Ranking the Eagles five most intriguing upcoming roster battles

We have long put our minds at ease about something that troubled us for the better part of a few seasons. Philadelphia Eagles Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman should have zero concerns about job security. Period… Point blank… End of the sentence…

It wasn’t always that way. We would never question your intelligence by stating something to the contrary. Chip Kelly once buried him in the equipment room in an attempt to avoid dealing with him daily. Howie made questionable draft decisions and wrote checks for contracts that crippled the franchise on more than one occasion, but as Jason Kelce, the author of the greatest speech in the history of victory parades once put it, after he emerged from that equipment room, we have seen “a different Howie Roseman, an underdog”.

Last season, as we watched one of the greatest Eagles teams ever assembled maneuver its way through the 2022-2023 NFL regular season and postseason, we knew if Philly fell short of reaching its goal of winning Super Bowl LVII, Howie would have nothing to hang his head about.

He did everything he could to field the best roster possible. So far during the current offseason, he appears to be doing so again. Some say this team has the potential to be better than last year’s squad. Another rookie minicamp is underway. Training camp and the preseason will soon follow. The process of constructing a 53-man roster and practice squad will most certainly be something to behold.

Here are five positional battles that every Eagles fan will discuss during training camp and in the preseason.

There’s a ton of talent on this Eagles roster, so much so that it’s already become obvious that this team will have to give some talented prospects their walking papers. As is the case every offseason, positional battles will tell the tale. Here are five you’ll need to pay attention to.

1. Cornerback

More often than not, each NFL team keeps somewhere between five and six cornerbacks on the 53-man roster. At the time of this story’s creation, rookie Kelee Ringo is unsigned, but Philly added two UDFA corners to the nest on Cinco de Mayo. Both are immensely talented.

Once Ringo does put pen to paper, the Eagles’ cornerback tally will swell to 12 men. Something tells us Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and Avonte Maddox are locks to make the team. That’s a safe bet, right? Here’s what that means though.

If our math is correct, Ringo, Josiah Scott, Zech McPhearson, Josh Jobe, Greedy Williams, Eli Ricks, Mario Goodrich, Mekhi Garner, and Tristin McCollum are in a battle to win what might be three jobs on the active gameday roster.

2. Defensive tackle

At some point or another, Marlon Tuipulotu, Ndamukong Suh, Linval Joseph, Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, Javon Hargrave, and Milton Williams all spent time on the Eagles’ active roster last season. Tuipulotu, Cox, Davis, and Williams are all on the current roster.

Kentavius Sweet was added during free agency. Jalen Carter and Moro Ojomo were added during the most recent NFL Draft. The questions now are about how many interior defensive linemen Philadelphia plans to carry on the 53-man roster.

3. Wide receiver

As is the case with the cornerback position, most NFL teams carry six wide receivers on their 53-man roster. The top four guys on Philly’s depth chart are A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, and Olamide Zaccheaus. It’s safe to assume that all four will make the roster, but two undrafted rookies are very impressive (Joseph Ngata and Jadon Haselwood). Greg Ward, Britain Covey, Tyrie Cleveland, and Devon Allen are all in the mix as well.

4. Linebacker

We saw the Eagles deploy an array of defensive looks a season ago. No one knows what Sean Desai’s scheme will look like. We have also discussed Philadelphia’s perceived lack of interest in investing heavily in the defense’s second level (with the exception of the handsome payday they gave to Haason Reddick).

Still, even with that being said, much of Philly’s success will be determined by how well Nicholas Morrow performs and whether Nakobe Dean is as good as we hope he is.

There are a lot of bodies here. Most of which either have much to prove (Kyron Johnson,  Davion Taylor, Patrick Johnson) or they’re in the ‘good but not good enough’ category (Christian Elliss, Shaun Bradley).

Don’t rule out the possibility of Philly making another move here. As it stands right now, there are more questions than answers.

5. Tight end

Dallas Goedert is the starter, and he’s a good one. That we know. Past that, there are more questions than answers.

Jack Stoll is a better blocker than a receiver (at least, that’s what they say). Grant Calcaterra is a better receiver than a blocker, but he hasn’t arrived yet. Philly signed Dan Arnold to an extension recently. Bradu Russell, Dalton Keene, and Tyree Jackson are also in the mix. This is a battle that’s going to be very intriguing.

Very honorable mention: The safeties

The Eagles have often kept five safeties on their roster. We have also seen one of those guys serve as a special teams ace. Look no further than Chris Maragos or the speedster Rudy Ford if you need examples.

As with Kelee Ringo (and fellow draftees Nolan Smith and Tyler Steen for that matter), Sydney Jones has yet to sign his rookie deal, but he will eventually. When he does, he’ll be added to a room that includes K’Von Wallace, Justin Evans, Andre Chachere, Terrell Edmunds, and Reed Blankenship.

The intrigue here comes in knowing Philly may toy with moving one of their corners to the DB position. They could also add another veteran. Don’t be shocked if Howie Roseman makes a move at safety or linebacker and adds another player at the position.