos, Jalen Mills

Ed Reynolds is the odd man out here. Reynolds is a fringe player that has struggled with his tackling, and should be beaten out by Mills. 

Special Teams (3): Donnie Jones, Cody Parkey, Jon Dorenbos

No major surprises here, Parkey should beat out Caleb Sturgis during Training camp. 

Denny Basens is a contributing writer for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @DennyBasens.

 

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