Eagles announce initial 53-man roster for 2024 season

Eagles announce initial 53-man roster for 2024 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles have announced their initial 53-man roster for the 2024 season.

After 16 training camp practices and three preseason games, the Eagles trimmed their 91-man roster to 53 players by Tuesday’s 4 pm. deadline. They went heavy on defense.

It’s important to note this is not a final 53-man roster — it’s’ an initial one. There will be more changes to come throughout the season.

But here’s their starting point:

Quarterback (3): Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett, Tanner McKee

Some teams elect to keep just two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster but the Eagles were always going to keep these three. Jalen Hurts is entering his fifth NFL season and had a tremendous training camp in Kellen Moore’s offense. The Eagles traded for Kenny Pickett this offseason to be their backup. You can argue that Tanner McKee outplayed Pickett this summer but both are on the roster.

Running back (3): Saquon Barkley, Kenny Gainwell, Will Shipley

The Eagles go into this season with Saquon Barkley as their top back after landing the free agent running back on a three-year, $37.75 million contract. The Eagles spent big money on Barkley and he’s going to play a ton in 2024 if he stays healthy. But Kenny Gainwell and draft pick Will Shipley will have roles too.

Receiver (5): A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Britain Covey, Johnny Wilson

The Eagles found their third receiver when they traded for Jahan Dotson last week. He’ll round out the top three with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to form one of the best trios in the entire NFL. The Eagles got a bit creative and put rookie Ainias Smith on IR designated to return with an injury suffered in the preseason finale. That saved a roster spot to use elsewhere. Veterans Parris Campbell and Josh Ross were also released.

Tight end (2): Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra

The Eagles elected to keep just two tight ends on their initial roster. Their third-best tight end E.J. Jenkins was waived on Tuesday and Albert Okwuegbunam was put on IR. The Eagles will now scour the waiver wire and see what else is out there. They will want to have three tight ends on game days because if not they won’t have any plays in 13 personnel.

Offensive line (9): Lane Johnson, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Mekhi Becton, Lane Johnson, Tyler Steen, Fred Johnson, Trevor Keegan, Darian Kinnard

The five starters plus four backups. Mekhi Becton this summer went from backup to starting right guard. He took over for Tyler Steen after Steen suffered an ankle injury and Becton never gave it up. Even after the retirement of Jason Kelce, the Eagles should still have one of the better offensive lines in the league. Trevor Keegan made the roster but sixth-round pick Dylan McMahon did not. The Eagles kept Darian Kinnard over him.

Defensive tackle (6): Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Moro Ojomo, Marlon Tuipulotu, Thomas Booker

The two Georgia guys (Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis) are going to be the centerpiece of Vic Fangio’s defense. The expectations for Carter entering Year 2 couldn’t be any higher but this is a a make-or-break season for Davis in Year 3. Milton Williams is also a starter when the Eagles show a five-man front. The Eagles kept Thomas Booker after a good camp.

Edge rusher (6): Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff, Brandon Graham, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Patrick Johnson

The Eagles traded away Haason Reddick in the offseason and basically replaced him with Bryce Huff, who signed a three-year, $51 million deal. Huff will step into a much bigger role with the Eagles than he ever had with the Jets. Huff and Josh Sweat are going to be the starters but Brandon Graham and Nolan Smith are next up in the rotation. Patrick Johnson earned his roster spot and will be a core special teamer.

Linebacker (5): Devin White, Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Ben VanSumeren

The Eagles really mixed and matched with their linebackers during the summer. Devin White and Zack Baun got the most first-team reps but Nakobe Dean had a great training camp and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. also got some first-team reps. While it’s not clear who will play in 2024, this group looks better than the one they had to start 2023.

Cornerback (6): Darius Slay, Quinyon Mitchell, Isaiah Rodgers, Kelee Ringo, Cooper DeJean, Eli Ricks

Howie Roseman did an impressive job of flipping this position from last year. The Eagles have way more talent entering 2024 than they did a year ago. The Eagles’ starters are likely to be Darius Slay, Quinyon Mitchell and Isaiah Rodgers but there’s depth after that too. The Eagles waived special teamer Josh Jobe.

Safety (5): C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Reed Blankenship, Avonte Maddox, James Bradberry, Tristin McCollum

The Eagles brought back C.J. Gardner-Johnson this offseason and he’ll take over as one of the starting safeties next to Reed Blankenship. This position is a little light for now with Sydney Brown starting the season on PUP. James Bradberry is on the roster for now after making the transition from corner to safety this offseason.

Specialists (3): Jake Elliott, Braden Mann, Rick Lovato

Last year, the Eagles kept just two specialists as they were still hoping to find a new punter. Eventually, that guy became Mann. These three worked very well together last year and will start off the season together in 2024.

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