Eagles WR Shortage Not A Concern ... Yet

Philadelphia Eagles could start season with as many tight ends as wide receivers.

No need to panic.

That was the message Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman tried to convey after producing an initial 53-man roster with just four wide receivers on it.

That means the team is approaching its season opener with as many tight ends as receivers, an odd composition to say the least.

Not to worry, Roseman insisted on cutdown day. The expanded practice squads will allow them the flexibility to deal with all that. Besides, the state of the roster, as he pointed out, is fluid.

"From our perspective really when we talk about the roster and the numbers on the roster, they’re going to end up being the same numbers," Roseman said. "I think when you look at it, we’re really concerned with the 48 guys who are going to be up. And then the rest of those guys, they’re all practicing, they’re all going to have a role in practice.

"So I don’t know that we feel like we’re necessarily thin there. Obviously we have to get some guys back and see who is available, but when it shakes out and you look at the numbers, they’ll be the same as they always have been."

Eagles receivers DeVonta Smith (left) and A.J. Brown have worked perfectly together

And he may have a point. After all, only one football is in play at a time, and the team features perhaps the finest 1-2 punch in the NFL in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. They combined to catch 183 passes for 2,692 yards and 18 TDs on their way to the Super Bowl last year.

And let's not forget tight end Dallas Goedert's impressive 69.6 percent successful catch rate, which helped him finish with 55 receptions in 12 games. What's more, his 12.8 yards per catch exceeded Smith's (12.6).

The bottom line is that so long as the receivers stay healthy, there shouldn't be a problem.

In the meantime, they've loaded up on tight ends to go with Goedert. On top of keeping Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra, they traded for Albert Okwuegbunam.

They have four more receivers -- Joseph Ngata, Britain Covey, Devon Allen and the highly experienced Greg Ward -- on the practice squad.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts will not be short of receiving options, at least to start the season.

If there are injuries, then adjustments will have to be made. But the way the roster is composed, it seems like the Eagles will be able to handle them perhaps without even having to go outside the organization.