March 26, 2016

An early look at the Eagles' depth chart

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Matt Rourke/AP

Pencil in Connor Barwin to start at DE.

Free agency is just about wrapped up, as Howie Roseman stated earlier in the week that the owners meetings in Florida mark the point at which the Eagles shift their focus from free agency to the draft.

While the Eagles could continue to add a player here or there for depth, as they did on Wednesday with the addition of former Giants wide receiver Rueben Randle, don't expect any sort of starter-level player to be added at this point.

And so, let's take a preliminary look at the Eagles' depth chart heading into the draft.

Quarterback

QB1	QB2	QB3	QB4
Sam Bradford	Chase Daniel	Rookie	McLeod Bethel-Thompson

Both the head coach and owner of the team have emphatically said that Sam Bradford is the 1, Chase Daniel is the 2, and they'll be drafting the 3.

Running back

RB1	RB2	RB3
Ryan Mathews	Darren Sproles	Kenjon Barner

The Eagles are expected to add a running back in the draft, whether that be an immediate starter type (Ezekiel Elliott, for example), or in the mid- to late-rounds for depth. But for now, the order above feels rather clear. There were rumors that Ryan Mathews could be traded, which Roseman stomped out at the owners meetings.

Kevin Monangai and Ross Scheuerman are the other two backs on the roster, and Trey Burton could get a look at fullback.

Wide receiver

WR1	WR2	WR3	WR4	WR5
Jordan Matthews	Nelson Agholor	Josh Huff	Rueben Randle	Chris Givens

Doug Pederson said that Jordan Matthews will play more on the outside this season. He is easily the best receiver on the team, and it previously made no sense taking him off the field. In free agency, the Birds added Givens and Randle.

Huff is in an interesting spot. He was of course among the Oregon players brought in by Chip Kelly. While he has shown explosive flashes, overall he has been inconsistent. What does the new regime think of him? For now, we'll leave him at WR3, but I put him there with no conviction. The addition of Randle gives Huff legitimate competition.

The other wide receivers on the roster are Freddie Martino, Jonathan Krause, Seantavius Jones, and Xavier Rush.

Tight end

TE1	TE2	TE3	TE4
Zach Ertz	Brent Celek	Trey Burton	Chris Pantale

Ertz's numbers spiked at the end of the season for the second year in a row. He's the better receiving threat while Celek is the better blocker. Trey Burton could play a versatile role as a reserve tight end as well as a fullback.

Offensive line

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Jason Peters	Allen Barbre	Jason Kelce	Brandon Brooks	Lane Johnson
Dennis Kelly	Matt Tobin	Josh Andrews	Andrew Gardner	Brett Boyko
	Tanner Hawkinson	Barrett Jones	Malcolm Bunche

Four of the Eagles' OL starters are obvious. For now, we'll slot Barbre's name in with dry erase marker at LG. Obviously, the Eagles badly need depth at OT and a capable starter at LG.

Defensive line

DE	DT	DT	DE
Connor Barwin	Fletcher Cox	Bennie Logan	Brandon Graham
Marcus Smith II	Taylor Hart	Beau Allen	Vinny Curry
Bryan Braman	Travis Raciti		Travis Long
			Steven Means

Most have Vinny Curry slated as a starter, but the value that he brings is as an inside-outside pass rusher. He'll get plenty of snaps in a 4-3, unlike the last three seasons, but I believe he'll be used as a piece the Eagles move around along the line. Perhaps it's best to think of him as a defensive line pass rush specialist, as opposed to specifically pinning him down as a defensive end. Therefore, we'll pencil in Barwin and Graham at the starting spots.

Linebacker

SAM	MIKE	WILL
Nigel Bradham	Jordan Hicks	Mychal Kendricks
Brandon Hepburn	Deontae Skinner	Najee Goode

Linebacker is a very underrated need for the Eagles heading into the draft, as they desperately need depth here. After the starters, they have Najee Goode and not much else.