8 Players on Philadelphia Eagles' 2017 Roster Bubble

The dawn of Philadelphia Eagles training camp is an exhilarating time for all, as it signals the triumphant return of football, but the work is just beginning for coaches and front-office personnel who will need to make tough roster decisions.

While the eyes of most fans will be fixed on star players like Carson Wentz and Alshon Jeffery or star-studded rookies like Derek Barnett, it's safe to say the decision-makers will be just as focused on the fringe roster players. The Eagles have a ton of talent on the cusp of the expected 53-man roster, meaning the pressure is on those players to show why they would be a valuable addition to the Week 1 roster.

Some of these players face an uphill battle to prove themselves worthy of a spot, while others are right in the mix but could easily suffer a release or practice-squad demotion without a good camp. But all of them hit the field this week at the Novacare Complex in Philadelphia with their futures as Eagles on the line.

Let's take a look at the eight players on the 53-man roster bubble entering training camp and analyze their chances of cracking the roster individually.

WR Shelton Gibson

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When West Virginia speedster Shelton Gibson became the Eagles' fifth-round pick in this year's draft, a simple glance at the team's receiving corps indicated he'd need to impress mightily in order to be on the Week 1 roster.

That hasn't happened by any stretch of the imagination. 

Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice was one of many reporters to note Gibson's struggles in offseason workouts, noting that "seemingly every day, Gibson struggled with dropped passes" in OTAs and minicamp. Head coach Doug Pederson himself reckoned that the rookie isn't at the level they expected, telling Jeff Kerr of 247Sports the following:

"He's coming along. He's by no means, I think, where he wants to be or where we want him to be, but he's learning our system," Pederson said. "He's learning a new offense. He understands his role. He knows [...] he's got to really come in here and compete for an opportunity."

Wide receiver is one of the hardest positions in which to transition from college to the NFL, and the offseason free-agent signings have made it hard for Gibson to crack the roster regardless of his play. That being said, he'll need to make massive improvements throughout camp to usurp a presumed roster receiver.

The presence of Donnel Pumphrey in the backfield, who figures to be more of a pass-catcher as the fourth running back, will make it even harder for Gibson to play his way into the fold in the coming weeks.

G Chance Warmack

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The Eagles were smart to sign former first-round pick Chance Warmack this offseason, mainly due to the low risk involved and the prospect of reuniting him with offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who coached Warmack for two seasons at Alabama.

That doesn't change the fact that he's in a bit of a log-jam among talented and promising interior lineman in Philly, and that could push him to the fringes of the roster throughout camp and the preseason.

Warmack figures to be competing for a starting left guard position that could be taken from the injury-prone Allen Barbre this preseason, but the Eagles are already rich with potential replacements there. Stefen Wisniewski was re-signed and has plenty of starting experience in the league, while Isaac Seumalo is an up-and-coming talent who looks intent on forcing his way into the lineup sooner rather than later.

Should neither of those players usurp Barbre for the starting spot, they still provide the depth that the Eagles would otherwise rely on Warmack for. The former Tennessee Titan isn't as versatile as the two aforementioned players, and that could be his downfall if he doesn't have an impressive camp.

DE Marcus Smith

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Many Eagles fans are seeing Marcus Smith's name on this list and muttering good riddance under their breath, while others may argue he's not even close enough to the bubble to be talked about.

Nevertheless, Smith is worth analyzing due to the intrigue that his Eagles career has produced. The team's first-round pick in 2014, Smith has not only failed to live up to his expectations in Philly, but lately has failed to make any sort of impact altogether.

Smith got his chances over his first two seasons, but defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz began to phase him out last season. He played in only 21.3 percent of snaps in 2016, per Pro Football Reference, and the drafting of Derek Barnett and the signing of Chris Long appeared to be the final indication that Smith is not a part of the Eagles' plans moving forward.

What's more is that the Eagles could shed about $1.5 million of valuable cap space by releasing the underwhelming defensive end, per Over The Cap. 

With all of this said, Smith still figures to possess some of the enormous potential that once made him a can't-miss prospect. For the first time, he's facing an uphill battle to make the roster, and perhaps that will light a fire under him to stand out in training camp.

With Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, Barnett, Long and probably Steven Means and Alex McCalister ahead of him, though, he'll have to dominate to play his way back into favor.

CB Aaron Grymes

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The Eagles' cornerback situation entering 2017 is promising for the long term, but it's a bit of a mystery for the immediate future. That may play into Aaron Grymes' favor as he tries to carve out a 53-man roster spot.

Philly selected Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas early on in the draft, but the former figures to be out for the entirety of his rookie season as he recovers from Achilles surgery. The latter is expected to battle for a starting spot along with Jalen Mills, Patrick Robinson and Ron Brooks.

As for Grymes, he finds himself in the same tier as C.J. Smith as depth cornerbacks who aren't competing for a starting spot but should provide important depth if they make the roster. And with unproven players rising to the forefront at the position, the Eagles have to know that they can rely on said depth players for starting reps if either injuries or on-field struggles ensue.

