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There was a time in the not-too-distant past when the Philadelphia Eagles were a team on the rise.
After things burned out in an incredible way during the Carson Wentz era, the Birds had a promising young signal-caller in Jalen Hurts, a dominant offensive line, and a steady stream of developmental players at seemingly every position thanks to Howie Roseman’s dominance in the scouting department, but no guarantee they would make it back to the Super Bowl again after Doug Pederson’s exit.
Oh, how things have changed.
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With three Super Bowl appearances in the last decade, including another win back in February of 2025, the Eagles are no longer trying to find their nucleus of players to build around but are instead looking to maintain their current level of success, recording winning records in each of the last five seasons despite consistently saying goodbye to contributing players for one reason or another.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles had plenty of turnover but really won’t look that different in 2026 versus 2025. Sure, they’ve swapped out Jaelan Phillips for Jonathan Greenard – when healthy – and let Adoree’ Jackson go in favor of Riq Woolen, but those are arguably upgrades at positions with solid depth. While they don’t really have a ready-made replacement on the books for Reed Blankenship, with Marcus Epps and Michael Carter II duking it out for the third safety in nickel packages, the team is well stocked at every position, even if they will likely have to sneak a draftee or two like Cole Wisniewski and Keyshawn James-Newby onto their practice squad.
But on offense? Well, that’s where things get interesting, as the Eagles have more players they’d likely prefer to keep than there are spots on the 53-man roster, with at least a few tough decisions on the way for Roseman and company before Week 1.
Johnny Wilson
When it comes to the Eagles’ offensive skill positions, there are a number of players at different positions fighting for a few bottom-of-the-roster spots.
At wide receiver, the Eagles’ top five players are more or less locked barring injury. DeVonta Smith and Deyvontavion Wicks are more or less set to start at two of the wide receiver spots, as would 2026 rookie first-round pick Makai Lemon if he were healthy, and between veteran speedster Hollywood Brown and second-year cap sensation Darius Cooper, the Eagles more or less have all of their snaps accounted for in their full-strength offense.
But what about Johnny Wilson, the team’s starting WR3 from 2024 who suddenly finds himself battling for a bottom-of-the-roster spot after missing 2025 due to injury?
Standing 6-foot-6, 228 pounds, many thought Wilson might transition to tight end at the NFL level after a pair of seasons at Florida State, but as a rookie, the Eagles kept him firmly in that wide receiver role, taking on 50-50 balls down the field where his massive size and wingspan makes him an ideal target or deploying him out of the slot, where his size helped to move bodies in space for Saquon Barkley and company.
If the Eagles keep six wide receivers, Wilson will almost certainly get the spot, as players like Elijah Moore haven’t really done enough to take his spot, but in the end, he really isn’t just competing with the Erik Ezukanmas of the world but also players like Damian Pierce, who is competing for RB4, Grant Calcaterra, who is a potential TE4, and even Cameron Latu, who was the team’s fullback in 2025 and can wear a number of hats on offense and special teams.
Assuming the Eagles feel comfortable with their top-5 wide receivers, maybe they view Wilson as expendable just like his fellow 2024 draft classmate Ainias Smith, believing he could be stashed on the practice squad without too much issue. But with Eli Stowers locked in as a big slot weapon, Wilson might end up being a casualty of the numbers game.
Grant Calcaterra
Speaking of Calcaterra, there was a time when it looked like the pride of Oklahoma and SMU would not only be a lock to make the Eagles’ roster but would slot in as their Week 1 starter if the NFL Draft didn’t shake out their way.
Instead, the Eagles brought back Dallas Goedert to serve as their starter, drafted Stowers in the second round as a developmental weapon for the future, and even brought in Johnny Mundt to serve as a blocking specialist when Sean Mannion opts to go big. Suddenly, Calcaterra is a receiver-first tight end on an expiring contract who has never actually produced at an above-average level in Nick Sirianni’s offense, with his blocking in particular being exposed in 2025 when Goedert missed time.
If the Eagles suffer an injury, then having Calcaterra around makes sense. If the preseason debut is of any indication, Mannion doesn’t necessarily believe Stowers can be a full-time starter at this stage of the game, using the Vanderbilt product as a third-down weapon despite needing to get as many reps as possible to get ready for Week 1. As a result, there might be a world where the Eagles keep four tight ends since Mundt has never really been much of a receiving threat.
But what happens if Stowers does make positive steps to the point where Calcaterra is truly the number three option as a receiver and the number four option as a blocker? Well, in that case, the Eagles might be willing to toss Calcaterra a bone and release him early to find a home elsewhere, as they may even have better veteran practice squad options in such a scenario.
Cameron Williams & Myles Hinton
Two for the price of one? Well, since being drafted on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft, Cameron Williams and Myles Hinton have always been linked together, with some hoping that the duo could at least develop into quality reserves for both the tackle and guard spots, while others simply hoped one could beat out the other to become an eventual contributor in one role or another.
Could that still happen? Sure, but considering the duo were both playing tackle in the second half of the preseason debut while players like Willie Lampkin and Markell Bell did their work in the first half, it’s worth wondering if either has a shot to actually stick around on the 53-man roster.
As things presently stand, the Eagles have nine linemen more or less locked up on their roster, with Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson, Bell, and Fred Johnson set at tackle while Cam Jurgens, Landon Dickerson, Tyler Steen, Drew Kendall, and Lampkin will almost certainly be in place on the interior. Assuming the Eagles keep 10 linemen, which is more or less normal for most teams, that leaves Williams, Hinton, and 2026 sixth-round pick Micah Morris competing for a single spot on the 53-man roster, with the other two heading to waivers before the practice squad comes into play.
From a purely experience standpoint, Morris is the clear loser, as he too was playing in the second half of the preseason debut, but considering he turned in some quality tape as a left guard in college for the Georgia Bulldogs and has four years of team control, his ceiling is arguably much higher than Williams and Hinton, who never really impressed over the last 15 months despite plenty of chances.
Would it be disappointing to see Williams and Hinton released in Year 2? Sure, but if they don’t do something to earn a spot on the final roster, it’s hard to justify keeping either around when there are more interesting developmental options who are younger with more team control already in place.
Andy Dalton
And last but not least, if the Eagles really want to get spicy, they could pull the plug on the Andy Dalton experience before it even really begins, but that would mean two things have happened.
1. No one is interested in trading for Tanner McKee. Widely considered a quality trade candidate heading into this, his contract year, McKee hasn’t been linked to any teams in particular since April, which means either those teams have already filled their needs or simply didn’t make an offer worthy of the Eagles’ time. Ultimately, the Eagles could simply decide to keep four quarterbacks and call it a day, but if Dalton continues to underwhelm like his efforts against the Ravens, Roseman may be forced to accept that Philadelphia needs to keep McKee and just take whatever compensatory pick they receive in 2028 over risking a Super Bowl-caliber season on a poor QB2.
2. Cole Payton looks interesting but not interesting enough. In Week 1 of the preseason, Payton was the Eagles’ lone quarterback to actually get something going from under center, picking up yards with both his arm and his legs and even throwing the team’s lone touchdown on a bullet to Ezukanma in the corner of the end zone. Understandably, fans quickly started stumping for Payton to be the backup in a way 2025 sixth-round pick Kyle McCord could only dream of, but what if Payton continues to look encouraging but raw over the next few weeks, making him worthy of a 53-man roster spot but unlikely to win a regular season game if his number gets called? Well, in that case, keeping Payton might be worth more than Dalton for his upside alone, even if Sirianni prays he doesn’t actually have to see the field.
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