There's no question that one of the toughest position groups to narrow down once the 53-man roster is finalized will be wide receiver for the second straight year.
The starters are set with Pro Bowler DeSean Jackson and last year's top draft pick Jeremy Maclin. Jason Avant is an outstanding slot receiver. After those three, what will the Eagles do? There are NFL battle-tested vets like Hank Baskett and Kelley Washington. There's fifth-round pick from this year Riley Cooper, who has been impressive thus far in camp. Many fans want to see Chad Hall, the former Air Force standout, overcome the odds and make the team. Don't forget Jordan Norwood and Dobson Collins, who spent most of last year on the practice squad, and another rookie in Jared Perry.
Whew! Last year, the Eagles were in the same conundrum and kept seven wide receivers early in the season.
"Listen, it looks like there's a lot of competition there. I like that. I always tell the guys in our first meeting, 'Try to make my job and (general manager) Howie's (Roseman) job as tough as you possibly can. Everybody can't make the team. Make it as tough as you possibly can on us to make those decisions,'" head coach Andy Reid said on Tuesday. "That position, there's going to be some tough decisions to make."
A determining factor will be the play on special teams. Baskett and Washington have experience in that area as well. Cooper was a good special teams player at Florida. Hall was a return specialist for Air Force.
"The part that comes into it is special teams. In the past we've had the Hank Baskett's and (Jason) Avant's. These guys are good special teams players. I know Kelley Washington is a good special teams player and I've got to see about the other ones," Reid said. "I think Riley (Cooper) has a chance to be a solid special teams player, but I've got to see that. That's something that I've got to see. That's a good group right there. There's a lot of competition.
"We've got a lot of power forwards in there, big guys that can go get the ball."
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 2:52 p.m., August 3
