12 bubble players to watch in Eagles' preseason finale vs. Colts

The Eagles wrapped up their training camp on Tuesday with a joint practice and will wrap up their preseason on Thursday night against the Colts.

After that, they will have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. to get their roster from 90 players all the way down to 53.

Here are 12 players on the bubble who have a chance to make the team with a strong performance in the preseason finale:

WR Joseph Ngata

After a strong start to camp, Ngata’s performance slowed down a bit over the last couple of weeks. But depending on how the roster shakes out, there’s an outside chance Ngata could make the team. At 6-3, 217, Ngata has more size than the other depth receivers. And after the injury to Tyrie Cleveland (he’s now on IR) there’s one less player in his way. Now, the Eagles might just decide to roll with five receivers and make Britain Covey the fifth as a return man. But then Ngata is a safe bet for the practice squad.

TE Tyree Jackson

The Eagles will likely just roll back their three tight ends from the 2022 season in Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra. After Calcaterra’s strong finish to camp, and considering he was a draft pick last year, he’s probably safe. And that likely means no roster spot for Jackson. But it’s not crazy to think Jackson could sneak his way on. The 6-foot-7, 249-pound Jackson flashed again at times this summer and still has a pretty high ceiling. We also know the front office loves him.

OG Josh Sills

The Eagles brought Sills back after he was removed from the Commissioner Exempt List and quickly put him with the second team at left guard. But Sills really struggled against the Browns last week and it has been clear that Sua Opeta is now ahead of him. This could be a final chance for Sills to prove himself in game action.

OG Sua Opeta

We mentioned above that Opeta has been ahead of Sills. We’ve seen that when Landon Dickerson has gotten banged up and he is the first guy out there at left guard. But that doesn’t mean Opeta has a roster spot locked up just yet. Opeta has been with the Eagles since 2019 and they have cut him before.

OLB Patrick Johnson

The Eagles have a bit of a logjam at the edge position. Their top four are clearly Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham and Nolan Smith. And they still have Derek Barnett. So we’re talking about a competition for a sixth spot that might not even exist. After an ankle injury early in camp, Johnson returned recently and has some juice. He has also been a steady special teams contributor in his NFL career. The Eagles drafted Johnson in the seventh round in 2021 and he has played in 33 games over the last two years.

DE Janarius Robinson

Another guy who has flashed on the edge this summer. Robinson (6-5, 258) certainly looks the part as a big-bodied defensive end. The Eagles claimed Robinson after final cuts last year but the Vikings fourth-round pick has yet to play in a regular season game. After holding a roster spot for Robinson all of last season, are they going to be willing to expose him to waivers this year?

DT Kentavius Street

The Eagles are also pretty loaded at defensive tackle where Fletcher Cox, Jalen Carter, Milton Williams and Jordan Davis are locks. I also think Marlon Tuipulotu is on the team. So this might come down to Street vs. rookie Moro Ojomo for one slot. Ojomo has a concussion so he won’t play on Thursday. The 27-year-old Street might be able to snatch a roster spot.

LB Nicholas Morrow

After entering camp as the favorite to be a starting linebacker, Morrow might be the odd man out right now. The Eagles are definitely going to keep Nakobe Dean, Zach Cunningham and Christian Elliss. Will they even bother to keep four? If they do, Morrow is likely the guy. But I’m not sure he’s done enough this summer to earn his position.

S K’Von Wallace

The safety position is still about as big a question as any this summer. We know that Reed Blankenship is one of the starters but the other spot is still up for grabs. Most recently, Justin Evans has gotten a bulk of those first-team reps with Terrell Edmunds and Sydney Brown rotating in. After such a strong start to camp, could Wallace be left off the roster? It’s hard to imagine, especially because of his special teams contributions but keeping five safeties might not make a ton of sense.

CB Mario Goodrich

Goodrich didn’t practice on Tuesday with an unspecified injury so he might not even be suited up for this game. But the Achilles injury to Zech McPhearson opened up a door for Goodrich to make the team as a backup nickel cornerback. He has flashed in practice and in games but we’ll see if he’s even able to do that again on Thursday.

CB Eli Ricks

The UDFA from Alabama had a slow training camp until his pick-6 in the preseason game against the Ravens. He is in a similar boat as fellow UDFA Mekhi Garner. Both players have done some nice things this summer but there might not be a roster spot for either of them. Can they do enough to make the Eagles’ 53? Or maybe they’ll do enough to get claimed elsewhere if the Eagles waive them.

P Arryn Siposs

While Siposs outlasted his internal competition when the Eagles released Ty Zentner, he still needs to prove himself. The Eagles will have other options available if Siposs doesn’t do enough in this game to really earn his position as the Eagles’ punter for the third straight season.

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