Projecting the 2009 Eagles 53 man roster, Ver. 4.0

With two preseason games in the books, the Eagles roster is beginning to take shape. Most of the major roster battles have already been decided and now the Birds are down to figuring out the little things like how many linebackers they will keep and who their last receiver will be. This is my fourth attempt at predicting the Eagles Week One roster. Below my roster projection I have also listed several players who are on the bubble and I gave reasons why they might not make the final roster. Changes from my previous projection are listed in bold.

Offense:
QB(3): Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Kevin Kolb

RB(3): Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy, Eldra Buckley

FB (1): Leonard Weaver

WR(6): DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant, Jeremy Maclin, Reggie Brown, Hank Baskett

TE(3): Brent Celek, Matt Schobel, Tony Curtis

LT(2): Jason Peters, King Dunlap

LG(2): Todd Herremans, Max Jean-Gilles

C(2): Jamaal Jackson, Nick Cole

RG(1): Stacy Andrews

RT(2): Shawn Andrews, Winston Justice

Defense:
DE(6): Juqua Parker, Trent Cole, Victor Abiamiri, Darren Howard, Chris Clemons, Jason Babin

DT(4): Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson, Trevor Laws, Dan Klecko

LB(6): Chris Gocong, Akeem Jordan, Joe Mays, Omar Gaither, Matt Wilhelm, Tracy White

CB(5): Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown, Joselio Hanson, Ellis Hobbs, Jack Ikegwuonu

FS(2): Quintin Demps, Macho Harris

SS(2): Quintin Mikell, Sean Jones

Special Teams:
K(1): David Akers

P(1): Sav Rocca

LS(1): Jon Dorenbos

Players who will start the season on the injured list: Stewart Bradley, Cornelius Ingram
Bradley's season-ending injury opens the door for another linebacker to make the team. Ingram forces the Eagles to go with Schobel as the backup, unfortunately.

Possible to start the season on the injured list: Victor Abiamiri, Shawn Andrews
Abiamiri seems to always be injured, so I am going to leave him in this category until further notice. The Shawn Andrews saga continues, who knows if he is going to be healthy or in shape for Week 1.

Most likely to get cut/traded: Reggie Brown
If the Eagles want to keep their 6 most talented receivers, Reggie Brown will make the team. Unfortunately, he would make the team as the 5th receiver, and normally you want a 5th wideout who can contribute on special teams. That could mean the Eagles will try to get rid of Brown to keep both Hank Baskett and Brandon Gibson.

Players on the bubble:
QB A.J. Feeley
Feeley did just about everything he could to keep his job against the Colts, completing 80% of his passes and looking like the only Eagle with any competency in the second half. He's too valuable for the Eagles to just release him, so look for him to be traded for a late round draft pick to a team desperate for a veteran backup. I don't see a scenario where the Eagles will keep 4 quarterbacks.

RB Lorenzo Booker
I think we've seen the last of the Lorenzo Booker experiment. While Eldra Buckley saw fewer touches against the Colts, it was because he was playing with the second team offense. Booker got the majority of the work with the third team offense and did nothing with the touches he got.

RB/FB: Kyle Eckel
When Leonard Weaver went down with an injury against the Colts, it was up to Eckel to prove he belonged with the team. 2 carries for zero yards and 2 catches later, Eckel would be wise to start packing his bags.

WR: Brandon Gibson, Shaheer McBride
I've been waffling back and forth on this one, but I currently think, if they choose to keep Reggie Brown, the Eagles will go with Hank Baskett for the 6th receiver spot, leaving Brandon Gibson out. Gibson has shown flashes of talent but he has been doing it against third team secondaries. Until he proves his worth against better opponents, Gibson will have to be a practice squad player.

TE: Rob Myers, Eugene Bright
The Eagles just signed Tony Curtis, a veteran with some experience in the NFL, so if he is healthy he seems a given to make the team over these two unproven rookies. Rob Myers was emerging following his 4 catch night by against the Colts and appears to have an edge over Eugene Bright if the Eagles choose to rid themselves of Matt Schobel.

OL: Mike McGlynn, Mike Gibson, Fenuki Tupou, Chris Patrick, Paul Fanaika
There could be a spot for one of these guys if Andrews starts the season on the injured list. I bumped McGlynn off the roster to make room for other positions where the Eagles don't have as much depth. Along the offensive line, because of the versatility of some of the guys, they don't need two players at each spot. There are some good linemen here that the Eagles won't have room for, some will likely stick on the practice squad.

DL: Bryan Smith
The emergence of Jason Babin will cost Bryan Smith his job. Smith has had trouble staying healthy and has done little to show he's anything but an undersized lineman. Babin has been a beast all preseason and has proven he belongs in the rotation. Smith could be placed on the injured list so the Eagles could keep working on the project player.

LB: Tank Daniels, Moise Fokou
Matt Wilhelm hasn't done enough to guarantee himself a roster spot, so there could be something available for Daniels or Fokou. I left off Tracy White last time forgetting how valuable he is to the Eagles special teams. White will be kept, so it's a three-man race for the last spot. Unless Wilhelm distinguishes himself, I think the Birds will go with Fokou.

DB: Dmitri Patterson
With the release of Rashad Baker, the Eagles secondary looks set, although Jack Ikegwuonu hasn't done anything amazing this preseason so there is a chance he could get cut. I don't see a way that Patterson makes the team, however, if Ikegwuonu isn't good enough to keep the team will just go with 4 cornerbacks.

That's the team as I see it. Did I leave anyone off? Who needs to be cut? Discuss in the comments section.