The Philadelphia Eagles currently have one of the deepest rosters in the NFL. Therefore, the Eagles will have plenty of tough decisions to make when all teams trim their rosters to 53 players by this Saturday.
The Eagles—along with the 31 other teams in the NFL—are entering the final week of the preseason. All preseason games this week will be played on Thursday, so teams have time to do their due diligence on what players to release.
On Thursday, Philadelphia will go on a road trip to take on the New York Jets. Akin to the Eagles, the Jets are 1-2 through their first three preseason contests.
In their first three exhibition games, Philadelphia has defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars while falling to the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens. With it being the final week of the preseason, Doug Pederson isn't expected to play any of his starters.
Instead of the starters, the last game in the preseason versus the Jets will be used for the players who are still trying to earn their spot on the team. Here are three players who are on the roster bubble entering the Eagles' preseason finale.
3. Treyvon Hester
Last year in the NFC Wild Card Round, the Eagles squared off against the Chicago Bears. With just 10 seconds remaining in the game, Cody Parkey double-doinked the kick to send the Eagles to the next round in the playoffs.
Most people criticized Parkey for the miss but fail to realize that Treyvon Hester actually got a finger on the ball to slightly change the trajectory of the kick. Fast forward to now and Hester's spot on the roster is at risk.
Hester, a defensive tackle, is playing at a position that the Eagles are exponentially deep at. Fletcher Cox and Malik Jackson will start while the team is expected to have Timmy Jernigan and Hassan Ridgeway to be the backups.
Considering that the team actually traded for Ridgeway, there's a chance that he has a slight edge over Hester. Hester has shown some improvements as an interior defender but is it enough to make the 53-man roster? Time will tell if the kick-blocking extraordinaire did enough to carve himself a role on the team.
2. Cody Kessler
Just a couple of weeks ago, the Eagles were in dire need of a quarterback. After Nate Sudfeld sustained a wrist injury, the team signed veteran and then retired quarterback Josh McCown.
McCown, a 40-year old journeyman quarterback, will be the team's immediate backup to Carson Wentz. After Wentz, Sudfeld will remain on the roster while Cody Kessler and Clayton Thorson battle it out.
Keeping four quarterbacks is unusual so there is a chance that Philadelphia parts ways with both Kessler and Thorson. However, if either of them had a chance of staying, it's likely Thorson—who the team used a fifth-round pick on this year.
Throughout the preseason, Kessler hasn't exactly impressed with just 57 yards in three preseason games. The former Cleveland Browns quarterback will have one more game on Thursday to make a case to stick with the team beyond the preseason.
1. Josh Adams
What a difference a year makes. In 2018, Josh Adams led the team with 511 yards on the ground after Jay Ajayi went down with an injury.
Then, in a flurry of moves, the Eagles traded for Jordan Howard and drafted Miles Sanders in the second round of this year's draft. Along with those transactions, Philadelphia also re-signed Darren Sproles for another season.
Consequently, the Eagles could decide to part ways with their leading rusher from a year ago when they have to make roster cuts. Besides Adams, Wendell Smallwood is also going to be a possible candidate to be shown the door this week.
This preseason, Adams hasn't done much to cement a role on the team for this season. The Notre Dame product has carried it 15 times for 28 yards and has caught five passes as well.
To the dismay of some Eagles fans, the team will be releasing some of their key players in year's past and Adams could be one of them.
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