With free agency and the NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror, we have now passed the two most important phases of the offseason. Here is what the current Eagles depth chart might look like:
This might not be what the roster with another wave of free agency set to take place now that the draft has concluded. But there are definitely some notes to take from this current roster:
• The front office says they believe in Hurts and they doubled down on it by grabbing his best friend (A.J. Brown) and adding his former college tight end (Grant Calcaterra). They also added the #1 undrafted QB from this draft in Carson Strong, who would have likely been a day two or early day three draft pick if not for his injury history.
• Miles Sanders and Kenneth Gainwell will be the #1 and #2 with Boston Scott still getting a decent chunk of snaps each game. The Eagles added an interesting undrafted back in Kennedy Brooks, who could potentially take Jordan Howard's role in the offense as a bruiser back if Howard remains unsigned.
•The Eagles have a lot of tight ends on the roster but there's no clear cut #2 behind Dallas Goedert. Tyree Jackson is injury prone while Jack Stoll and Noah Togiai are unproven, Richard Rodgers has little left in the tank, and JJAW is trying a new position to help his chances in making the team. That's why the Birds took a chance on Grant Calcaterra, who without his injury history could have been a day two pick in the draft. Calcaterra and Hurts have played together before so that chemistry advantage could move him up to #2 on the depth chart while Jackson heals from his ACL injury.
• The receiver room was uncertain before the draft with only DeVonta Smith as a reliable option. Howie Roseman fixed that by adding A.J. Brown and now might have the best receiver tandem in franchise history. The addition of Brown also will allow Quez Watkins to feel less pressure and do what he does best with his speed downfield to take the top off of defenses. Zach Pascal could be a decent veteran addition to this offense as well.
• The offensive line is looking solid if everyone stays healthy, but even if there are injuries Howie Roseman has done a fantastic job in adding depth all over the line to the point where the offense could still function if missing a starter or two for small periods of time.
•Howie likes depth on his d-line, and last year's pass rushing was underwhelming. The addition of Jordan Davis is huge as it will allow the interior d-line to stay fresh by rotating Davis, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and Milton Williams. It will also allow the defense to potentially use 3-4 fronts, as Davis' stature is a perfect fit as a nose tackle.
•The linebacker position is a lot better thanks to the additions of Kyzir White, Nakobe Dean, and Kyron Johnson. Haason Reddick will have a presence at linebacker too if Jonathan Gannon adds some 3-4 defense concepts, which would allow Reddick to rush the passer while standing upright.
•There's no real reliable player at cornerback outside of Darius Slay, which is definitely a cause for concern for the defense. But hopefully the upgrades on the d-line and the linebacker position will make things less stressful for the defensive backs. There are a handful of decent veterans still on the free agent market that the Eagles could target (Trae Waynes, Joe Haden, Kevin King, Xavier Rhodes, Kyle Fuller, Chris Harris). For now this will be the best training camp battle to watch with all the young players vying for a role on this defense.
•The safety looks shaky at best. Epps has shown some bursts of good play but hasn't been consistent. Anthony Harris provides some veteran leadership but can't be trusted to make plays without some help. The Birds lost out on Tyrann Mathieu and now the free agent talent at the position is adequate at best (Landon Collins, Tashaun Gipson, Jaquiski Tartt).
•It's surprising that the Birds didn't bring in competition at punter. Arryn Siposs started off the 2021 season strong but he was extremely shaky at season's end.
