Eagles cut 16, set initial 53 man roster

With the Eagles needing to get settle their 53 man roster today, they made a series of moves, including cutting the following 16 players:

S Jamar Adams
RB Eldra Buckley
WR Chad Hall
CB Joselio Hanson
DT Anthony Hargrove
WR Johnnie Lee Higgins
OT Austin Howard
S Marlin Jackson
DT Derek Landri
TE Donald Lee
LB Greg Lloyd
G Mike McGlynn
WR Sinorice Moss
DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim
OL Fenuki Tupou
OL Reggie Wells

The Eagles also released linemen Jose Acuna and Ryan Harris, with Harris being waived/injured.  Brandon Graham also remains on the PUP list.

There were a few surprises amongst the list of cuts, most notably that both Landri and Hargrove are out of the mix at DT.  Landri was very impressive in the preseason and Hargrove quickly developed into a leader so it wouldn't be surprising for both to latch on with other teams in the coming days.  Losing Hanson for nothing was somewhat surprising as well.  Apparently other teams figure it is easier to sign him off the scrap heap.  Cutting Chad Hall was a also bit of a surprise considering the health of Jeremy Maclin and Steve Smith, who apparently must both be ready to go in Week 1.  There was a ton of turnover along the offensive line, with Howard, McGlynn, Tupou and Wells all being shown the door after being on the roster last season.  The end of the Te'o-Nesheim era is disappointing though hardly surprising.  The former third round pick simply got beat out by Philip Hunt.

As for surprises amongst players that made the team, DT Cedric Thornton and S Colt Anderson are the most notable.  Anderson's special teams ability makes him valuable so it's nice to see the Eagles hold on to him.

Over the last few weeks, I have been making my own projections of the Eagles roster. Here is the Eagles actual roster, with changes from my final version in bold.  Expect a change or two before the season starts.

Offense:
QB(3): Michael Vick, Vince Young, Mike Kafka

RB(3): LeSean McCoy, Ronnie Brown, Dion Lewis

FB (1): Owen Schmitt

WR(5): DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Steve Smith, Jason Avant, Riley Cooper

TE(2): Brent Celek, Clay Harbor

LT(1): Jason Peters

LG(2): Evan Mathis, Julian Vandervelde

C(2): Jason Kelce, Jamaal Jackson

RG(1): Danny Watkins

RT(3): Todd Herremans, Winston Justice, King Dunlap

Defense:
DE(5): Trent Cole, Jason Babin, Juqua Parker, Darryl Tapp, Philip Hunt

DT(5): Mike Patterson, Cullen Jenkins, Antonio Dixon, Trevor Laws, Cedric Thornton

LB(6): Moise Fokou, Casey Matthews, Jamar Chaney, Keenan Clayton, Brian Rolle, Akeem Jordan

CB(6): Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Curtis Marsh, Brandon Hughes, Trevard Lindley

FS(2): Kurt Coleman, Jaiquawn Jarrett

SS(3): Nate Allen, Jarrad Page, Colt Anderson

Special Teams:
K(1): Alex Henery

P(1): Chas Henry

LS(1): Jon Dorenbos

PUP: DE Brandon Graham

Eagles vs. Packers: Week One inactives

Eagles football is back! Here are the Week One inactives as announced by the teams:

Eagles: LB Jamar Chaney, LB Keenan Clayton, OL Austin Howard, OL Max Jean-Gilles, QB Mike Kafka, DE Darryl Tapp, DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, G Reggie Wells

Packers: FB Quinn Johnson, OL T.J. Lang, G Nick McDonald, DE Mike Neal, OL Marshall Newhouse, TE Andrew Quarless, CB Brandon Underwood, DE C.J. Wilson

With no injuries for the Eagles, there really aren't any surprising inactives for them this week. My guess is that Wells just doesn't have a strong enough knowledge of the offense to be an effective backup just yet. Tapp hasn't been that impressive in the preseason so count on him being inactive most weeks. I'm somewhat shocked that the Eagles are dressing all six of their cornerbacks, including Jorrick Calvin. I would expect to see him returning kicks.

For the Packers, all of their key players are healthy and playing.

While I picked against the Eagles this week, you can bet I'll be rooting hard for them to take down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. It's going to take a tremendous defensive effort and some explosive offensive plays but I think the Eagles should at least make it a close game. GO BIRDS!

Eagles acquire G Reggie Wells from Cardinals

With cuts coming tomorrow, the Eagles appear to still be tweaking their roster. In a trade with the Cardinals, the Eagles swapped a 6th round pick for offensive guard Reggie Wells. Wells, an 8 year NFL veteran, figures to slot in as a backup at either guard spot. Wells has been a solid player for the Cardinals over the last few years and has started in 90 straight games.

His acquisition likely means that someone unexpected from the offensive line is going to get cut from the final roster. Could Max-Jean Gilles be getting the axe? Adam Schefter also speculates that the Eagles could also try to deal Stacy Andrews, who clearly has been a disappointment since being signed before last season. If the Eagles do deal Andrews, that would likely put Nick Cole in the starting right guard spot.