Philadelphia Eagles 53-man roster projection: Early-August edition

Philadelphia Eagles defensive and special teams depth chart projections

We’ve known who the specialists are for a while (and the Eagles didn’t bring in any competition for anyone). In terms of the defense, here’s a guess on what Jonathan Gannon‘s unit will look like.

Four defensive ends: Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Tarron Jackson

The first three names belong to guys we’re very familiar with. We’re still getting to know Tarron Jackson, but we expect improvement in year two.

Five defensive tackles: Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, and Marlon Tuipulotu

We’re keeping five defensive tackles because we simply can’t give up on Marlon Tuipulotu after one season, especially seeing as how he’s had a good camp so far. Expect a few surprises from him this season.

Seven linebackers… Here’s the breakdown

The MIKEs (middle linebackers): T.J. Edwards, Nakobe Dean, and Shaun Bradley

The SAMs (strongside backers): Haason Reddick and Kyron Johson

The WILLs (weakside linebackers): Kyzir White and Davion Taylor

Six cornerbacks: Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Zech McPhearson, Kary Vincent Jr., Josiah Scott

Four safeties: Anthony Harris, Marcus Epps, Jaquiski Tartt,  and Andre Chachere

The specialists: Jake Elliott (kicker), Arryn Siposs (punter), and Rick Lovato (long snapper)

As mentioned earlier, we had to juggle a few guys to piece this unit together. We just couldn’t say goodbye to Shaun Bradley or Marlon Tuipulotu. The Philadelphia Eagles have often kept five guys with one being a special teams ace. This time around, the extra spots are given to the linebacker corps.