This afternoon, I posed a simple question to players in the Eagles locker room: Based on what you’ve seen, which teammate do you think is poised to have a really good year?
Selection was based simply on who was available. But it just so happened to be four defensive players and four offensive players. Here are their responses.
It’s that time of year when teams are actively molding their rosters in search of that perfect blend of potency and balance. The Eagles just so happen to have an excess of talent at a couple key positions. It is a perfect case of supply and demand, and the calls are coming in fast and furious.
“They’re very active. People are…Howie [Roseman] is constantly on the phone,” said Andy Reid. “That’s how it works.”
The Eagles have until 9 p.m. Friday to cut their roster down to 53.
That means 22 players currently on the squad will be told not to show up next week.
Keeping that in mind, here are 10 players who are sitting squarely on the roster bubble.
Andy Reid used the word stingy.
He was asked whether the Eagles could keep six defensive ends, and the head coach wanted to make clear that he’s not too fond of letting capable pass-rushers walk for nothing.
“There’s a chance,” Reid said. “I’m stingy when it comes to defensive linemen, so we’ve got to work the numbers and just see how all that pans out. There will be some tough decisions all the way around there.”
From Darryl Tapp to Brandon Graham to Derek Landri, here’s a player-by-player review of the Eagles defensive line from Friday night’s game against the Browns.
You can feel Andy Reid’s grip growing tighter. The closer it gets to cut-down day, the harder he clasps onto his collection of talent along the defensive front.
“You know how I feel about that. If I can keep them all, I will,” said Reid. “As many as you can keep. I think that’s an important position. Put a lot of responsibility on them. We’ll have to see how the numbers turn out, but I don’t like giving up good defensive linemen.”
With the Eagles just eight days away from cutting their roster down to 53 players, the battle between Kapadia and McManus continues. Today, Sheil provides his projection, along with a confidence rating for each position.
From Fletcher Cox to Phillip Hunt, here’s a player-by-player breakdown of how the Eagles’ defensive linemen performed against the Patriots.
The Eagles have a couple weeks before they have to trim their roster down to 53 players.
As we’ve discussed at length here on Birds 24/7, when that deadline arrives, Andy Reid and company will have difficult decisions to make on their defensive line.
One player whose role could go a long way in determining who stays and who goes is Cullen Jenkins.
The battle continues.
Yesterday, T-Mac provided us with a good laugh with his latest 53-man roster projection.
Now it’s my turn. I’ve got some changes from last week. Here goes nothing.
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Sheil Kapadia has been writing about the Eagles since 2008. His previous Philly.com blog, Moving the Chains, was named one of the best in the state by the Associated Press. Sheil's main joys in life are family, football and finding good parking spots.
Tim McManus is a bulldog reporter with a nose for news and story angles that will get people talking. He'll talk about it himself on 97.5 The Fanatic, where he serves as a host and Eagles beat reporter. Tim, an award-winning journalist, will be with the team around the clock.
