Top 4 questions about the Philadelphia Eagles’ initial 53-man roster

The Philadelphia Eagles have made the cuts to get down to the initial 53-man roster for the 2024 NFL season. Anyone who has followed this team during the Howie Roseman era knows that this team will see some depth changes over the next several days.

Before the Eagles travel to Brazil to play the Green Bay Packers on Friday, September 6th, the organization will have to make some roster modifications. Philadelphia is light at a couple of position groups that must be addressed in the coming days.

The Biggest Takeaways from the Eagles Initial 53-man Roster

1. Only Two Tight Ends on the Roster

No surprise who the Eagles' top two tight ends are heading into the 2024 season. Dallas Goedert is expected to have a larger role in new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore's offense. Grant Calcaterra is a gifted athlete who when healthy can be a good receiving option for Philadelphia.

But those are the only tight ends currently on the roster. Both Goedert and Calcaterra have a history of injuries that have impacted their playing time. The Eagles waived E.J. Jenkins who played well in training camp and preseason games while Albert Okwuegbunam has been placed on the injured/reserve list.

One name to keep an eye on the Eagles potentially adding is Donald Parham. The veteran tight end was released by the Los Angeles Chargers on Tuesday afternoon. Parham had four touchdown catches and 41 pass targets in 14 games when Kellen Moore was his offensive coordinator during the 2023 NFL season.

2. Who is the Backup Center?

The Eagles are entering the post-Jason Kelce era and there are high expectations for new starting center Cam Jurgens. The expectation coming into training camp was veteran Matt Hennessy and rookie Dylan McMahon would be in the running for the backup center position.

But the man who got the majority of the second team center reps and started the preseason games was Brett Toth. Philadelphia added veteran offensive lineman Nick Gates and some people believed he would get the chance to be the primary backup interior offensive lineman.

But at the 4 PM NFL roster cuts deadline, the Eagles let all of those guys go. Veterans Hennessy and Gates will likely land in new cities because NFL teams are always desperate for offensive Line depth. Toth is curious to see what happens because he is someone who can play all five offensive line positions.

Dylan McMahon was selected in the 6th round of the 2024 NFL Draft because he is an undersized center. With McMahon now waived, the Eagles have no players on the initial 53-man roster with any legitimate experience playing center. I'm sure that will change in the coming days.

3. Who is playing Special Teams?
The Eagles waived the player who was on the field for the most special teams snaps during the 2023 NFL season. Josh Jobe has not performed well as an outside cornerback during training camp but he has been the subject of praise from special teams coordinator Michael Clay.

Typically backup players are members of the special teams unit but James Bradberry and Avonte Maddox have almost zero experience playing special teams in the NFL. Also, Eli Ricks has zero special teams snaps over the last couple of years with the Eagles organization.

So the Eagles can hope to get Josh Jobe through waivers and land him on the practice squad. Remember with the new kickoff rules this season, it is important to have players who are capable tacklers on the roster.

4. The Sydney Brown Question is still unanswered

The projected starting safeties for the 2024 Eagles are CJ Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship. The backup safeties are James Bradbery, Tristan McCollum, and Avonte Maddox.

But when Sydney Brown is eligible to return from the physically unable to perform list, whose roster spot does he take? A major reason why Bradberry is still in Philadelphia is because there would be a $15 million cap dead cap hit if the Eagles cut him. Meanwhile, Avonte Maddox is playing on an inexpensive deal but he has more versatility than Bradberry.

Tristan McCollum is interesting because he contributes to special teams, plays safety, and can fill in at nickel corner, if needed. But would the Eagles really keep him over veterans like Bradberry and Maddox? Sydney Brown is a young player two with only one NFL year of experience.

Joining the Philadelphia Eagles for the 2024 NFL season are these New Jersey ladies on the cheerleader squad: