Updated Eagles 53-Man Roster Projection 3.0: Is There Room for Joshua Weru?

So much for getting excited for Philadelphia Eagles football to be played.

The preseason opening loss to the Baltimore Ravens was a Nick Sirianni masterclass. Don't show anything on offense and starters aren't going to play. The Eagles ran a vanilla offense -- and it showed -- while evaluating the back end of the 90-man roster.

Sirianni couldn't have been pleased with what he saw from the second and third team players, making the latest 53-man roster projection all the more complicated. There were winners and losers from the preseason opener, but the takeaways from this contest painted a clearer picture.

This week is the biggest for the Eagles this summer, as they'll head up to Foxborough for consecutive joint practices with the New England Patriots. That will be the true test to see how good the Eagles are.

With Week 1 in the preseason in the rearview mirror, here's my third 53-man roster projection. We'll update this every week leading up to cutdown day and highlight the changes from the previous edition.

Quarterback (3): Jalen Hurts, Andy Dalton, Tanner McKee

Previous: Jalen Hurts, Andy Dalton, Tanner McKee

The QB2 battle -- if that's what we're going to call it -- was laughable against the Ravens. Dalton was horrific, and McKee wasn't any better. The only quarterback that could move the ball was Cole Payton, and that was in garbage time.

I'm not ready to hand Payton a roster spot yet. Let's see what he does in the joint practices against the Patriots and how he improves over the course of the next few weeks. McKee and Dalton need a big week of practice as well.

Running back (3): Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley

Previous: Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley

I didn't know anyone else ran the ball besides Shipley in the preseason opener (okay I did, but it was hard to remember who had a carry other than Bigsby). With Dameon Pierce (hamstring) out of the opener, Shipley had a golden opportunity to gain ground in the RB3 competition.

Shipley ran the ball well and should have had a bigger night than the numbers he put up (7 carries, 22 yards). That will show up on film, but Shipley did gain ground for the RB3 spot. Pierce needs to get healthy to beat him out.

Wide receiver (5): DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon, Hollywood Brown, Darius Cooper

Previous: DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon, Hollywood Brown, Darius Cooper

Cooper's preseason opener was disappointing, but let's put things into perspective. Jalen Hurts wasn't throwing him the ball and the Eagles were running the most basic of offenses. The third-and-5 drop was the stain of the night for Cooper.

Cooper has still been racking up excellent training camp practices and should make this team. I was going to put Elijah Moore over Hollywood Brown, but the Eagles have $5 million reasons to keep Brown on the 53. Moore deserves a spot over Brown right now, yet contracts play a role here.

Johnny Wilson didn't play in the preseason opener, which was a disappointment considering he appeared healthy heading into Saturday. Hard to see Wilson on the 53 (he was on my initial projection).

Tight end (4): Dallas Goedert, Eli Stowers, Johnny Mundt, Cameron Latu

Previous: Dallas Goedert, Eli Stowers, Johnny Mundt, Cameron Latu

This position won't change much over the next several weeks. I do think the Eagles keep four tight ends if they believe Latu can play fullback (and he's in a competition with Carson Steele for that job).

Stowers had a disappointing preseason opener, and he's locked in as the TE3 (notice Mundt didn't play). I don't see any of the other tight ends on the roster making this team, so these are the four.

This all comes down to Latu.

Offensive line (11): Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Lane Johnson, Fred Johnson, Markel Bell, Drew Kendall, Micah Morris, Willie Lampkin, John Ojukwu

Previous: Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Lane Johnson, Fred Johnson, Markel Bell, Drew Kendall, Micah Morris, Michael Jordan, Willie Lampkin

While I still am unsure the Eagles are going to keep 11 offensive linemen, the switch was made between Ojukwu and Michael Jordan. The Eagles had Ojukwu at left guard in the last practice of training camp and in the preseason opener -- and Ojukwu played well in the second half.

Ojukwu gets the spot over Jordan at the moment, as the Eagles like players with position versatility. What to know who the fifth tackle is? Look no further than Ojukwu.

Lampkin has trending towards making the roster with how he's played this summer, and Morris has come alive since he returned from his shoulder injury. I still have Johnson making this team, even though he's been disappointing this summer.

While the Eagles are young on the offensive line, they certainly are deeper than I though three weeks ago. A very good sign.

Pass rusher (5): Jonathan Greenard, Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, Arnold Ebiketie, A.J. Epenesa

Previous: Jonathan Greenard, Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, Arnold Ebiketie, A.J. Epenesa

The five players at pass rusher are set, and there's going to be a fun battle for playing time between Ebiketie and Epenesa -- who both have been good this summer.

The question remains. Will the Eagles reserve a sixth pass rusher spot for Joshua Weru, who shined in the preseason opener? Weru has improved over the past three weeks despite never playing football before. He's shown enough on tape that a team could claim him on cutdown day if the Eagles don't keep him on the 53.

I'll try to go into the mind of Howie Roseman here. The Eagles will take that chance, as they have to protect Uar Bernard too. Perhaps Weru gets protected over Bernard? That possibility is still slim.

Weru is making it difficult for the Eagles to cut him, but there's still a long way to go.

Defensive tackle (6): Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, Ty Robinson, Byron Young, Uar Bernard

Previous: Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, Ty Robinson, Byron Young, Uar Bernard

The most loaded position on the Eagles is set. I'm ready to give Robinson a roster spot after he's come alive in practice over the past week and backed it up with a sack in the preseason opener.

Robinson has the draft status and shown enough to stick around. There's the final roster spot at defensive tackle. The Eagles will still have a tough pill to swallow cutting Gabe Hall, especially since they have to protect Bernard. Protecting Bernard isn't a lock like it once was, but I think that is still the plan.

David Blay looked good in the preseason opener and so did Zion Wilson. The Eagles are loaded at defensive tackle.

Off-ball linebacker (5): Zach Baun, Jihaad Campbell, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Smael Mondon, Chance Campbell

Previous: Zach Baun, Jihaad Campbell, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Smael Mondon, Chance Campbell

No changes at off-ball linebacker, but it's fair to wonder if Campbell has the edge over Mondon. This isn't an indicator of Mondon having a bad camp, but he hasn't made noticeable plays positively or negatively.

A player to watch in the coming weeks? Brandon George, who had five tackles in the preseason opener despite signing with the team on Saturday. George was only on the official roster for a few hours and hasn't even practiced with the team yet. He's a good special teams player, so there could be an opening.

Deontae Lawson had a solid preseason opener too. The Eagles could find room for him on the practice squad.

Cornerback (5): Quinton Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Tariq Woolen, Kelee Ringo, Jonathan Jones

Previous: Quinton Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Tariq Woolen, Kelee Ringo, Jonathan Jones

I'm going to stick with these five for now, although this may be the position that changes over the coming weeks. Ringo is battling for a roster spot and has his flaws in coverage, but his athleticism on that end zone interception stands out -- just one play after a pass interference penalty he committed. That ability to bounce back shows the types of players you want on a football team.

Mac McWilliams is challenging for a roster spot, but the preseason opener was little to write home about. Jones has been sidelined with an injury, which may be the spot McWilliams is challenging. Still think Jones makes this roster.

Ringo is an excellent special teams player, one of the elite gunners in the game. He gets the nod here.

Safety (4): Andrew Mukuba, Marcus Epps, Michael Carter II, Andre Sam

Previous: Andrew Mukuba, Marcus Epps, Michael Carter II

Time to add a fourth safety to the mix, and I'm not confident who it's going to be. Sam gets the nod right now because he's been the best of the bunch and has been around the Eagles a few years.

J.T. Gray could make this team because he's an elite special teams player (and three time All-Pro). Hard to leave a player with those credentials off the roster. Maximus Pulley has come along, but has he played well enough to unseat Sam?

The Eagles may look at the waiver wire after the cutdowns and see who's available, but there's a reason to have four safeties now. There will be roster gymnastics in play in two weeks.

Special Teams (2): Jake Elliott, Braden Mann

Previous: Jake Elliott, Braden Mann, Rocco Underwood

There hasn't been enough from Underwood to justify a roster spot. The rookie undrafted free agent just hasn't been consistent enough to warrant being on this roster.

The Eagles will expose Underwood to waivers and look for a long snapper in free agency (which is my guess). They'll bring Underwood back and have him compete for his job on the practice squad.

An important reminder here. The regular season opener is two weeks after cutdown day, so there's plenty of time to figure this out. In order to protect someone else on the 53, it will be at the long snapper's expense.

The Eagles don't need a long snapper on the initial 53 anyway.

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