Roob’s Observations: A fascinating roster decision the Eagles must make originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
An intriguing battle for a spot on the 53-man roster, a record within Jalen Carter’s reach and my projected 53-man roster … and projected practice squad!
With training camp in the rear-view mirror, preseason games finally over, final cuts coming tomorrow and the Eagles’ 92nd opening day just 11 days away, here’s this week’s batch of Roob’s 10 Random Eagles Observations.
1. One of the more intriguing roster battles is Ben VanSumeren vs. Oren Burks, and it’s a roster battle nobody envisioned a week ago. We’ll assume Nakobe Dean, Zach Baun, Jeremiah Trotter Jr,. and Devin White have roster spots locked up and we’ll assume there’s one more spot for an off-ball linebacker. VanSumeren was a very good special teamer as an undrafted rookie last year and has looked really good this summer as a linebacker. Baun suffered a knee injury on Day 2 of training camp, and we didn’t see him again until this past Tuesday, so he missed most of camp. But in his limited audition – two practices and the preseason game against the Vikings – he looked great. Fast, physical and active. And that shouldn’t be surprising, considering he’s a guy who’s played nearly 100 games in the NFL and was going against backups. VanSumeren and Burks are both very good special teamers, too. But there’s only room for one, unless there’s some sort of other shocking move with the linebackers. If VanSumeren had anything less than a very good camp I’d say the job would be Burks’. But I just don’t think the Eagles are ready to risk losing VanSumeren to keep a 29-year-old guy on a one-year contract because he had three impressive days. I think it’s close, and maybe it goes the other way and the Eagles try to get VanSumeren through waivers onto the practice squad. But my guess is VanSumeren is on the 53 and Burks isn’t.
2. My 53-man roster: QB [3] Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett, Tanner McKee; RB [3] Saquon Barkley, Kenny Gainwell, Will Shipley; WR [5] A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson, Ainias Smith; TE [2] Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra; OL [9] Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Mekhi Becton, Lane Johnson, Fred Johnson, Tyler Steen, Dylan McMahon, Trevor Keegan; DT [6] Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Moro Ojomo, Marlton Tuipulotu, Thomas Booker IV; Edge [6] Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Patrick Johnson; LB [5] Nakobe Dean, Zach Baun, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Devin White, Ben VanSumeren; Sa [4] Reed Blankenship, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Tristin McCollum, Avonte Maddox; CB [7] Darius Slay, Quinyon Mitchell, Kelee Ringo, Isaiah Rodgers, Eli Ricks, Cooper DeJean, Josh Jobe; ST [3] Jake Elliott, Rick Lovato, Braden Mann.
3A. Some more roster thoughts: Tough call on whether to keep a 10th offensive lineman, but I don’t think you need to devote a roster spot to Darian Kinnard, Nick Gates or Brett Toth, so I went with nine o-linemen and then you keep a couple of those guys on the practice squad and bring ’em up as needed. I’ve got Ainias Smith over Parris Campbell for that final WR spot because he’s earned it over the last week and a half. And the Dotson acquisition makes Campbell expendable and helps Smith because now you have that veteran backup and you can afford the luxury of a project like Smith. But I like Campbell on the practice squad to have that extra veteran in the building. And he’d make close to $400,000 for a year on the practice squad so why wouldn’t he agree to it assuming nobody signs him. Booker is a late addition. He’s had a really good last few weeks, and we know Vic Fangio wants a bunch of interior lineman. I had to find a way to keep Patrick Johnson. Very good special teamer and there are enough question marks on the edge that I think it makes sense to keep him around. He gets the nod over Julian Okwara. At corner, Jobe beats out Zech McPhearson for a seventh corner spot that may not exist. But his special teams ability may get him a spot. Still think there’s a chance the Eagles try to trade a corner. Eli Ricks probably makes the most sense and may bring you a late pick. But would Howie consider trading Isaiah Rodgers with the thinking that Quinyon Mitchell is ready to start at outside corner across from Darius Slay and then when he moves inside in dime Kelee Ringo can move in outside? It sounds crazy, but Rodgers is a free agent after this year and he might bring the Eagles a 4th-round pick (or maybe a player). Rodgers had a better camp than Ringo, but Ringo wasn’t that far back. Would be the ultimate Howie Roseman move to sign a guy under suspension and then trade him for a pick.
3B. There is a new rule that allows teams to designate two players on IR at final cuts who won’t be out for the entire season but will have to miss only four weeks and won’t count against the 53. In past years, you had to decide whether to carry an injured guy on your initial 53 or end his season. Steen could be a candidate for that, but the Eagles haven’t indicated how serious his injury is or if he’s close to coming back. Caden Sterns could also be on that list. Sydney Brown is in a different situation. He’s on PUP, so he can go on regular-season PUP and not count against the 53 and also be eligible to return for Week 5 (although it would be Week 6, since the Eagles have a Week 5 bye).
4. My projected practice squad, and they’ll probably add a couple guys from other teams, but here are 16 I would consider keeping: Darian Kinnard, Nick Gates, Brett Toth, Parris Campbell, Joseph Ngata, Tyrion Davis-Price, Kendall Milton, Griffin Hebert, E.J. Jenkins, P.J. Mustipher, Julian Okwara, Andre’ Sam, Shon Stephens, Zech McPhearson, Terrell Lewis and Oren Burks.
