Projecting the Eagles 53 Man Roster: Post Draft Edition

Now that the NFL draft has concluded, the Philadelphia Eagles will have their Training Camp roster mostly set. There could be a signing here or there in the coming weeks and months, but for the most part the Eagles have a group of players they feel are the best players they could possibly have.

Even though there's no way of knowing what potential moves the Eagles make before finalizing the 53-man roster in September, here's my way too early projection of who will be on the team for Week 1 against Washington:

Quarterback (3): Carson Wentz, Nate Sudfeld, Clayton Thorson

This is an obvious one, as the team wants Sudfeld as the backup to Carson Wentz. Thorson wouldn't make it through waivers and even if he did he wouldn't stay on the practice squad for long. If he doesn't end up on IR with a mysterious injury, he'll be inactive for the entire season barring any injuries to Wentz or Sudfeld.

Running back (4): Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood

This could end up becoming a running back by committee by the middle or end of the season, but starting in Week 1 it will likely be Jordan Howard getting the vast majority of the carries. Miles Sanders and Corey Clement will be sprinkled in as change of pace backs, and Wendell Smallwood makes the team over Josh Adams because of Smallwood's special teams abilities. The Eagles will hope that Adams makes it through waivers and they can keep him on the practice squad for the entire season. If that is able to happen, Adams would be the first player brought in if any of the four 'backs get hurt during the season.

Wide receiver (5): Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Nelson Agholor, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Mack Hollins

Based on potential, this could possibly be one of the best wide receiver corps in Eagles history. If they go with six receivers, then Shelton Gibson is the favorite to grab that spot. For now I see the team only keeping five receivers though.

Tight end (3): Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Richard Rodgers

This is probably the easiest group to project outside of quarterbacks and the specialists. This was supposed to be last year's group, but an injury in the preseason cost Rodgers half the season.

Offensive line (10): Jason Peters, Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Andre Dillard, Matt Pryor, Ryan Bates, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Jordan Mailata

Based off of talent, this is what the Eagles group should look like. However, carrying five players who only know how to play offensive tackle might be difficult with depth. Not having a backup for Jason Kelce could be risky, but the team might try Seumalo at center in that situation and move Pryor or Bates to left guard. We just have to hope Brooks can be healthy enough to play from Week 1 so no juggling needs to happen from the get-go. Vaitai could be a trade candidate if Mailata proves to be a legitimate prospect.

Defensive tackle (5): Fletcher Cox, Malik Jackson, Tim Jernigan, Trayvon Hester, Hassan Ridgeway

A season after not having much depth outside of Fletcher Cox, the 2019 Eagles seem primed to have a great season in the middle of the trenches. Jackson and Cox will team up to overpower offensive lines, while a healthy Jernigan will provide as a rotational player to help give the other two a breather on a few plays. Hester was a great late-season addition last season, and he'll look to improve as a potential rotational guy as well.

Defensive end (5): Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Vinny Curry, Josh Sweat, Shareef Miller

This could change if Chris Long decides to come back, but if not this should be what the group looks like. Graham and Barnett will take a majority of the snaps, with Curry rotating in as well. Sweat and Miller will battle in Training Camp to see which of the two will get more snaps in 2019, but all five of these players should be active on gamedays.

Linebacker (5): Nigel Bradham, Zach Brown, Kamu Grugier-Hill, L.J. Fort, T.J. Edwards

This one is a little harder to project. Nathan Gerry has been a contributor the past two seasons on special teams and occasionally on defense as well. He could very well take Fort's or Edwards' spot on the roster, but the team seems high on Fort and there is a lot of buzz surrounding the signing of Edwards as an undrafted free agent, so this is what the roster should be for now. We'll have to wait if Fort or Edwards underperforms during Training Camp for Gerry to take advantage of. Another name to keep an eye on is Paul Worrilow.

Cornerback (6): Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills, Cre'Von LeBlanc, Avonte Maddox, Sidney Jones, Rasul Douglas

This should be easy to project because these are the six best corners on the roster. However, it will be hard to project who actually plays the most in 2019. Darby should have a starting position locked, but then it's murky from there. Jim Schwartz has had a love affair with Jalen Mills for a few years, but last season Schwartz might have liked what he seen in any of the others to maybe kick Mills out of a starting role.

Safety (4): Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Blake Countess, Tre Sullivan

The team signed Andrew Sendejo this spring, but if he stays on the roster the Eagles will potentially lose a compensatory pick in 2020. The team will need as many draft picks as possible in the future due to Carson Wentz's eventual mega-contract that will hinder the ability to sign free agents, so Sendejo will likely get cut so the team doesn't lose a potential pick. The talent drop-off wouldn't be too drastic between Sendejo and Sullivan anyway. And if depth becomes a problem the team could always revert to Avonte Maddox switching from corner to safety again.

Specialists (3): Jake Elliott, Cameron Johnston, Rick Lovato

The Eagles didn't bring in any competition for Elliott this offseason, so this won't be hard to solve, these are literally the only three specialists on the team and they will make the roster barring any injuries or suspensions.