A trio of surprise Eagles roster additions have confused everyone

Well, come on. You have to know the deal by now. You didn't think the Philadelphia Eagles were going to simply release an initial 53-man roster without there being a debate about who should have made the squad and who should have been left off the roster, did you?

We won't waste a ton of your time here. We have discussed the notable absences in great detail earlier. Let's look at the other end of the spectrum. Why in the heck did these guys wind up making the team?

James Bradberry, cornerback

We've said this before, always in jest, but it needs to be repeated based on our current situation. James Bradberry is STILL on the Eagles roster. How does that happen unless he's familiar with some information he shouldn't know?

We're beginning to believe he knows something about someone important, something that he shouldn't, and this Eagles organization is keeping him around for fear of that secret leaking.

We're kidding of course, but serioulsy, why is James still on this roster? He's a liability in coverage, one no quarterback fears, No one truly believes he's going to be better as a safety.

All we have is this. Philly may be unwilling to simply release him without getting something for him. They're going to keep him until another team has to deal with an injury and is forced to peruse the trade block

In the meantime, we told you that Vic Fangio would become more fond of him the longer he stuck around. That being said, expect a few illegal contact and pass-interference penalty flags to fly if he finds his way onto the playing field at some point this season.

Darian Kinnard, guard/tackle

Jeff Stoutland has forgotten more about the game of football than most will ever know. He's the dean of his own football university. He turns great players into perennial Pro Bowlers and Pro Football Hall of Famers.

Every year, there's a surprise along the offensive line come final roster cuts. Often, they keep someone we aren't expecting. They have done so again, but we're more interested in whom theymoved on from to do so.

Darrian Kinnard can play both guard and tackle. But, does that mean Philly should have waived Dylan McMahon and released Brett Toth? Only time will tell. In the meantime, the Eagles don't have a backup center on the roster.

Also read: Predicting the members of the 2024 Eagles practice squad

Worth mentioning: Eli Ricks, cornerback

Eli Ricks has his supporters, and there are many. Truthfully, we wouldn't even complain about that. He is certainly an NFL-level player, but did he need to make this roster?

Josh Jobe is better on special teams. Zech McPhearon was actually drafted and was expected to be this team's backup slot corner last season before getting injured during the preseason.

Ricks is long and rangy. He can also play both inside and outside, but it also feels like everyone ahead of him on the cornerback depth chart (Darius Slay, Quinyon Mitchell, Kelee Ringo, Cooper DeJean, Isaiah Rodgers) and both James Bradberry and Avonte Maddox would have to experience injury before he saw the field.

So, that makes us ask. Why keep Ricks when the roster spot could have been used to keep EJ Jenkins, Dylan McMahon, or Parris Campbell? While some may disagree with the logic, it's still fair to ask the question, isn't it?

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