Eagles cut 16, set initial 53 man roster

With the Eagles needing to get settle their 53 man roster today, they made a series of moves, including cutting the following 16 players:

S Jamar Adams
RB Eldra Buckley
WR Chad Hall
CB Joselio Hanson
DT Anthony Hargrove
WR Johnnie Lee Higgins
OT Austin Howard
S Marlin Jackson
DT Derek Landri
TE Donald Lee
LB Greg Lloyd
G Mike McGlynn
WR Sinorice Moss
DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim
OL Fenuki Tupou
OL Reggie Wells

The Eagles also released linemen Jose Acuna and Ryan Harris, with Harris being waived/injured.  Brandon Graham also remains on the PUP list.

There were a few surprises amongst the list of cuts, most notably that both Landri and Hargrove are out of the mix at DT.  Landri was very impressive in the preseason and Hargrove quickly developed into a leader so it wouldn't be surprising for both to latch on with other teams in the coming days.  Losing Hanson for nothing was somewhat surprising as well.  Apparently other teams figure it is easier to sign him off the scrap heap.  Cutting Chad Hall was a also bit of a surprise considering the health of Jeremy Maclin and Steve Smith, who apparently must both be ready to go in Week 1.  There was a ton of turnover along the offensive line, with Howard, McGlynn, Tupou and Wells all being shown the door after being on the roster last season.  The end of the Te'o-Nesheim era is disappointing though hardly surprising.  The former third round pick simply got beat out by Philip Hunt.

As for surprises amongst players that made the team, DT Cedric Thornton and S Colt Anderson are the most notable.  Anderson's special teams ability makes him valuable so it's nice to see the Eagles hold on to him.

Over the last few weeks, I have been making my own projections of the Eagles roster. Here is the Eagles actual roster, with changes from my final version in bold.  Expect a change or two before the season starts.

Offense:
QB(3): Michael Vick, Vince Young, Mike Kafka

RB(3): LeSean McCoy, Ronnie Brown, Dion Lewis

FB (1): Owen Schmitt

WR(5): DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Steve Smith, Jason Avant, Riley Cooper

TE(2): Brent Celek, Clay Harbor

LT(1): Jason Peters

LG(2): Evan Mathis, Julian Vandervelde

C(2): Jason Kelce, Jamaal Jackson

RG(1): Danny Watkins

RT(3): Todd Herremans, Winston Justice, King Dunlap

Defense:
DE(5): Trent Cole, Jason Babin, Juqua Parker, Darryl Tapp, Philip Hunt

DT(5): Mike Patterson, Cullen Jenkins, Antonio Dixon, Trevor Laws, Cedric Thornton

LB(6): Moise Fokou, Casey Matthews, Jamar Chaney, Keenan Clayton, Brian Rolle, Akeem Jordan

CB(6): Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Curtis Marsh, Brandon Hughes, Trevard Lindley

FS(2): Kurt Coleman, Jaiquawn Jarrett

SS(3): Nate Allen, Jarrad Page, Colt Anderson

Special Teams:
K(1): Alex Henery

P(1): Chas Henry

LS(1): Jon Dorenbos

PUP: DE Brandon Graham

Colts work over injury-depleted Eagles

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

It's a good thing there is still nearly a month until the regular season starts because the Eagles don't look like they are anywhere close to being ready. The short-handed Eagles, who played without 12 players, got trounced by the Colts in every facet of the game, losing 23-15. While a lot of this poor play can be attributed to all of the missing players (Kevin Kolb, Brian Westbrook, Jason Peters, Shawn Andrews, Stacy Andrews, Todd Herremans, Trent Cole, Bryan Smith, Darren Howard, Omar Gaither, Sheldon Brown and Michael Vick all didn't play), Eagles fans still hoped to see a lot more effort and a much more competitive game than they saw. Here are my positives and negatives from the Eagles second preseason game.

Positives:
-The DeSean Jackson 39 yard touchdown. Donovan McNabb and DeSean Jackson looked to be in midseason form as they connected for a beautiful touchdown that was easily the highlight of the game.

