The Eagles lifted the curtain on their 53-man roster on Saturday at 6 p.m. to reveal something that, clearly, isn't yet complete. They kept seven wide receivers. They retained quarterback A.J. Feeley and placed Michael Vick on the Excempt/Commissioners Permission list. They had just two tight ends and three tight ends. They held 10 offensive linemen on the roster.
Clearly, there is work to be done, so stay tuned for a pretty volatile next 24 to 36 hours as the Eagles work the waiver wire, talk trade and manipulate things as best they can.
Some of the more obvious pieces that are in place, and that you want to know: Eldra Buckley beat out Lorenzo Booker for the third halfback spot. Tony Curtis won the second tight end position, while Matt Schobel and Rob Myers were among those who didn't make it. Dan Klecko had, as a vested veteran, his contract terminated, as did linebacker Matt Wilhelm.
Five draft picks -- wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and Brandon Gibson, along with running back LeSean McCoy, safety Macho Harris and linebacker Moises Fokou -- are on the 53-man roster and, honestly, they are all capable of contributing.
Jason Babin, as you knew once he had his contract restructed, made the team at defensive end over Bryan Smith. King Dunlap, Winston Justice, Mike McGlynn, Nick Cole and Max Jean-Gilles are the reserve offensive linemen, and Cole at left guard starts while Todd Herremans recovers from his foot injury.
Only one fullback, Leonard Weaver, made the 53-man roster and that was expected. Feeley joins Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb on the roster, for now. We'll see if something transpires in the next day or two as team re-adjust their rosters. There are teams out there that simply have no depth at quarterback.
Vick is on the Exempt list, and he is eligible to come off of that list at any time. So if the Eagles make the decision to, say, trade Feeley and they feel the need to have Vick on the active roster so that he can practice, they can simply add him to the 53-man roster and prepare him for his debut in Week 3 against Kansas City.
Clearly, the Eagles are going to have a difficult time carrying seven wide receivers -- DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant, Jeremy Maclin, Hank Baskett, Reggie Brown and Gibson -- into the regular season, so something might happen there, too.
This is about as non-final as any "final" 53-man roster as I have ever seen. The Eagles have more moves to make. What they do and where they go remains to be seen. And the questions are obvious to all. Can the Eagles possibly go into the season with only two tight ends? Is there help out there at defensive tackle or at linebacker? What in the world are they going to do at wide receiver?
And, yeah, Feeley's status looms. He is a great insurance policy as a third quarterback and any team would want him as a reserve at the position. But is there a team out there willing to pay a price for his services? Can the Eagles trade him for the second time in his career after acquiring a second-round draft pick for him in 2005?
Ten offensive linemen? Are you serious?
Hey, Andy Reid and Tom Heckert and the Eagles' brain trust has a busy next couple of days here. Those players living on the edge are still living on that edge, because one thing is certain about this "final" Eagles roster: It is anything but final. We'll have to wait a day or two to know for sure who lines up for the Eagles on the 53-man roster this season.
