By Tucker Bagley, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
The preseason is halfway through and the Eagles are already making moves, preparing their roster for the regular season. After cutting four players Sunday morning, the team signed veteran linebacker Stephen Tulloch to shore up their depth in the middle of their defense.
Sunday's moves bring the Eagles roster down to 85 players, but they don't need to be down to 75 until next Tuesday, Aug. 30.
With that in mind, here's another roster projection, based on who has stood out during the first two preseason games.
Quarterback (3): Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel, Carson Wentz
Bradford has looked as advertised during the preseason, although the first-team offense hasn't done much. Wentz's play was up and down before he got injured, but that's as expected for a guy making the jump from North Dakota State to the NFL.
The biggest story is how poorly Daniel has looked in the first two preseason games. The former Kansas City Chief has looked inept and if Doug Pederson is going to put the best two QBs on the field on game days, Daniel would be inactive in favor of the rookie Wentz.
Running Back (4): Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood, Kenjon Barner
Barner is back on the roster after being left off a few weeks ago. With the injury to Smallwood keeping the rookie off the field for the first two preseason games, Barner has looked very capable and adds versatility as a returner. Mathews and Sproles will be ahead of the two youngsters on the depth chart, but Smallwood and Barner should have a healthy competition for snaps during the season.
Wide Receiver (5): Nelson Agholor, Jordan Matthews, Dorial Green-Beckham, Paul Turner, Josh Huff
The veteran wide receivers have struggled mightily in the preseason, especially with Matthews sidelined with an injury. Agholor had a nice catch against the Steelers, but also has a couple of drops in the preseason and Huff looks like he has regressed from last year when he wasn't anything special.
The hope for this group relies with the two new faces: Green-Beckham and Turner. The former has the most potential of any receiver on the roster, including Matthews and he can look like the poor-man's Randy Moss. Turner may not be on his way to a career filled with Pro Bowl selections, but he's been the Eagles' best receiver through two preseason games and deserves a roster spot over Rueben Randle or Chris Givens.
Tight End (3): Trey Burton, Brent Celek, Zach Ertz
Burton has been nonexistent during the first two preseason games and could be relegated to the special teams role he occupied for the past two seasons. Celek is a veteran and will be fine once the lights are on and the games start counting. As for Ertz, he's probably been the Eagles best offensive player in the preseason and there's a good chance he leads the Eagles in a few receiving categories at the end of the year.
The one guy missing from this group is Chris Pantale, who was present on the last two roster projections. Pantale can still make this team if the coaches view him as a solid option as a third blocking tight end or a blocking full back. But for now that spot will go to a guy who is currently listed as a guard.
Offensive Line (9): Jason Peters, Allen Barbre, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Stefen Wisniewski, Isaac Seumalo, Matt Tobin, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Dillon Gordon
Lane Johnson's impending 10-game suspension shakes things up a little bit, as it forces Tobin on to the roster as the top tackle option off the bench with Barbre covering right tackle for the time being. Seumalo has also impressed the coaches at left guard over the past week or so and should be penciled in as a Week 1 starter.
The new face among the group is Gordon, who was a tight end at LSU. The undrafted rookie got some snaps at fullback in Pittsburgh and looked agile enough to open up holes for running backs. His upside is much higher than Pantale's and he may not make it through waivers on the practice squad. Gordon is still a long shot, but for the short term, he's a versatile blocker, for the long-term he's an offensive tackle project.
Defensive End (6): Connor Barwin, Vinny Curry, Brandon Graham, Bryan Braman, Steven Means, Marcus Smith
The top four guys have been locks since day one. Curry, Barwin and Graham will get the majority of the snaps at defensive end, while Braman will remain a special teams ace. Means has impressed everyone with his pass-rushing skills through two games, picking up a pair of sacks and a QB hit that led to an interception. Meanwhile, Smith bounced back from a concussion to pick up a pair of tackles for loss and a sack last Thursday. For now, both of those guys make the team as situational pass rushers.
Defensive Tackle (4): Bennie Logan, Fletcher Cox, Beau Allen, Aziz Shittu
The only new face in this group is Shittu. Mike Martin may have been here instead, but he sat out last week with an injury, so he's left out for the time being. Shittu and Destiny Vaeao are the next two names up and both played well on Thursday. However, Shittu had 1.5 sacks and looked to be a pretty big force on the inside. Also, his name makes me laugh. He's making my hypothetical team, even if it is for comedic purposes.
Linebacker (5): Nigel Bradham, Jordan Hicks, Mychal Kendricks, Najee Goode, Stephen Tulloch
The Eagles finally did something to help out their linebacking corps and signed Tulloch to a one-year deal on Sunday. For now, he's still a depth guy, but it's hard to believe the Eagles would pay him a guaranteed $1.75 million to sit on the bench and not give him a chance at starting. With Kendricks still nursing a hamstring injury, Tulloch could step in and start for the next week, but at the very least, the Eagles now have a pair of NFL linebackers on their bench with Goode and Tulloch.
Cornerback (6): Leodis McKelvin, Nolan Carroll, Eric Rowe, Jalen Mills, Aaron Grymes, Ron Brooks
Carroll absolutely exploded onto the scene Thursday night with a pass breakup and a pick six. He and McKelvin seem pretty settled in at the starting spots with Mills and Brooks fighting it out for the nickel position. Eric Rowe has, at the very least, been making plays on special teams so that should save his roster spot.
The lone surprise is Grymes, who turned in another solid performance against the Steelers. However, he left that game early with a shoulder injury, which could put his roster chances in jeopardy. But the former CFL star is much better than the other options currently with the Eagles so he stays.
Safety (4): Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Chris Maragos, Jaylen Watkins
McLeod has been relatively quiet in the preseason, but he and Jenkins are proven veteran performers and can be counted on to turn it up in the regular season. Maragos has already made a few plays on special teams and will remain in that role.
The final spot comes down to Watkins or Ed Reynolds. Watkins picked up an interception on Thursday, so we'll roll with the hot hand here. At the very least, it is nice to finally see some Chip Kelly late-round draft picks making a marginal impact on the roster.
Special Teams (3): Caleb Sturgis, Donnie Jones, Jon Dorenbos
Jones and Dorenbos are still locks, unless of course, the long snapper decides to pursue that magic career a bit sooner than anticipated. Cody Parkey made strides in the kicking competition this week with Sturgis forced to miss time with a concussion. Still, when healthy, Sturgis has looked better than Parkey and unless his injury forces him to miss time in the regular season, he'll be back on the team.