-Jason Babin. Once again, Babin was one of the better defensive linemen out there. With all the injuries along the line, Babin got a chance to start and he made the most of it, sacking Peyton Manning and forcing a fumble in the first quarter. Babin was around the quarterback the entire first half, proving that he deserves a spot on the final roster. Sorry, Bryan Smith, I think you just got bumped.

-A.J. Feeley. For a guy who is likely to get cut, he sure is making a case to be added on by another team. Despite facing constant pressure and getting knocked around in the pocket, Feeley hung tough and made some good throws. I know he made a bad decision at the end of the first half, but completing 16 of 20 passes is no easy task.

-Eldra Buckley. Buckley played much less tonight, but it was actually a good thing. Buckley, who got time with the second unit while Lorenzo Booker was demoted to the third team, held his own against better competition, averaging 5 yards a carry and proving he has good hands out of the backfield with four catches. Yeah, I know he fumbled, but it seems like a given at this point that Buckley makes the team while Booker gets cut.

-Sav Rocca. His first punt was a beauty that pinned the Colts inside the 5 yardline. I've had my doubts about the guy, but he has his moments.

-Adam DiMichele. If that was his one chance with the Eagles, he made the most of it. He made some nice throws and moved the ball well, too bad he's cut the moment Kevin Kolb comes back.

Negatives:
-Leonard Weaver. For the short amount of time he was out there, he played great. Unfortunately, Weaver is the latest Eagle to fall victim to the injury bug. He sprained his knee, probably while he was trying to block a lineman who got through the porous offensive line. If Weaver is out for any amount of time, Kyle Eckel is your starting fullback. Needless to say, that's a big drop-off.

-The Colts first team offense shredded the Eagles first team defense. Luckily, the Eagles have two pretty good excuses as to why the Colts were able to move the ball at will against them. First, it's the Colts, they have one of the best offenses in the league. Second, the Eagles first team defense was missing so many players that it was far from their best unit. The Eagles still should have been able to put up a better fight than that, but it shows that, defensively, they still aren't where they need to be yet. Not even close.

-The Eagles first team offense. They started extremely slow, with a 3 and out on the first possession and a fumble in the second possession. Things started to come together on the third possession when McNabb connected with Jackson on that 39 yard strike. McNabb put up surprisingly solid numbers, completing 5 of 7 passes for 77 yards, and he should be commended for staying upright behind the makeshift offensive line. Overall, though, things seemed pretty disjointed with the offense, and it all starts with the play of....

-The offensive line. Playing with only one starter, the "first team" offensive line was atrocious. King Dunlap, who was the starting left tackle, predictably got burned by Dwight Freeney early and often. About the only positive thing from this group is the fact that McNabb didn't get injured playing behind these guys. It's easy to simply blame this on injuries, but at what point is that actual starting offensive line going to play together? The season is coming soon, it's hard to have any faith in these guys.

-Discipline. Just like last week, the Eagles had way too many penalties, this time committing 12 for 87 yards. It could be a product of guys who have never played together or it could be the coaching, but Andy Reid has got to get this situation under control.

-Jeremy Maclin. As a receiver, he's fine. As a punt returner, not so much. His second fumble in two games might be a sign that he shouldn't be returning punts in the NFL.

Eagles "reach out" to Warrick Dunn

Apparently unsatisfied with having Lorenzo Booker or Eldra Buckley as their third string running back, rumor has it that the Eagles are possibly pursuing veteran running back Warrick Dunn. According to Steve Wyche of NFL.com, the Eagles, along with the Seahawks, have reached out to Dunn to gauge the interest of the 34 year old who spent last season with Tampa Bay. Dunn is a 12 year veteran and, while at the twilight of his career, still has the speed, shiftiness and receiving skills to contribute in the NFL.

