PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles open the 2023 NFL regular season at the New England Patriots on Sept. 10 at Gillette Stadium.
The defending NFC champs underwent significant changes on the defensive side of the ball with five starters, including both starting linebackers and safeties, exiting in free agency. General manager Howie Roseman signed safety Terrell Edmunds and linebacker Nicholas Morrow, among others, to help account for the losses, and will likely look for more reinforcements over the course of the summer and early fall as the Eagles gear up for what they hope is another Super Bowl run.
Offensively, the big shift was at running back. Miles Sanders departed for the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia pivoted by acquiring D'Andre Swift from the Detroit Lions and inking Rashaad Penny to a one-year deal.
On paper, the Eagles continue to boast one of top rosters in football, making it all the more difficult for hopefuls to crack the 53-man roster. Here is the projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Jalen Hurts, Marcus Mariota
The Eagles selected Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee in the sixth round of April's draft. He's going against Ian Book for the No. 3 spot. McKee may make it onto the roster if Philly feels he could be plucked by another team from the practice squad.
RUNNING BACK (4): D'Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, Rashaad Penny, Boston Scott
Fantasy football players will be eager to see how the rotation shakes out among this intriguing bunch. The big question, as always, is if Penny can stay healthy enough to assume a significant role. Trey Sermon has drawn consistent praise from coach Nick Sirianni and is waiting in the wings should an opportunity present itself.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus, Britain Covey
Brown and Smith make up one of the more formidable receiver duos in the pros. Watkins was mainly the No. 3 wideout behind them last season but struggled with consistency. Zaccheaus, the former Atlanta Falcon, had 40 catches for 533 yards and three scores last season and will push for playing time.
TIGHT END (4): Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, Jack Stoll, Dan Arnold
Philly signed the veteran Arnold to a low-risk one-year deal this offseason and also added a pair of undrafted rookies in Colorado's Brady Russell and Virginia Tech's Dalton Keene. The Eagles are still searching for the right mix behind Goedert, who has developed into one of the better tight ends in the league.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Cam Jurgens, Lane Johnson, Tyler Steen, Jack Driscoll, Sua Opeta, Trevor Reid, Brett Toth
With Isaac Seumalo departing in free agency, Jurgens and Steen, the rookie out of Alabama, will compete for the starting right guard spot. Two other rookies -- tackles Reid and Chim Okorafor out of Benedictine College -- were signed after the draft to vie for reserve roles.
DEFENSIVE LINE (8): Fletcher Cox, Milton Williams, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Moro Ojomo, Janarius Robinson
Arguably the biggest loss for the Eagles this offseason was the departure of Javon Hargrave, who signed a four-year, $84 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers after posting 11 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 2022. Carter, the standout from Georgia, was selected ninth overall in April's draft and is expected to play right away. He'll join Williams, Davis and Cox in the rotation. At defensive end, this summer will show whether former first-round pick Derek Barnett is still in the team's plans.
LINEBACKER (7): Haason Reddick, Nolan Smith, Patrick Johnson, Nakobe Dean, Nicholas Morrow, Christian Elliss, Shaun Bradley
Dean, the maestro of the historic 2021 Georgia defense, is expected to elevate into a starting role along with Morrow. Elliss, the third-year player out of Idaho, was one of the top standouts this spring, boosting hopes he can be a contributor. Smith was a late first-round selection by the Eagles in the '22 draft and will likely find some snaps immediately as an edge rusher.
CORNERBACK (6): Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Kelee Ringo, Zech McPhearson, Avonte Maddox, Greedy Williams
Slay, Bradberry and Maddox made up one of the best cornerback triumvirates last season. The position was further bolstered by the additions of rookie Ringo and Williams, who started 21 games over three seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Josh Jobe, Josiah Scott and Mario Goodrich are among a group of players also vying for spots.
SAFETY (4): Terrell Edmunds, Reed Blankenship, Sydney Brown, Justin Evans
With C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps leaving in free agency, both starting spots are up for grabs. Edmunds and Blankenship are the early favorites but coaches and scouts alike are very high on Brown, the rookie third-round pick out of Illinois. K'Von Wallace is also in the mix for a roster spot. This position still feels incomplete. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the front office add here.
SPECIALISTS (3): Jake Elliott, Arryn Siposs, Rick Lovato
Elliott and Lovato are virtual locks but there is a bit of intrigue at punter. Siposs returned from an ankle injury to play in Super Bowl LVII but had a misfire that led to a key 65-yard Kansas City Chiefs return. Rookie Ty Zentner out of Kansas State was brought in to compete with Siposs for the starting job this summer.