Initial Thoughts For The Eagles' Initial 53

There are always a few surprises on the cut to 53 and the most notable is how heavily Howie Roseman skewed defense.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni / John McMullen/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles trimmed down to the NFL-mandated 53-man roster limit in advance of the 2024 season on Tuesday afternoon.

Here are a few immediate thoughts on the initial 53 that will certainly be tweaked in the next few days.

BIGGEST SURPRISE - The Eagles started lopsided heavily toward defense, keeping 28 vs. 22 for the offense and the three specialists. In theory, Philadelphia went heavy on the edge with Patrick Johnson a deserving No. 6, the interior defensive line with no choice between Marlon Tuipulotu and Thomas Booker because both made it, and in the defensive backfield with 11 players, including James Bradberry, Eli Ricks, and Tristin McCollum…

That takes us to GM Howie Roseman’s STRONGEST MESSAGE - Roseman emphasized consistently that the roster is incomplete right now and that the Eagles view the process as 70 deep which will include the 16-man practice squad and international exemption Laekin Vakalahi. That means a lot of the depth chart questions like only two tight ends and no obvious backup center will be better understood after the PS is in place. That process can start at noon on Wednesday. 

TOP BREAKTHROUGH - Several candidates included first-year safety Tristin McCollum and Booker. The winner, though is second-year offensive Darian Kinnard, a futures signing who was a fifth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022. Kinnard took most of his summer reps at right tackle with a few mixed in at right guard and held his own to the point the Eagles felt he was a better option than players with significant starting experience like Nick Gates and Mac Scharping.

BIGGEST CONCERN: The depth on offense will need to be addressed at tight end where multiple bodies must be added back and the offensive line where swing tackle Fred Johnson is joined by Kinnard, a second-year player in Tyler Steen who failed to seize the right guard position and is dealing with a problematic ankle, and rookie fifth-round pick Trevor Keegan has been working through a hip injury.

SHOULD HAVE MADE IT: The Eagles could have used veteran receiver Parris Campbell for a few weeks while getting trade acquisition Jahan Dotson ramped up into the new offense. It’s not an egregious oversight on Roseman’s part. That said if Dotson has trouble assimilating quickly, the Eagles will have to use players who are limited to particular roles in Britain Covey (flex) and Johnny Wilson (an X red-zone threat).

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