11 Eagles veterans on roster bubble as 2023 training camp nears

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11 Eagles veterans on roster bubble as 2023 training camp nears

Here's a look at a handful of Eagles veterans who are on the roster bubble as training camp gets set to kick off

By Dave Zangaro • Published July 19, 2023

The Eagles report for training camp next week and several veterans will be fighting for their jobs.

While every single player is competing in training camp, there are plenty who are already locks and plenty who will enter training camp as long shots. Then there are the players who are on the bubble; guys who can either make or miss the team in 2023.

Here are 11 Eagles veterans on the roster bubble in 2023:

DE Derek Barnett: It’s a little tough to remember that Barnett is still even on the team. The Eagles’ first-round pick from 2017 signed a two-year contract last year as a free agent but then tore his ACL in the season opener in 2022 and missed the rest of the season. This year, Barnett enters training camp at a position that is pretty full. The top four edge rushers are Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham and rookie first-round pick Nolan Smith. So that means that even if Barnett makes the roster, he’ll be the fifth player in the rotation. If Barnett does stick around, that likely wouldn’t be good news for third-year SAM linebacker Patrick Johnson.

QB Ian Book: The Eagles brought in Book after final cuts last year and he spent the entire season on the roster as the Eagles’ No. 3 QB. The former fourth-round pick out of Notre Dame was the backup in two games behind Gardner Minshew when Jalen Hurts missed time with an injury. The Eagles might like Book but they just used a sixth-round pick on Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee, who will have an opportunity to win that job from him this summer.

S Justin Evans: The Eagles just signed the former second-round pick to a one-year deal that doesn’t include a ton of guaranteed money. It seems likely that the Eagles’ top three safeties in 2023 will be Reed Blankenship, Terrell Edmunds and Sydney Brown. But there’s a chance they might keep just four on the roster so that last spot could come down to a competition between Evans and incumbent backup safety K’Von Wallace, who played fairly well in a backup and special teams role in 2022.

LB Kyron Johnson: The Eagles’ sixth-round pick out of Kansas played in 16 games last season and finished the year with 265 special teams snaps. But then Johnson was inactive in all three playoff games. The Eagles drafted Johnson to be a SAM linebacker/edge rusher but at OTAs this spring, he was lining up at off-ball linebacker. There’s some opportunity at that position — more than at edge rusher — but it might not be easy for Johnson to make that transition and stick on the roster.

LB Nick Morrow: The Eagles signed Morrow to a one-year deal but that deal didn’t include any guaranteed money. Morrow is a tricky case because he could very well be the Eagles’ starting weakside linebacker next to Nakobe Dean in 2023. But if they add another player before the start of the season, he could also be expendable. A lot of this will depend on his performance in training camp. Morrow, 28, started all 17 games for the Bears last season and has 46 starts in his career.

OL Sua Opeta: The former UDFA out of Weber State began last season on the active roster, then had a stretch of inactives and was eventually cut and finished the year on the practice squad. Opeta has been with the Eagles since 2019 and has played in 25 games with 4 starts. But there will be plenty of competition for those last couple of spots on the offensive line.

RB Trey Sermon: The Eagles liked Sermon enough last year to claim him from the 49ers and keep him on the roster all season despite using him in just two games. This summer will be our first extended look at the former third-round pick but he’s the fifth guy at the running back position behind D’Andre Swift, Kenny Gainwell, Rashaad Penny and Boston Scott and it seems relatively unlikely the Eagles would keep five running backs.

P Arryn Siposs: After his second season as the Eagles’ punter, Siposs finally has some competition this offseason. The Eagles signed UDFA Ty Zentner from Kansas State. Siposs got better in 2022 but still finished in the bottom third of NFL punters and has a disastrous punt in the Super Bowl. But will Zentner be good enough to take his job? We’ll see.

DT Kentavius Street: There’s no question that Street is an NFL player. He has 6 1/2 sacks over the last two seasons with the 49ers and Saints and is a nice depth piece for the Eagles’ defensive line. He has played in 52 career games with 4 starts as a former fourth-round pick out of NC State. So it sounds like he’s going to make the team, right? But then you remember that he’s buried on the depth chart behind Fletcher Cox, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams and minimum. It’s possible he could be fighting for a job this summer.

DT Marlon Tuipulotu: If Street doesn’t make the roster, it might be because he loses a training camp battle to Tuipulotu, who was a sixth-round pick out of USC in 2021. Tuipulotu played in the first nine games of last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury. And it wasn’t like Tuipulotu was getting scraps of playing time; he played in 38% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps until his injury.

CB Greedy Williams: The Eagles signed the former second-round pick this offseason and he does offer a pretty good depth plan. But we already know the Eagles’ top three cornerbacks are Darius Slay, James Bradberry and Avonte Maddox. They just traded a third-round pick for Kelee Ringo, so he probably has a roster spot too. The Eagles will likely keep either five or six roster spots for cornerbacks, which means at most two spots for Williams, Zech McPhearson, Josh Jobe, Josiah Scott, Eli Ricks, Mario Goodrich and Mekhi Garner.

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/11-eagles-veterans-roster-bubble-as-2023-training-camp-nears/528346/

[UK_EaglesFan89]

Morrow and Evans I don’t see being on the bubble at all. In fact as of right now I’d say they are probably starters on this defense given the options at S and LB.

[EricAllenPick6]

4 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

Morrow and Evans I don’t see being on the bubble at all. In fact as of right now I’d say they are probably starters on this defense given the options at S and LB.

Morrow was just on pure speculation that the Eagles would make a trade for a veteran LB.   

 

[Rob331]

i agree with UKEF - Morrow on the buggle is a complete reach. 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

On 7/24/2023 at 4:09 PM, EricAllenPick6 said:

Morrow was just on pure speculation that the Eagles would make a trade for a veteran LB.   

 

I mean even if they do he probably still needs to make the roster as the third best LB…