The Eagles dodged a bullet when it was revealed starting left guard Landon Dickerson did not suffer a season-threatening knee injury. On Wednesday, Dickerson underwent a procedure to repair the meniscus in that knee and is officially listed as week-to-week in the preseason, with the goal of Dickerson being ready for the Birds’ Week 1 season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
That said, even if he’s not ready for Week 1, Dickerson will presumably miss minimal time, barring an unforeseen setback. It was welcome news to a fanbase that has benefited from their team’s remarkable health a season ago on the way to their Super Bowl victory.
The Eagles have perhaps the best roster in the NFL. It is loaded with stars, to be sure, but it also has quality depth throughout most of the roster. Here is where things stand depth-wise at every position as we enter Week 2 of the preseason.
Quarterback
Obviously, one cannot plan to keep their best players from getting injured. In the Eagles’ two Super Bowl seasons under Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts missed multiple weeks at the end of the season and survived thanks to solid play from their back-up quarterbacks (Gardner Minshew in 2022 and Kenny Pickett in ‘24).
This year, Tanner McKee is the No. 2 guy, and by all indications, he appears to be a legitimate high-end back-up QB who could keep the Eagles’ offense moving in the right direction should he be forced to start a handful of games in Hurts’ absence. Should Hurts and McKee go down, well, there would be problems. But the same could be said for any contender who loses their top two QBs.
One of the few roster battles in camp is for the No. 3 job. Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Kyle McCord will duke it out in the team’s remaining preseason games and joint practices to see who gets to hold the clipboard and get a potential Super Bowl ring for being good buddies with the top two guys. DTR appears to have the edge over the former 6th round pick through mid-August.
Running Back
There’s no replacing a 2,000-yard running back. There just isn’t. Saquon Barkley is one of one and, should he be lost to an injury, the Eagles’ offense would suffer. That said, while the running game wasn’t as elite prior to Saquon’s arrival as it was a year ago, it was still quite good in a rotational situation, with Hurts providing much of the yardage in the ground game from under center.
That said, there is less talent in a rotation that doesn’t feature Barkley. Kenneth Gainwell left for greener (or, less green I guess?) pastures, replaced as the No. 2 running back by Will Shipley. I’m not going to lie, the drop-off from Barkley to Shipley is vast. A.J. Dillon was acquired from the Green Bay Packers this off-season. He did not play at all a year ago, but has been a productive back in the league prior to that, with 803 yards in 2021, 770 in ‘22 and 613 two years ago. He is a big question mark.
Former linebacker Ben VanSumeren will be the team’s fullback. Old school.
In short, this is not the deepest position on the roster, but that’s what happens when you allocate so much cash to the very best running back in the league. And that’s OK.
Wide Receiver
Who’s in line to start should A.J. Brown or Devonta Smith go down? Last year’s No. 3 wideout, Jahan Dotson, appeared to grow more comfortable in Nick Sirianni’s offense as the year progressed and Jalen Hurts seemed to vibe with him a bit more, especially in the playoffs. Dotson has talent, and given another year playing in the same offense with the same players, albeit a different play-caller, one should hope for even more production from the former Penn State product.
After that, it gets interesting.
Johnny Wilson is a huge target. He looks like a tight end most of the time and made multiple impressive catches in the Eagles’ first preseason game against Cincinnati. Ainias Smith, Avery Williams, Darius Cooper and Elijah Cooks will likely be battling it out to see who gets the No. 5 spot on the roster, with Cooper the early training camp “star.” Smith could make the roster as a punt returner and has gotten some snaps with the ones when Smith and Brown have missed practice.
There’s no doubt none of these players could dream of replacing Brown or Smith, though. Hopefully they won’t have to.
Tight End
It’s Grant Calcaterra and, as we’ve seen over the last couple years, he’s an able back-up, pass-catching tight end. Blocking, well, thank goodness we’ve got linemen for that. Free agent signings Kylen Granson and Harrison Bryant are vying for a spot as the third tight end. And it’s not out of the question for someone to be added to the roster later this summer.
