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Roob's Observations: Can Howie Roseman keep Uar Bernard and Josh Weru on the 53?
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- Roob's Observations: Can Howie Roseman keep Uar Bernard and Josh Weru on the 53?
Roob's Observations: Can Howie Roseman keep Uar Bernard and Josh Weru on the 53? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
What will Howie Roseman do with Uar Bernard and Josh Weru when it's time to put together the 53-man roster? What are the Eagles going to do about cornerback depth? Would Roseman ever consider bringing back this all-time Eagles great?
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We'll have answers to these questions and many other pressing issues very soon as final cuts approach on Sunday, the practice week for opening day starts on Sept. 9 and the Commanders come to town four days later.
It's a busy and fun time of year as the Eagles get set to begin their bid for a sixth straight playoff season, something the franchise has never done.
You know what's crazy? In 1954 and 1956 the Eagles played seven preseason games and 14 regular-season games. So the preseason was 33 percent of the season. Now it's 15 percent.
As we settle in for the final preseason game of the summer, here's our latest edition of Roob's 10 Eagles Observations:
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A ROSTER HEADACHE FOR HOWIE: The Eagles have a problem with their two International Pathways Program players. They're too good. Uar Bernard and Joshua Weru never played football at any level before training camp began a month ago, but they have both progressed to the point where we've seen them go out in preseason games and hold their own and not embarrass themselves. They are both early in their development, they both have high ceilings and they both have a long way to go, but Bernard's strength and power is remarkable and Weru's speed, athleticism and instincts are impressive. Howie Roseman deserves a ton of credit for identifying their potential early on, and their position coaches – Clintt Hurtt and Jeremiah Washburn – deserve a ton of credit for developing them this quickly into viable NFL players. The problem is the Eagles would risk losing either one if they subject them to waivers. And when you see this kind of potential and invest this much time in developing them you don't want to lose them. But spots on the 53-man roster are so valuable, and can the Eagles afford to devote two roster spots to guys who are just learning the game and probably won't get on the field this year in any meaningful role:? Now, they could risk releasing them and hope they clear waivers and bring them back. It's hard for teams to claim guys during final cutdown because it means you have to make roster space by releasing someone you felt strongly enough about to make your team. But if you feel stronger about a player who got cut, you'll file a waiver claim, and that's certainly possible here. It's easy to picture either one – or both – getting claimed after what we've seen from them this summer. Bernard is listed at 21 and Weru is 23 and it's not unrealistic to think they could both help the Eagles in a year or two. If you keep both or even just one, you have to go light somewhere else on your 53. This is such a deep roster, if you keep the two IPP guys you're letting go of a couple good players who could help you now. Ultimately, if Roseman wants to get guys onto the practice squad he'll cut the ones he believes are least likely to get claimed. And it wouldn't be shocking if that doesn't include Bernard and Weru.
READY, WOOLEN AND ABLE: Nearly 50,000 Eagles fans saw Tuesday night at open practice what we've been seeing every day. Riq Woolen is a next-level playmaker. Woolen actually was quiet for the first stretch of training camp, but over the last couple weeks has blown up. He had that interception on Day 2 of joint practices in Foxborough when he stepped in front of a Drake Maye pass to A.J. Brown in the end zone and ran it back for a touchdown, celebrating with snow angels in the Patriots' end zone. And he picked off Jalen Hurts twice Tuesday night at the Linc, returning the second one for a touchdown. Woolen reminds of Lito Sheppard with his instinctive ability to jump routes and make big plays. He'll give up a big play here and there, but you can live with that when he's making so many plays. The Eagles haven't had an outside corner with five interceptions in a season since Asante Samuel in 2010, which is nuts. Woolen led the NFL with six INTs in his 2022 rookie Pro Bowl season and has 12 in 64 career games. I'll be surprised if Woolen doesn't pick off five or six passes this year. Quarterbacks are going to avoid throwing at Quinyon Mitchell because good luck completing a pass to whoever he's covering, and that's going to give Woolen plenty of opportunities to make big plays. And he's going to make plenty. Fun player.
THE LURIE EFFECT: Eagles winning seasons before Jeff Lurie: 23 in 62 years. Eagles winning seasons since Lurie: of 21 in 31 years.
WOULD HOWIE CONSIDER BRINGING BACK THIS FORMER EAGLE? We know Howie Roseman loves bringing former Eagles back to Philly. He does it all the time ( Marcus Epps , C.J. Gardner-Johnson , Vinny Curry , Nick Foles , Jordan Howard , DeSean Jackson, Jordan Matthews , many others). We also know that with Eli Stowers struggling this preseason Roseman could be in the market for a second receiving tight end who could be an upgrade over Grant Calcaterra or E.J. Jenkins. Here's an idea: Zach Ertz . Ertz is reportedly healthy after tearing his right ACL in the Commanders' loss to the Vikings in Minneapolis last December. Ertz is 35, but he can still play. We saw him catch 11 balls for 104 yards in the 2024 NFC Championship Game and last year before he got hurt he was in the top 10 among all tight ends in catches and yards and on pace for 65 catches and 659 yards. He played with Jalen Hurts in 2020 and the first half of 2021, before he was traded to Arizona , so he's got some chemistry with the quarterback. Ertz has made over $80 million in his 13-year career, so he won't be looking for a big payday. He's a class act and still has strong ties with Philly through his Ertz Family Foundation. One side note to this: Ertz is fifth all-time among tight ends with 825 catches and only needs 11 receptions to break Harold Carmichael's franchise record of 589 receptions, and when he was traded back in 2021 he said he'd love to come back one day and finish his career here. Probably unlikely but ya never know.
