Eagles Reveal Depth Chart vs. Patriots, But Keeping Secrets ‘Unknown’
PHILADELPHIA – The first depth chart of the regular season was released on Tuesday, just five days before the Philadelphia Eagles open their season against the New England Patriots with a 4:25 p.m. kickoff at Gillette Stadium.
There were some oddities to it.
First, there was a blank space next to two positions - punter and holder.
Second, it was evasive at running back, where all four players - Kenny Gainwell, D'Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny, and Boston Scott - were listed as first-teamers.
Third, with only three linebackers, Nakobe Dean was one starter, but both Zach Cunningham and Christian Ellis were listed as the second starter.
Fourth, there was the same up-in-the-air designation linebacker as there was at safety, where Reed Blankenship was listed as a starter, but the other starting spot was a tossup between Terrell Edmunds and Justin Evans.
This feels like a mix-and-match season. At least early on.
Predictably, head coach Nick Sirianni was tight-lipped about who would start and who would punt when he had a virtual press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
“I think anytime there's unknown that's an advantage,” he said. “So, I always think that's why we were very vanilla in the preseason. We didn't want to show a lot of different things that we plan on doing during the season. Just like a first-year staff, we've got a first-year coordinator here with the Eagles. I think that's an advantage.”
Rashaad Penny (left) and D'Andre Swift
He did have this to say about the depth at running back: “I think the more guys you can have that are able to do the job description the better. It's a deep group. And we'll see how it goes.
“Really, the running back room can go - I've said this to you guys before - the running back room can be either way. It can be by committee. It can be with one guy that's taking all the carries or a majority of the carries.”
Perhaps Wednesday will bring some clarity, when the Eagles hold their first practice in preparation for the opener, one that will be open for reporters to view for about the first 15 or 20 minutes when warmups and individual drills are held.
Despite having several punters in for tryouts during Labor Day weekend, the Eagles have not announced a signing, so the punter and holder will very likely be the same old, same old. That means Arryn Siposs will be elevated from the practice squad on Saturday.
This is the new NFL, one in which the practice squad and injured reserve rules became more relevant after the COVID-19 pandemic in constructing a roster.
“I think we've talked about the larger practice squad gives you flexibility in these situations to really take a big-picture look at the roster as opposed to really just focused on the 53 (man roster),” said general manager Howie Roseman shortly after final cuts were made last week. “I think what the IR rules do is they give you an opportunity to get guys back.
“It was such a major decision to put guys on IR and then lose them for the year, so it gives you more roster flexibility, which obviously for guys in my spot is a huge deal…we're always looking for the flexibility, and both those rules give us increased flexibility.”
Players can be elevated three times from the practice squad, but only two players per game are allowed to be plucked from the 16-player squad.
The Eagles need a punter, so Siposs makes sense as one of the call-ups.
As for the second call-up, well, the thinking was it could be Britain Covey so he could return punts the way he did last season.
On the depth chart, however, the Eagles list Olamide Zaccheaus as the top punt returner with Quez Watkins as the backup and Boston Scott as the top option at kickoff returner.
So, the Eagles may not use a practice squad call-up on Covey.
On Monday, they added Nicholas Morrow to the practice squad after cutting the veteran linebacker last week. With only three linebackers on the roster, perhaps the Eagles won’t risk an in-game injury and being woefully short-handed there and activate Morrow.
