3 Long-Shots Who Will Make the Eagles Roster

The NFL preseason is flying by, leaving the Eagles less than a month away from the regular season’s start. Philadelphia’s 53-man roster is beginning to take shape, leaving the fanbase excited to see if the team eventually capitalizes on its +800 odds to win Super Bowl LVIII (No. 2), per FanDuel Sportsbook.

With just one final preseason matchup remaining, there isn’t a lot of time for fringe players to prove why they should be on the Eagles’ roster. While some will have their NFL dreams crushed, other long-shots will prove their doubters wrong by earning one of the coveted spots.

Keeping that in mind, here are three long-shots who will make the Eagles’ 2023 roster.

3 Eagles Long-Shots Who Will Make Roster

1. Tanner McKee

Expectations weren’t too high for quarterback Tanner McKee when the Eagles selected him in the sixth round back in April. While he was solid during his time at Stanford, nothing gave off an indication that he’d crack this year’s final roster.

McKee’s path to the NFL was also muddied by Philly signing veteran QB Marcus Mariota to a one-year, $5 million deal in free agency. At the time, the former Heisman Trophy winner appeared to be a lock for Jalen Hurts’ backup due to his 74 career starts as a pro.

Fast forward to August, however, and Eagles fans aren’t thrilled by the idea of Mariota as the QB2. He’s looked awful in two preseason starts, completing just 57.1% of his passes (16-of-28) for 144 yards and 1 interception while being sacked four times.

On the flip side, McKee has stepped up when his name’s been called upon. While his 52.5% completion rate (20-of-38) isn’t special, he’s still thrown for 295 passing yards and a touchdown without an interception.

Rolling with McKee over Mariota also makes sense considering that the Eagles can save just over $1.1 million in cap space by trading the veteran gunslinger to a QB-needy team, per Spotrac.

At the same time, Philly could opt to keep Marioa due to his experience. Even if that’s the case, I still see the rookie landing the No. 3 job over Ian Book, who hasn’t looked like anything special.

As long as McKee doesn’t have a complete dud in the preseason finale, I expect to see his name as the QB2/3 on the depth chart once Week 1 comes around.

2. Eli Ricks

The Eagles were dealt a huge blow when cornerback Zach McPhearson tore his Achilles during their preseason game against the Cleveland Browns.

While Philly’s CB room is still stacked with names like James Bradberry and Darius Slay, the team still needs someone to fill the season-long void left by McPhearson’s injury.

The good news is that the Eagles still have Eli Ricks, who was an undrafted free agent out of Alabama earlier this year. He was solid in his final year with the Crimson Tide, allowing just 6 receptions on 19 targets for 77 yards without a touchdown.

Although he likely won’t have similar success in the NFL right out of the gate, Ricks hasn’t looked out of place this summer. After shining in practice, he didn’t waste any time in his preseason debut, recording a pick-6 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Ricks did make some mistakes against the Browns, but that’s far from an issue. He’s only 21 years old and will go through some growing pains before becoming an everyday starting CB.

Still, even if he’s far from a finished product, Ricks has only allowed four catches on 11 targets with an interception and a pair of broken-up passes in two exhibition contests. That’s without mentioning how quarterbacks have a 50.2 passer rating when targeting him.

Unless Ricks completely forgets how to play football before the end of August, there’s no excuse for him not to be on the Eagles’ roster this fall.

3. Joseph Ngata

There isn’t a lot of wiggle room when it comes to Philadelphia’s wide receiver chart. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are the two top wideouts — regardless of which way you rank them — while Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus and Greg Ward round out the top five.

That likely leaves one WR spot open, and Joseph Ngata’s name is written all over it.

Ngata arrived in the City of Brotherly Love as a UDFA this spring. The 22-year-old playmaker spent four seasons at Clemson, where he turned 88 catches into 1,287 yards and 6 TDs over 39 games.

It didn’t take long for Ngata to start stealing headlines at training camp. Whether it was his ability to haul in difficult passes or stick to his route, it’s clear that reporters, fans and coaches alike were impressed with his play.

The good news is that the rookie WR has continued his success into the preseason. He’s logged 4 catches on 8 targets for 43 yards and while he’s still looking for his first TD, he’s managed to tally a trio of first downs along the way.

With a 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame, it’s hard not to like the idea of Ngata as the WR5/6 this season. The upside is clearly there, leaving time to tell if the Eagles will allow him to blossom.

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