The Eagles have put together a talented 90-man roster as they prepare to head to training camp next week.
That means there will be some tough decisions when they have to cut their roster to 53 players by the Aug. 27 deadline. There are going to be some really fun competitions this summer and some good players are going to miss the cut.
Here are 15 veterans on the bubble as camp nears:
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DB James Bradberry: The soon-to-be 31-year-old has been a starting cornerback for the Eagles the last two seasons and was a second-team All-Pro in 2022. But he had an awful year in 2023 and is not going to be a starter in 2024. During the spring, we were looking forward to seeing Bradberry take snaps at safety but he got hurt early in one of the open practices. Presumably, Bradberry will be working at safety this summer in an attempt to stick on the Eagles’ roster. Perhaps the Eagles can find a trade partner to get something back for Bradberry but an outright cut shouldn’t be out of the question. It’s a tricky situation with a player who seemingly fell off a cliff last year but it still under contract.
LB Oren Burks: The 29-year-old will most likely be on the Eagles’ roster but that’s not guaranteed. With 91 games and 15 starts under his belt, Burks brings some experience to the Eagles’ linebacking corps but it doesn’t seem like he’s competing for a starting gig. That competition for the other spot next to Devin White will probably come down to Zack Baun or Nakobe Dean. Burks will need to make the team based on his special teams ability and perhaps a younger option like Ben VanSumeren will be more attractive, especially if the Eagles don’t want to guarantee Burks’ salary.
WR Britain Covey: I think Covey is going to be on the Eagles’ 53-man roster. He ended up being one of the better punt returners in the NFL last season and it’s a role that’s worth keeping him in. But the Eagles did add a bunch of guys with return experience this offseason in Cooper DeJean, Ainias Smith and Isaiah Rodgers. So if Covey doesn’t factor into the Eagles’ plans on offense, maybe they don’t think he’s worth keeping around as a punt returner. That might be a mistake but it’s not crazy to think it could happen.
RB Tyrion Davis-Price: If the Eagles keep just three running backs, then it’s going to be Saquon Barkley, Kenny Gainwell and Will Shipley. But if they keep a fourth, then Davis-Price is very much in the mix. Davis-Price was a third-round pick of the 49ers back in 2022 and he has played in just 7 career games. So calling him a veteran is probably a bit of a stretch. But he’s a guy with a pedigree on the bubble.
NFL
OL Matt Hennessy: The Eagles signed the veteran to a one-year deal after he missed the entire 2023 season with a knee injury. Hennessy has played in 41 games with 22 starts his career after the Falcons used a third-round pick on him in 2020. The Eagles signed him for some depth on the interior of their line but have since added Mekhi Becton and Max Scharping in free agency and drafted Trevor Keegan and Dylan McMahon on Day 3. Hennessy still has a shot to make the team but there are ways that doesn’t happen.
CB Josh Jobe: It wasn’t that long ago that Jobe was the Eagles’ top backup corner on the outside so his inclusion on this list shows just how much talent the Eagles have added at that position. The Eagles now have Quinyon Mitchell, Kelee Ringo and Isaiah Rodgers ahead of him. If Jobe is going to make the roster, he’ll need to do it on the strength of his special teams play, which is very possible. Jobe has turned into a tremendous gunner on the punt team and is a favorite of special teams coordinator Michael Clay.
OT Fred Johnson: Johnson spent last season as the Eagles’ backup left tackle and didn’t really get to play on offense because Jordan Mailata stayed healthy. The Eagles like Big Fred and extended him last summer because of it. But the addition of Becton makes this tricky. If Becton ends up being the top backup tackle on both sides — a traditional swing tackle — then it makes Johnson’s role a little harder to figure out.
LB Patrick Johnson: The Eagles used a seventh-round pick on Johnson in 2021 and he’s quietly carved out a big special teams role, playing in 48 games over the last three seasons. Over those three years, Johnson has played 868 special teams snaps to lead the Eagles. But with the additions of players like Baun and Burks, there’s no guarantee the Eagles keep Johnson around for his fourth season.
CB Zech McPhearson: Last year, the Eagles planned to go into the season with McPhearson as their backup nickel. Had that happened, McPhearson would have been called upon early in the year when Avonte Maddox got hurt. But McPhearson tore his Achilles in the preseason and missed the entire year. Now, he returns for his fourth NFL season and finds himself in a very crowded cornerbacks room.
DT PJ Mustipher: If the Eagles really want to have a pure backup nose tackle, Mustipher makes some sense. He’s 6-foot-4 and 318 pounds. But there are clearly several players ahead of him on the roster and the Penn State product will need to earn a spot this summer.
OLB Julian Okwara: The Eagles added the former third-round pick in February in a move that went under the radar. But Okwara is still just 26 and has played in 38 games in his career with 9 sacks. He’s a long-armed outside linebacker who could push for a roster spot.
TE Albert Okwuegbunam: The Eagles traded for Albert O just before the start of the 2023 season and kept him on the roster for most of the year despite little playing time. But Okwuegbunam had a big preseason game last year and has a chance to show he deserves a roster spot over Grant Calcaterra, who has been the No. 3 the last few years and could also be on this list.
CB Eli Ricks: We saw some promising signs from Ricks during his rookie year as a UDFA out of Alabama. But, again, it is a crowded defensive backs room. Ricks played in 16 games last season and has the ability to play inside and outside cornerback but he’ll need to beat out some other guys to make the roster this year.
WR John Ross: The former first-round pick is a great story. Ross hasn’t played in the NFL since 2021 and even officially retired but he started his comeback on a tryout basis with the Eagles in rookie camp and earned a roster spot. The speedster might be a long shot but the Eagles don’t have great depth at receiver either. So maybe Ross can resurrect his career at age 28.
TE C.J. Uzomah: The 31-year-old has played in 106 games with 82 starts and is the Eagles’ best bet as a blocking TE2 for their 12 personnel package. But maybe one of the other younger tight ends on the roster can push for this job behind Dallas Goedert.
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