Down to 53

[time2rock]

Down to 53

Posted: August 29th, 2023 | Author: Tommy Lawlor 

The Eagles made cuts on Tuesday, getting the roster down to 53. As you’ve been told countless times, there is no such thing as a final roster. This is the first group of 53. Changes will be made.

Here is the roster for now.

QB – 3 – Hurts, Mariota, McKee

RB – 4 – Swift, Gainwell, Penny, Scott

WR – 4 – Brown, Smith, Watkins, Zaccheaus

TE – 4 – Goedert, Stoll, Calcaterra, Okwuegbunam

OL – 9 – Mailata, Dickerson, Kelce, Jurgens, L Johnson, Steen, F Johnson, Driscoll, Opeta

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DL – 7 – Cox, Davis, Williams, Carter, Tuipulotu, Ojomo, Street

Edge – 6 – Reddick, Sweat, BG, Smith, Barnett, Patrick Johnson

LB – 3 – Dean, Cunningham, Elliss

SAF – 4 – Blankenship, Edmunds, Brown, Evans

CB – 7 – Slay, Bradberry, Jobe, Ringo, Maddox, Ricks, Goodrich

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ST – 2 – Lovato, Elliott

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Let’s take a look at the notable moves.

Goodrich sticks around to be the backup slot. He played well this summer after spending last year on the practice squad.

Johnson had a terrific camp before getting hurt. He can rush the passer and play LB, plus helps on STs. Good depth piece.

Street looked better in camp than games. He can rush the passer and offers depth up front.

Barnett was hoping to be dealt somewhere he could play more. The Eagles didn’t get the right offer so he’ll be sticking around. The Eagles have told Barnett they’ll find a way to get him on the field.

Opeta gives you depth and experience at OG.

Bo left off Eli Ricks. I’m assuming Bo felt he was going to make it. Ricks was really good in the preseason games and gives you really good CB depth.

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I did not anticipate the Eagles trading for a TE. Interesting move. Okwuegbunam is a big, athletic player. He’s only started 7 games in 3 years. Has gone 54-546-4 in the NFL so there is some production, but nothing noteworthy.

You can see legit talent. He had a big game in the preseason finale.

We know Dallas Goedert is one of the best TEs in the league. Stoll and Calcaterra are role players, but they have issues. Stoll isn’t much of a receiver. He has 15 catches in 33 career games. Calcaterra caught 5 passes as a rookie and showed promise as a receiver. The question with him is whether he can be a functional blocker.

Okwuegbunam is bigger than both of them. He’s more athletic. He can help in the pass and run game. If you put him and Goedert in the game together, you’ll have a pair of TEs who can block and catch. That puts a lot of pressure on the defense.

Okwuegbunam came at a low price so this is a low risk move with good upside. This is the kind of move that Howie has done a good job with in recent years.

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There is no punter on the roster right now. That will change.

This seems like the key name to watch. The Steelers kept two punters so Howie could call them about a trade if he’s interested.

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I was surprised to see Britain Covey get cut. The Eagles only have 4 WRs and no clear cut PR. I’m sure they’ll try to add Covey to the practice squad. He was hurt this summer and the Eagles decided he was expednable, even if only on a temporary basis.

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This is a deep, talented roster. The Eagles kept a lot of OL, DL and CBs. Those are all critical positions so it isn’t surprising for them to go heavy at any of those spots. Howie and his staff won’t stop looking for talent. They will use the practice squad to load up on spots where the roster needs help. They will talk to other teams about trades. I’m sure they would love to get a decent offer for Barnett. With the Eagles making the Super Bowl last year, they aren’t likely to land anyone on waivers, if they even put in any claims. Still, you never know.

Expect plenty of roster/practice squad activity in the coming days. The first game is still more than a week away so the Eagles have plenty of time to adjust the roster and figure out who will be the active players against the Patriots.

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