Philadelphia Eagles: Pre-preseason 53 man roster prediction

Safety: Rodney McLeod, Anthony Harris, K’Von Wallace, Andrew Adams

And last but not least, on the defensive end of the field, the safties.

Much like on the offensive line, the Philadelphia Eagles’ safety depth chart is currently in flux due to Rodney McLeod’s late 2020 knee injury. If he’s healthy, he is unquestionably the starter across from ex-Minnesota Vikingings signee Anthony Harris, in a move that would kick K’Von Wallace into a big-nickel, third-safety role for the second straight season.

Assuming that happens – and based on his current on-field activities, there’s little reason to believe McLeod shouldn’t be a go for Week 1 – and another unforeseen injury doesn’t shake things up in the worst way, the Eagles would realistically have three defensive backs competing for a single forth safety spot in Andrew Adams, Marcus Epps, and Grayland Arnold.

Now, if Jim Schwartz was still the team’s defensive coordinator, Epps would unquestionably be the guy for the job, as he was a long-time favorite of the former Detroit Lions head coach and was often relied upon over objectively more talents options due to his… familiarity(?).

Schwartz is not the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, and thus, all bets are off.

While I have no personal skin in the game one way or another, I find it interesting that Howie Roseman signed Andrew Adams right out of the gates on the opening day of free agency and believe that such a decision could say more about Epps and Arnold than it does about the Super Bowl-winning special teamer.

Keep an eye on the waiver wire safety market later this summer or for a player like Obi Melifonwu to shine in the preseason, as Adams’ spot should be written in with erasable market, not ink.

Specialists: Jake Elliott, Arryn Siposs, Rick Lovato

What is there really to say about the specialists? For all of his flaws, the Eagles didn’t bring in a legitimate challenger for Jake Elliott, who is owed a ton of money, and by all accounts, Arryn Siposs and Rick Lovato have been of professional quality in their second and seventh training camps respectfully.

*insert shrug emoji here* I don’t know what else to tell ya.

Practice squad: Raquon Smith, John Hightower, Hakeem Butler, Craig James, Grayland Arnold, Luke Juriga, Marcus Epps, Jack Stoll, Kayode Awosika, Michael Walker, Brett Toth Iosua Opeta, Obi Melifonwu, Elijah Holyfield, T.Y. McGill, Adrian Killins Jr.

Bonus round time. Raquon Smith, John Hightower, Luke Juriga, Craig James, and Marcus Epps could all find their names on the Eagles’ initial 53 man roster, and no one would bat an eye. Kayode Awosika has been making waves in camp as a deep reserve guard, and as improbable as it may sound, I still believe we haven’t seen the last of Adrian Kills in a midnight green uniform.

What do you think? Is there a darkhorse candidate you think deserves a spot on the active roster? Let us know!