Despite injuries in the Philadelphia Eagles’ linebacker corps, it shouldn’t be hard to figure out how things shape up at the position.
Finally, after the NFL Combine, free agency, the NFL Draft, rookie minicamps, and OTAs we’ve arrived. We’ve seen the Philadelphia Eagles conquer voluntary and mandatory minicamps. We’ve seen a training camp and three preseason games. One more game remains at a familiar venue, MetLife Stadium, versus a less-than-familiar opponent, the New York Jets. Then, it will all be over from a preseason standpoint.
All that will be left for them to do is put together the final 53-man roster.
It appears that we’re starting to get some idea about how that might turn out. Though six linebackers and five running backs sounds attractive, Philly may go with five guys at the defense’s second level and five running backs so they can appease some injury concerns at some other positions.
With that being said, the Eagles linebacker corps probably looks like this when all things are said and done: Nigel Bradham, L.J. Fort, Zach Brown, Nathan Gerry, and Kamu Grugier-Hill.
That leaves T.J. Edwards, Alex Singleton, and Chris Worley possibly on the outside looking in. Let’s examine each. Most Eagles fans like Edwards a lot. He went undrafted in 2019’s NFL Draft, and that was both surprising and unsurprising to a lot of people, surprising because of his talent and unsurprising because of a slow 40 time.
Edwards has proven he can play at the pro level. He plays well against the run but struggles a bit in pass coverage. Stop us if you’ve heard this phrase before. The Eagles don’t want to give up on Gerry yet. Grugier-Hill played in a little under 40 percent of the defensive snaps a season ago, and the Eagles are content with letting him evolve into a more important role this season.
Brown was the offseason acquisition who hasn’t always looked great in an Eagles jersey, but people think he’ll turn it on in the regular season. L.J. Fort has looked good. He’s also getting a base salary of $1,025,000. He isn’t going anywhere.
That leaves Bradham. He’s dealt with injury, as has Grugier-Hill. We’re not getting a timetable for the return of either player, but knowing that both will have roster spots when they return means you may see the extended stay of two guys, possibly Singleton and Edwards, but they may be added to the waiver wire when the starters are all healthy.