The Philadelphia Eagles have had an extremely eventful NFL offseason. It's seen them bring back old faces like DeSean Jackson and lose big names like Nick Foles. They've bulked up at running back and linebacker in free agency and the draft, and added other pieces for their future.
While all this is positive, it does lead to a roster issue. Some players are going to be casualties to all the new additions. That means some players are going into camp with their job on the line.
With that in mind, which players are on the roster bubble for the Eagles as we creep closer to the 2019 NFL season? Here are five.
Jordan Mailata
Jordan Mailata would've been on the roster bubble regardless of what the Eagles did in the 2019 NFL Draft. Then they went ahead and took an offensive tackle (Andre Dillard). In case you weren't aware – that's the same position as Mailata.
Philadelphia already also has Jason Peters and Lane Johnson as the starters. Meanwhile, Dillard will join Halapoulivaati Vaitai as the backups. There's a strong chance the Eagles decide they don't need to carry a fifth tackle to start the year – making Mailata a strong cut possibility.
Joshua Perkins
The Philadelphia Eagles didn't bulk up their tight ends this time around in the Draft. They did sign Richard Rodgers in free agency though.
Zach Ertz is the obvious number one, with Dallas Goedert as the clear cut number two. Philadelphia will likely only be keeping three tight ends to start the season. That means Joshua Perkins has to challenge Rodgers, as well as Will Tye.
Admittedly, Tye is an easier challenge, but that doesn't mean he's a pushover. Meanwhile, Rodgers has had some pretty solid years in the NFL and could be seen as a precious asset to have as your third tight end. He's also not much older than Perkins (27 compared to 25).
With that in mind, this will be a battle to watch in camp. All three players will be making a case for themselves. However, Rodgers has the inside track, and Tye is the biggest longshot – meaning Perkins is right on the bubble.
DeAndre Thompkins
In the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles took JJ Arcega-Whiteside. The wide receiver gives them a very solid group at the position. That group consists of Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Nelson Agholor and Whiteside. Then there are players like Mack Hollins that can help on special teams while also potentially being an offensive weapon.
The question becomes, do the Eagles decide to keep more than five receivers. If they don't – which is incredibly unlikely – then DeAndre Thompkins is out. However, if they go with the much more likely route of six-or-more receivers, Thompkins is back in the mix.
There are a lot of other receivers in the mix for the sixth spot. Thompkins has something working for and against him, though. He's an undrafted rookie from this season. That means he has the least experience.
This could work in his favor that Philadelphia wants to keep him and try to help him grow. It could work against him too as they could decide they want someone with more experience near the bottom of the depth chart – and throw Thompkins on the practice squad.
Cre'Von LeBlanc
The Eagles secondary is in a weird spot. They have some talent at cornerback, but you'd be crazy to think they should be feeling great about the position.
Cornerback has a lot of names, not many stick out though. Ronald Darby and Sidney Jones are locks. Rasul Douglas and Avonte Maddox helped their cases last year as well, while Jalen Mills saw his stock drop.
However, those are the first five guys – at least you'd assume. That leaves Cre'Von LeBlanc at six. LeBlanc appeared in 10 games for the Eagles last season and held his own. This should give him an advantage if Philadelphia decides to keep six cornerbacks, if.
Any running back not named Miles Sanders or Jordan Howard
I could've made an entire article with just running backs honestly. That would've been a copout though so here we are grouping them together.
This offseason, the Eagles traded for running back Jordan Howard. Then they turned around and drafted Miles Sanders in the second-round. That gives them their obvious first two running backs on the depth chart.
Now you have to wonder how many more they'll keep. Will they go with three, or four? Either way – there are five talented RBs on the roster, meaning someone's getting the ax.
Going to start by apologizing to Boston Scott, he's the first man out. Then there's Donnel Pumphrey – he might have an outside chance, but it's still not likely.
That leaves us with three names. Wendell Smallwood, Corey Clement, and Josh Adams. All three had ups and downs over the last few years. None have done anything to separate themselves from the pack though – and none have done anything to fall out of contention.
At points, all three had a chance to secure or fumble the bag – and no one jumped on the opportunity. That leaves us here – with no answers.
This camp will be extremely interesting for the Philadelphia Eagles running backs. Barring injuries, a talented name is going to be gone. For now, though, all three have to be considered as on the roster bubble.
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