Philly Leader

The 53-man roster is a complex puzzle that is constantly evolving, improving, and maturing. The version that Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman and the Eagles put forth on Tuesday is the first of this 2024 season, subject to change as you understand very well, and now turning its full attention to September 6 and the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.

What to make of the initial roster? It is the best 53 of the eventual 70 (including a 17-man practice squad), and the team will gather on Wednesday morning at the NovaCare Complex and hear Head Coach Nick Sirianni deliver the most important message: All focus is in everything we do. The mission doesn't change. Your challenge every day is to hone in on your game and your improvement and to do whatever is needed to help the Philadelphia Eagles win.

The story of Tuesday is not that the Eagles kept six defensive tackles, perhaps the most "surprising" of which was Thomas Booker, whom not many fans knew but who put an offseason of hard work into a preseason of production and jumped out too much to ignore on the final 53. The story was not keeping 11 defensive backs plus another, second-year man Sydney Brown on the Physically Unable To Perform list. However, Roseman did reference the '23 season and said he put coaches in "a not good enough spot" by not equipping them with enough weapons there, so the defensive backfield was a "big offseason priority," and the Eagles treated it as such.

When you look and make note that the Eagles have only one "true" center, Cam Jurgens, on the 53-man roster, you are not giving Roseman and the coaching staff credit for thinking through every scenario – who might be on the practice squad and elevated for the game against Green Bay or who on the roster has played center previously in his career – Landon Dickerson, if you remember, was at one time considered by many out in the hottakeasphere as the "heir apparent" to Jason Kelce should he ever retire. Or for those who might wonder how the Eagles could play 12 personnel with only two tight ends on their roster? Just know that Roseman and company always have a plan and then a backup plan and then a plan after that.

At 4 PM on Tuesday when all NFL rosters were reduced to 53 players –the Eagles kept their best 53. For now. In a long regular season with seventeen games ahead, every player will have value. The practice squad is critical to success; thus far, personnel decisions will reflect this ongoing strategy.

"We have a lot of uncertainty. We have a lot of work here to do too as a staff," Roseman said. "With all players available any upgrade even incrementally helps our team we're looking for here."

"We're incomplete right now. We're at 53 but we really view it as a seventy-man roster."

The takeaway is that while close steps remain toward opening day preparations continue smoothly after surviving training camp healthily into pre-season games eager-eyed forwardness winning standing points immediately prioritized ensuring competitive readiness Philadelphia’s Eagle's journey continues robustly steadfast beyond initial configuration fluidly adaptable dynamic reflective resilience approaching seasonal ambitions assuredly optimistically firmly geared productive outcomes awaiting underway imminently scheduled opener Brazilian hosted Packers clash nearing immediate horizon promising hopeful successful campaign upcoming indicative overall operational strategic soundness progressive organizational direction clear focused intent unwavering collective pursuit objectives.