Simply because he wouldn't play very much, I would say there is a slim chance Dunn will sign with the Eagles. He would be better of playing for the Seahawks, where he could work his way into their running back rotation. The Eagles don't really need another small running back, so I'm surprised they would even want Dunn. A backfield of Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy and Dunn would be incredibly dynamic but it would also be shrimpy as hell, with no back taller than 5 foot 10 or heavier than 200 pounds.

This reaching out to Dunn signifies to me that the Eagles might want to upgrade their 3rd running back spot. Booker looks like he has been beaten out by the unproven Buckley, but the Eagles might choose to go with someone with more experience as a backup. After all, if/when Westbrook gets hurt, the team doesn't want to have to rely on a pair of rookies to carry the load, no matter how good they have looked this preseason.

Thoughts on the Eagles first preseason game

(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Overshadowed by the Michael Vick signing, the Eagles actually played a game on Thursday night! Even though it's only preseason, it's hard not to get excited when you see the Eagles take the field at Lincoln Financial. While the Birds comeback bid fell short against the Patriots, losing 27-25, there was some good that came out of the game. Here are some of the positives and negatives from the Eagles first preseason game.

Positives:
-McNabb and the first team offense. While the first team offense looked sloppy on their first two drives, they began to kick it into gear on the third. Mixing in several shotgun formations, Donovan McNabb, who finished 11 of 18 on the night, led the Eagles down the field with precision, completing passes to three different receivers and letting LeSean McCoy eat up yards on the ground. While the drive ultimately ended in a failure in the red zone with a sack and a field goal, there were some promising signs, especially from...

-LeSean McCoy. The rookie looked really good, eating up yardage on nearly every carry. He finished with 55 yards on 10 carries, a solid 5.5 yards per carry, plus he caught two passes out of the backfield. I have never felt more confident about the Eagles running game when/if Brian Westbrook gets hurt.

-Sheldon Brown. He made a nice play early in the game and later had a pick that pissed Tom Brady off. Sheldon has solidified his starting spot for sure.

-A.J. Feeley. He might be playing for his NFL career now that the Eagles have Vick. Feeley got the bulk of the playing time at QB and had a good showing, leading two touchdown drives and completing 18 of 24 passes for 211 yards. Unless Kevin Kolb is hurt more than has been led on, however, this is likely the end of Feeley's time in Philly.

-Jason Babin. He's on the roster bubble, so picking up the only Eagles sack of the day is a big positive for him.

-Eldra Buckley. Lorenzo Booker better watch his back, Buckley is coming for him. While not particularly great on the ground (23 yards and a TD on 8 carries), Buckley had quite a showing in the passing game, catching 6 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. With Booker basically doing nothing, Buckley has a great shot at earning the 3rd string running back spot.

Negatives:
-Discipline. The Eagles were penalized 8 times for 98 yards, which is unacceptable. From the beginning of the game, the team seemed out of sorts and sloppy. Perhaps they were shocked by the Michael Vick signing?

-Jeremy Maclin. He fumbled his first touch as an Eagle on a punt return. Not a great way to start your career and not a way to endear yourselves to fans and coaches who aren't happy you held out. He later made 2 catches and had a much better punt return, but that wasn't a good first impression.

-The first team defense. After looking solid on the first drive, the first team defense got picked apart by Tom Brady on the second drive. Brady threw a bomb right to Randy Moss that Asante Samuel interfered with, which put the Patriots deep in the Eagles territory. From there, Brady dinked and dunked short passes to lead the Patriots to a touchdown. They redeemed themselves later when Brown picked off Brady, but they could have done better to put more pressure on the Patriots QB. Brady had a good game overall, completing 10 of 15 for 100 yards and 2 TDs. The second and third units fared much better, limiting the Pats to only a pair of field goals in the second half.

-Jason Peters. The big offseason pickup let the Patriots defensive line get by him for two sacks. I know he's surrounded by second team linemen that he's never played with, but he's gotta do better than that.

-Special teams. This supposedly improved unit gave up a punt return touchdown and had several penalties. Every year we hear that the special teams is going to be the amongst the best in the league and every year they disappoint. Let's hope the Eagles get these kinks worked out.