5. From 1953 through 1955, the Eagles won 16 preseason games and 18 regular-season games.
6. No Eagle has ever had double-digit sacks in his rookie or second season. Trent Cole (12 ½), Andy Harmon (11 ½) and Jerome Brown (10 ½) did it in their third season. Corey Simon had 9 ½ as a rookie, but the most sacks by an Eagle in his second pro season is 8.0, by Mike Mamula in 1996 and Cole in 2006. (And, no, Reggie White doesn’t count because he played three seasons in the USFL before joining the Eagles in 1985.) I’ll be surprised – very surprised – if Jalen Carter doesn’t hit double figures this year. He had 6.0 as a rookie despite falling off the second half of the year – 3 ½ sacks his first five games, 2 ½ his last 12. After watching him all summer, I believe he’s going to be an absolute terror this year. All year. He seems to be in better shape, he’s got a veteran coach who knows how to get the most out of him and he’s just got a better idea of how to navigate a full NFL season. He’s expanded his pass rush moves, he’s going to be lining up outside a little bit and there are times he’s simply unblockable. Eagles record for an interior lineman is Harmon’s 11 ½ in 1993. That’s going to go. Just a matter of when.
7. Brandon Graham played with David Akers in 2010. Akers played with William Thomas in 1999. Thomas played with Wes Hopkins in 1991. Hopkins played with Harold Carmichael in 1983. Carmichael played with Nate Ramsey in 1971. Ramsey played with Sonny Jurgensen in 1963. Jurgensen played with Chuck Bednarik in 1957. Bednarik played with Steve Van Buren in 1949. Van Buren played with Tommy Thompson in 1944. Thompson’s first year with the Eagles was 1941 (and there were only two players on the team in both 1940 and 1941 and neither was on the roster before 1940). So we can go from 2024 back to 1941 in 10 moves.
8. With Dotson now an Eagle, it’s interesting to note that only seven wide receivers drafted in the first round by a different team have ever played for the Eagles. The first two were Hall of Famers James Lofton in 1993 and Art Monk in 1995. Mount Holly’s Irving Fryar had a very good three-year stint here from 1996 through 1998, Mark Ingram was briefly an Eagle in 1996 and then Charles Johnson spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons with the Eagles. The last two were Donte’ Stallworth in 2006 and Julio Jones last year. Fryar caught 222 passes as an Eagle, Johnson 90 and Stallworth 38. Lofton, Jones, Monk and Ingram caught a total of 32.
9A. Eighteen of the top 20 draft picks in 2022 are still with the original team that drafted them. The only two who aren’t are Jahan Dotson and Kenny Pickett.
9B. The Eagles actually acquired three top-20 players selected by other teams in the 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2011 drafts:
2006: Vince Young (No. 3), Ernie Sims (No. 9), Haloti Ngata (No. 12).
2008: Chris Long (No. 2), Leodis McKelvin (No. 11), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (No. 12).
2010: Sam Bradford (No. 1), Ndamukong Suh (No. 2), Ryan Mathews (No. 12),
2011: Julio Jones (No. 6), Robert Quinn (No. 14), Ryan Kerrigan (No. 16).
The Eagles also acquired three top-20 picks in the 1961 draft from other teams – Norm Snead (No. 2), Marlin McKeever (No. 4) and Mike Ditka (No. 5) – and they actually acquired four top-20 picks from other teams in the 1984 draft – Fryar (No. 1), Keith Millard (No. 13), Vaughan Johnson (No. 15), Ron Solt (No. 19).
10. Considering Penn State is only 3 ½ hours west of Philly, it’s surprising how few Penn State players the Eagles have had over the years. The Eagles have drafted only four PSU players since 1985 – four in 40 years. And only one of them – Miles Sanders – played in more than 14 games in an Eagles uniform. Tony Stewart, a 5th-round tight end in 2001, played in three; Tony Hunt, a 3rd-round running back in 2007, played in 14; and Shareef Miller, a 4th-round edge in 2019, played in just one. Miller is the only defensive player the Eagles have ever drafted out of Penn State, and he played two total snaps in an Eagles uniform (both on special teams). Assuming Saquon Barkley and Jahan Dotson both start games this year, they’ll be only the second and third Penn State 1st-rounders to start a game in an Eagles uniform. The only previous one was Kenny Jackson. Zordich, who was here from 1994 through 1998, is the only Penn State player to start a game on defense for the Eagles, and that was 26 years ago. Only seven PSU players have started more than 10 games for the Eagles: Zordich (79 starts), offensive tackle Ron Heller from 1988 through 1992 (71), Jackson from 1984 through 1991 (53), Sanders from 2019 through 2022 (49), guard Stefen Wisniewski from 2016 through 2018 (24), tight end Vyto Kab from 1982 through 1985 (20) and quarterback Pete Liske in 1971 and 1972 (17). Last time two PSU players started a game for the Eagles in the same season was 1997, with Zordich and Michael Timpson. In addition to Barkley and Dotson, the Eagles also have PSU products Brandon Smith and P.J. Mustipher on the current roster.
