Eagles Who Need Strong Preseason Finish to Make 53-Man Roster

The Philadelphia Eagles have a few roster decisions to make after their Saturday preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings.

The decision that should front and center for head coach Nick Sirianni is whether or not to go out and land another wide receiver.

The back-end roster depth at wide receiver is not good enough and the Eagles need a reliable third and fourth option behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

How the healthy wide receivers perform on Saturday will determine how much roster work the Eagles coaching staff has to do before the Week 1 trip to Brazil to face the Green Bay Packers.

A few positions on defense will be under intense focus as well, but finding wide receiver depth is the most pressing issue at the moment.

Parris Campbell

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 06: Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Parris Campbell (80) runs a route during Eagles training camp on June 6th, 2024 at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia, Pa. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Parris Campbell has a huge opportunity in front of him on Saturday just by being available to play.

John Ross and Johnny Wilson are both dealing with concussions at the moment and none of the top wide receivers on the Eagles roster should play against Minnesota.

The Eagles have Britain Covey likely locked into a roster spot behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but the fourth and fifth receiver slots are still wide open.

Campbell needs a strong week of practice and a solid performance on Saturday to at least put himself in contention to make the 53-man roster.

However, he may not make the finalized roster if the Eagles explore the free-agent or trade markets once other roster decisions come down across the NFL.

Josh Jobe

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FOXBOROUGH, MA - AUGUST 15: Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Josh Jobe (28) in warm up before a preseason game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles on August 15, 2024, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Eagles' offseason focus on adding cornerbacks has left Josh Jobe on the outside looking in.

Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell brought more depth to the corner position, as did the return of Isaiah Rodgers from suspension.

DeJean, Mitchell, Rodgers, Darius Slay and Kelee Ringo should be the five cornerbacks on the 53-man roster.

However, things could change with a strong showing out of Jobe, who has been in this position before with the Eagles.

He probably faces more of an uphill climb because of the current corner depth, but he may be a solid special teams piece that makes the roster as one of the last two or three players in the 53-man squad.

Patrick Johnson

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 05: Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Patrick Johnson (48) looks on during the Philadelphia Eagles training camp on August 5th, 2024 at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia, PA (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Patrick Johnson needs to show his value on the pass rush and in special teams on Saturday.

Johnson is on the fringe of the defensive end depth chart, but a strong finish to preseason could keep him on the right side of the roster bubble.

The Eagles have Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat and Bryce Huff on top of the defensive end depth chart.

Nolan Smith will make the roster, but he needs to show more in 2024. Third-round pick Jalyx Hunt will not be given up on by the coaching staff this early, so his spot seems to be safe for now.

Johnson could be the sixth edge-rusher on the roster, but his value to the team in Week 1 will be on special teams, where the Eagles would prefer to have him instead of a rookie.