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JALEN HURTS STAT OF THE WEEK: Jalen Hurts has thrown 104 touchdown passes and rushed for 60 touchdowns since he became the Eagles' full-time starting quarterback in 2021. Those 164 total touchdowns are 3rd-most among any QB since 2021, behind only MVPs Josh Allen (207) and Patrick Mahomes (166). His 173 total TDs as an Eagle – including nine as a rookie – are 4th-most in Eagles history but only 14 out of second place. Donovan McNabb had 244 in 148 games (216 passing, 28 rushing), Ron Jaworski had 187 in 142 games (175, 12) and Randall Cunningham 182 in 122 games (150, 32). Hurts has played 93 games.
WHAT ABOUT BACKUP CORNER? The Eagles have tremendous depth in a number of areas but not cornerback. The Eagles are in great shape with starters Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen and slot Cooper DeJohn. But who's the third outside corner? Nobody has really taken ownership of that spot this summer. Jonathan Jones has been hurt most of camp and turns 33 in a few weeks. Mac McWilliams has been up and down. Jakorian Bennett , Kelee Ringo , Isaiah Bolden and Ambry Thomas have not been consistent or productive. Shaun Wade forced a couple fumbles in the preseason games but hasn't shown up other than that. And Michael Carter has had a good camp, but he's a safety and slot. This is one spot where you could definitely see Howie Roseman making a move over the next couple weeks and either signing or trading for a decent corner. Although they are hard to find. With the current roster, if something happens with Q or Riq the best move is to move DeJean back outside and Carter into the slot. That's a lot of moving pieces. Especially if Carter wins the safety battle with Marcus Epps. That would mean moving DeJean, Carter and Epps. Not an ideal scenario but probably the best option.
MOCK PRACTICE SQUAD: Howie Roseman usually picks up a couple guys from other teams when he puts together the Eagles' initial practice squad, but some guys I'd like to see on the practice squad assuming they are released and clear waivers: WR-KR Erik Ezukanma , CB Kapena Gushiken, LB Keyshawn James-Newby, LB Deontae Lawson,C-G Jake Majors , S Maximus Pulley, TE Stone Smartt , RB Carson Steele , CB Shaun Wade, DT Zion Wilson, S Cole Wisniewski, WR-PR Britain Covey , TE Grant Calcaterra, OT John Ojukwu , DT Gabe Hall and S Andre' Sam. And we'll see what happens with Uar Bernard and Josh Weru.
IS FLETCHER COX A HALL OF FAMER? Jason Kelce is a Hall of Fame lock and Jason Peters is a near lock. But what about Fletcher Cox ? I think he's got a pretty good shot. Cox is one of only 10 interior linemen in NFL history to make six Pro Bowls and win a Super Bowl. Of the nine others, six are already in the Hall of Fame (Bob Lilly, Joe Greene, Randy White, Buck Buchanan, Warren Sapp and Curly Culp), two aren't yet eligible ( Aaron Donald , Chris Jones ) and one has not made it to Canton (Michael Dean Perry). Cox's 70 sacks are 3rd-most among interior linemen over the last 25 years (behind Donald and Geno Atkins ) and since sacks became an official stat in 1982, Cox is one of only four interior linemen with 70 sacks, six Pro Bowls and a championship. Sapp, Donald and Steve McMichael of the 1985 Bears are the others. Cox also made the NFL's team of the decade for the 2010s, which really helps his case. The voters take all-decade teams in high regard. And the Pro Football Monitor, which rates players on a variety of categories that go into Hall of Fame selection, has Cox as the 13th-highest rated d-tackle ever, behind nine Hall of Famers, two who aren't eligible yet and former Viking Kevin Williams . The other thing about Cox that the stats don't measure is that he was a beast against the run. A rare defensive tackle who could collapse the pocket and stuff the run. Just one 1st-team all-pro could be held against him – he made second team twice – and some voters could exclude Cox because he was never the best interior lineman in football, thanks to Donald. I'm not a voter (although I should be), but if I was, Fletch would have my vote.
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WILL THEY REALLY BE THROWING TO SAQUON? Maybe it's just a mirage and it won't be a big part of the game plan once the regular season begins. But throwing the ball to Saquon Barkley has been such a huge part of the Eagles' offense this summer I can't imagine it's not going to continue into the regular season. It makes sense. Barkley is such a weapon however you get him the ball, and he's really been under-utilized as a receiver in his two years here. In his six seasons with the Giants, he had the 5th-most catches among NFL running backs, despite missing almost all of the 2020 season. In his two years here he has the 23rd-most catches among RBs. Barkley has caught the ball well all summer, and Jalen Hurts throws to him constantly. He gives Jalen a nice comfort zone on high-percentage underneath balls that can generate big yards after the catch. If you saw Barkley's diving TD catch at open practice Tuesday you know what he's capable of. This is a dude who once caught 91 passes in a season. The Eagles haven't had a back with 50 catches since Miles Sanders in 2019 and they haven't had a back with 60 catches since Shady back in 2010. With A.J. Brown gone, there will be a lot of targets available for everyone else. And after what I've seen these past few weeks, I'll be surprised if Barkley isn't in that 50-to-60 catch range this year.
COREY CLEMENT IS A HALL OF FAMER: Congrats to Eagles Super Bowl star Corey Clement, who has been voted into the Glassboro High School Sports Hall of Fame. Clement rushed for a South Jersey-record 6,245 yards and 85 touchdowns with a 10.1 rushing average playing for the Bulldogs. He also set a South Jersey record with 478 rushing yards (on just 14 carries) in a game against Gloucester in 2012. Clement ran for 3,092 yards and 26 touchdowns at Wisconsin and spent seven years in the NFL as an undrafted free agent. His 108 scrimmage yards in Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis after the 2017 season are most in Super Bowl history by an undrafted rookie running back, as are his 100 receiving yards.
