PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles open the 2021 NFL regular season for the Atlanta Falcons Sept. 12 at Mercedes Benz Stadium. Philadelphia finished the 2020 season at the bottom of the NFC East with a 4-11-1 record.
It’s a team of extremes in a sense, with some position groups (including offensive and defensive lines) heavy for veteran players over 30 and other groups (such as wide receivers) with little NFL experience. There is a boost for first-year coach Nick Sirianni and projected starting quarterback Jalen Hurts (23), but there are also many unknowns regarding the Eagles ’competing group.
The roster will drop to 53 players at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): It hurts, Joe Flacco
Nick Mullens, who played ten games for the San Francisco 49ers last season, hasn’t done enough this summer to take a spot on the roster. But he has acquired knowledge of the Sirianni system and can access a small skin if it is still available.
RUNNING BACK (4): Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell, Jordan Howard, Boston Scott
Kerryon Johnson’s knee injury consolidated Howard’s place. It can be used in short yard and late game situations, while Gainwell and Scott will be deployed in the passing game.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, Travis Fulgham, Quez Watkins
There are no players over the age of 25 in the great hall of the receiver. Lack of experience is a bit worrisome. But Watkins and Reagor have shown growth this offseason and are expected to start alongside Smith, becoming a rather explosive, albeit young, group. This is one of the most difficult position groups to project, with the selection for the second round of 2019, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, and the brilliant John Hightower. In this projection, both players are left out.
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FINAL CLOSED (4): Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz, Tyree Jackson, Jack Stoll
Ertz remains on the Eagles ’roster despite all the low-season commercial talks. The Eagles must go heavy initially to bring in the promising Jackson before placing him on a list of injured.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks, Jason Kelce, Isaac Seumalo, Andre Dillard, Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jack Driscoll, Nate Herbig, Le’Raven Clark
There are many things that can be liked about this group, assuming Johnson, Brooks and Kelce’s older statesmen can stay healthy. Dickerson has been pending the start of the regular season to return after an ACL injury.
DEFENSIVE LINE (9): Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Derek Barnett, Ryan Kerrigan, Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Tarron Jackson, Hassan Ridgeway
This group is expected to be the main strength of the team. Stay tuned to Sweat, which had a monster training camp and is a popular pick among his teammates for having a getaway season.
LINEBACKER (6): Eric Wilson, Alex Singleton, TJ Edwards, Patrick Johnson, Genard Avery, Davion Taylor
Wilson and Singleton have appeared as the most likely starters, while Avery and Johnson fit in with hybrid defensive coordinator Sam Linebacker / Pass-Rusher, defender Jonathan Gannon, who favors when they show a set with three liners.
CANTONER (6): Darius Slay, Steven Nelson, Avonte Maddox, Zech McPhearson, Craig James, Josiah Scott
Beginners (Slay, Nelson, Maddox) are solid, but there are questions about the depth of this group. McPhearson, a rookie, started camping hard before cooling off.
SECURITY (4): Anthony Harris, Rodney McLeod, K’Von Wallace, Marcus Epps
McLeod continues to work after an ACL injury, while Wallace has been plagued by a groin injury, creating some uncertainty in the position.
SPECIALISTS (3): Jake Elliott, Arryn Siposs and Rick Lovato
With Cameron Johnston now a member of the Houston Texans, the punting duties correspond to Siposs, the former Australian footballer. Elliott scored 73.7% of his field goal attempts last season, more than 10 percentage points less than in any of his other three seasons in the NFL.