Eagles finalize 53-man roster with late trade. What it means for 2023

PHILADELPHIA − After the Eagles made a flurry of moves to get down to the 53-man roster Tuesday, the Eagles made two things abundantly clear:

The first is the moves were mostly at the bottom of the roster, signifying that the Eagles perceive themselves as deep and loaded. That included the minor trade the Eagles made 15 minutes before the 4 p.m. roster deadline, in which the Eagles got tight end Albert Okwuegbunam from the Denver Broncos.

The Eagles also got a seventh-round pick in 2025 in the deal while giving up a sixth-round pick in 2025.

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The second is that the Eagles went heavy on the defensive line, with 13 players, and light at wide receiver, with only four.

As of now, the Eagles don’t have a punter or punt returner on the roster. They cut punter Arryn Siposs and returner Britain Covey. They also cut Greg Ward, who returned punts too.

When asked who the punt returner is going to be, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said that choice could go beyond the 53-man roster to the 16-man practice squad, which will be assembled in the coming days. Then he added this:

“Well, we’re not gonna pick Jordan Mailata or something like that,” Sirianni said about the 6-foot-8, 380-pound left tackle. “But you got a lot of guys to choose from.”

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said he hopes to add Siposs to the practice squad if he’s not claimed on waivers by Wednesday at noon. If not, the Eagles will find a punter waived by another team.

What the numbers mean, and how it pertains to the practice squad

Roseman said don’t get caught up in the paucity of wide receivers. The Eagles kept only A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus. It’s the same at inside linebacker with only Nakobe Dean, Zach Cunningham and Christian Elliss on the 53-man roster.

Nicholas Morrow, a free agent signed in March with the expectation of starting next to Dean, was waived. That became inevitable three weeks ago when the Eagles signed veteran free agents in Cunningham and Myles Jack. Jack ended up retiring, but Cunningham was getting first-team reps before too long.

“I don’t know if it’s so much as to what (Morrow) did as opposed to being really heavy at some other positions here,” Roseman said.

At the same time, the 13 defensive linemen include rookies Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith and Moro Ojomo. The Eagles also kept veteran edge rusher Derek Barnett, who reportedly wanted to be traded because of the depth there.

The Eagles couldn’t find a suitable deal and kept Barnett.

Roseman said he has “tremendous respect” for Barnett. “We love having him here, that’s why we’re bringing him back.”

There’s only 1 undrafted free agent on the roster

The Eagles also kept all of their draft picks for the second straight year, after cutting at least one in the previous three years.

But the Eagles also kept an undrafted free agent in cornerback Eli Ricks. They kept three last year. Ricks was originally a top recruit at LSU. He then transferred to Alabama last season, and had an injury-filled season that ruined his draft chances.

Ricks had a Pick-6 in the Eagles’ first preseason game.

“What we saw is this is a long instinctive player with good athleticism and ball skills,” Roseman said. “Those guys are hard to find … It’s a great success story for him, who had a lot of adversity.”

Why Eagles traded for a tight end

It seemed strange that the Eagles would trade for a tight end, considering that they’re more wide receiver-oriented. Yet the Eagles have as many tight ends on the roster as they do wide receivers.

Okwuegbunam joins Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra. Only Goedert is an accomplished tight end. Okwuegbunam was the Broncos’ fourth-round pick in 2020. He had 10 catches for 95 yards last season. His best season was in 2021 when he had 33 catches for 330 yards.

“For us, any time we have an opportunity to add an offensive player that we think can help us and help our team, we look at that,” Roseman said.

Here’s who made the roster:

Quarterback (3)

Jalen Hurts, Marcus Mariota, Tanner McKee

Running back (4)

D’Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny, Kenny Gainwell, Boston Scott

Wide receiver (4)

A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus

Tight end (4)

Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra, Albert Okwuegbunam

Offensive line (9)

Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Cam Jurgens, Lane Johnson, Tyler Steen, Jack Driscoll, Fred Johnson, Sua Opeta

Edge rusher (6)

Haason Reddick, Nolan Smith, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Patrick Johnson

Defensive tackle (7)

Fletcher Cox, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, Kentavius Street, Moro Ojomo

Linebacker (3)

Nakobe Dean, Zach Cunningham, Christian Elliss

Cornerback (7)

Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Kelee Ringo, Josh Jobe, Eli Ricks, Mario Goodrich

Safety (4)

Reed Blankenship, Sydney Brown, Terrell Edmunds, Justin Evans

Specialists (2)

Jake Elliott, Rick Lovato

Here are the players who were waived or released:

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Eagles finalize 53-man roster with late trade. What it means for 2023

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