Offensive Line
With Dickerson out for a few weeks, Brett Toth has lined up as the No. 1 left guard during practices and has looked the part. It pays to be a student at Stoutland U. As Brandon Lee Gowton noted in his latest training camp notes report, Tyler Steen would likely have moved to left guard and Matt Pryor inserted at right guard if Dickerson’s injury was more long-term.
The fact the Eagles have quality back-ups along the offensive line is the reason this is the strongest overall unit on the team and in the NFL. Darian Kinnard is also getting some left guard reps, although he’s penciled in as the back-up at right guard. Pryor would back up Lane Johnson should he go down, a downgrade to be sure, but not life-ending. Kenyon Green was picked up in the off-season in the hopes of Jeff Stoutland making him another reclamation success a la Mekhi Becton a year ago, but an injury to Green means he will likely miss the remainder of the preseason.
Defensive Line
It’s clear Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt will be the incumbent starters on the EDGE, with both looking to build off last year’s late season surge that culminated in a dominant Super Bowl performance. Depth along the defensive line, and more specifically, at the edge position, is extremely important.
Free agent pick-ups Joshua Uche and Azeez Ojulari are here on one year deals. It’s possible one of them gets cut prior to the start of the season, but the Eagles are hoping both will provide solid depth. Another veteran option is 30-year-old Ogbo Okoronkow, as well as vets Patrick Johnson and Ochaun Mathis.
This is not the deepest part of the team and it wouldn’t surprise if they add still another veteran in the next few weeks. Perhaps Jihaad Campbell, who has looked extremely active at linebacker, can insert himself into the mix on the edge in the coming weeks, too.
At tackle, Jalen Carter and Moro Ojomo are the likely starters, with a slimmed-down Jordan Davis hoping to get more snaps in pass rushing situations. Ty Robinson will back up the big three, and after an outstanding spring by Gabe Hall, he’s likely landed himself an opening week roster spot as well.
It’s a stronger group than the edge room, to be sure.
Linebackers
Remember when the Eagles didn’t care about linebackers? You know, before the Vic Fangio era? Well, not anymore. With first-team All-Pro Zack Baun leading the charge, this may be the most talented group of linebackers the city has seen since Bud Carson’s early 1990s group.
Campbell’s ability to get on the field sooner than expected was great, and his aggressive style has been even better. Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. has also played well this summer, so it’s likely Trotter will be the first guy off the bench to sub for either player or fill in should they get hurt. The big question mark is Nakobe Dean, who suffered a torn patella tendon in last year’s wild card win over the Green Bay Packers. If Dean does return healthy, he will provide quite a boost late in the year, but that’s a giant if. Smael Mondon also appears to have a glidepath to making the 53-man roster in early September, where he’ll play mostly special teams.
This is a solid group with a lot of potential even if Baun or Campbell were to miss some time.
Cornerbacks
The Eagles acquired a little more depth last week in a trade with the Raiders, picking up Jakorian Bennett to battle Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson for the No. 2 spot next Quinyon Mitchell, with Cooper DeJean in the slot. Bennett has real physical skills and potential, but it hasn’t translated into on-field production at the moment.
Ringo and Jackson have alternated as the team’s No. 2 throughout training camp, with the veteran getting a bit more exposure with the first team, although Fangio had Ringo starting against Cincinnati against Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase. It didn’t go great. Eli Ricks is also in the mix. He has experience with the Eagles and, should he be asked to start, wouldn’t given away the store.
This is one of the biggest question marks on the team, but there appears to be some decent options and depth in here, too.
Safety
With CJGJ no longer in Philadelphia, there is a battle to replace him in the starting lineup alongside Reed Blankenship. Incumbent Sydney Brown, who started back in 2023 and played well in a more limited role last year, appears to be the leader for starting job at the moment. If that holds true to form, rookie Drew Mukuba and Tristin McCollum would be the third and fourth safeties.
If Mukuba can stay healthy, he’s a very intriguing back-up, and could provide high-end reps if given the chance. It wouldn’t at all surprise if he is the starter at some point, with Brown relegated to a back-up role. Andre’ Sam, who was a member of last year’s Super Bowl winning team via the practice squad, could make the roster as a fifth safety/special teams player.
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