Grymes played well throughout training camp and preseason last year in Philly before a bad injury caused him to be waived, but he's healthy this time around and will be intent on picking up where he left off. A CFL star for three years before he joined the Eagles, he may be one of the most reliable corners the Eagles have, and that should help his chances as long as he doesn't struggle in camp.

LB Nate Gerry

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Out of all the positions of need this offseason for Philly, linebacker represented the one spot where they didn't land the reinforcements they needed. The lone exception is rookie draft pick Nate Gerry.

Transitioning from a safety role with Nebraska in college to linebacker presented more than enough reason to doubt whether Gerry would even make the 53-man roster, but optimism surrounded him if only because of how badly the Eagles are relying on him to make that transition seamless. 

Asked how Gerry was doing with the transition, Pederson offered some encouraging insight on the rookie to Anthony DiBona of USA Today:

“Really good. Really good. He’s a smart kid. It’s definitely a different role for him,” Pederson said. “He is comfortable, however, around the line of scrimmage because he’s played down as a safety. Now he’s playing more in the box and there is a lot more happening there from a linebacker’s position.”

With Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham as the only reliable linebackers in the fold, a roster spot is wide-open for Gerry. Mychal Kendricks is far from a Schwartz favorite, and depth linebackers Kamu Grugier-Hill and Najee Goode don't have much experience.

Even so, Gerry may not need to beat out any of those players to crack the 53-man roster. A 4-3 defense will typically put around six linebackers on the roster, meaning Gerry might be the last guy to make the cut. 

QB Matt McGloin

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This time a year ago, it made perfect sense for the Eagles to orchestrate a roster that fielded three quarterbacks for game day. Now, it's ironic that the Eagles have one of the better third-string quarterbacks in the league and probably aren't in a spot where it's necessary to have one suited up on Sundays.

Aside from the unquestioned potential, Wentz was an unproven rookie a season ago who needed a contingency plan in place. Fast-forward to the 2017 season, and he's already one of the better quarterbacks in the league who also has a formidable backup in Nick Foles holding the clipboard.

Enter Matt McGloin. The fifth-year pro has played in 13 games throughout his career and started seven, including playing his way into the starting role as a rookie. The former Raider offers good insurance in case of injury to both Wentz and Foles, and he also offers the experience necessary to run the offense in case of emergency.

With that said, the Eagles field more versatile players than most teams in the league with their dynamic special teams and West Coast offense. The roster spot that would open up in McGloin's absence would be utilized by Eagles coaches in one way or another.

The likeliest scenario is that McGloin falls to the Eagles' practice squad and probably won't ever suit up on the sidelines unless Wentz or Foles suffer an injury.

DE Alex McCalister

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Eagles defensive end Alex McCalister, while supremely athletic and promising, has never been on the right side of the roster line. A seventh-round pick in 2016, McCalister offered a lot of potential before a calf strain saw him placed on injured reserve before his rookie season.

The hope for the former Florida Gator was that he could redshirt his rookie season, add weight to his thin frame and enter the 2017 training camp with a shot at cracking the roster. Well, the time has come.

Of course, the Eagles weren't about to bank on McCalister doing all of that, and thus, they improved their defensive-end corps considerably. So now, whether or not McCalister has taken the next step physically and mentally, he could be on the outs simply due to numbers.

The Eagles saw something in McCalister when they drafted him, and they subsequently saw enough to keep him around for another shot in 2017 after injury derailed last year's opportunity. For him to have a chance at making the roster this season, he'll most likely have to beat out Steven Means in training camp, and that won't be an easy task.

RB Corey Clement

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Given Corey Clement's insane production in college at Wisconsin and a burly 5'10", 220-pound frame that has plenty of speed to go along with it, the undrafted rookie saw an opportunity to shock the world and make the Eagles roster. Much of that chance evaporated, however, when the Eagles signed a similarly sized LeGarrette Blount.

Now, Clement appears to be on the wrong side of a deep backfield containing Blount, Wendell Smallwood, Darren Sproles and Donnel Pumphrey. A head-turning training camp could possibly change that, and Clement sounds like he's confident that one way or another, things will work out for him, per Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Daily News:

"I really think this staff has my back. Relationships go a long way. If it doesn’t work out here, those guys will put in a good word for me. I think I’ll get the best shot possible. They’re not going to cheat me. I’m here to compete. I don’t want to be handed anything. I want to work for it.”

That has the sound of a player who may know that his fate as a roster cut may be sealed, but that isn't going to let that stop him from finding his spot in the league. Barring a miraculous training camp, Clement is likely to get his first NFL shot elsewhere.

With that said, the Eagles could get lucky and be able to keep Clement on the practice squad to see how he develops. Given his talent and production in college, he could end up being one of the undrafted gems of his class.