Eagles must pencil in specialists and a few starters before roster is truly set. Here’s the rundown.

The Eagles’ initial 53-man roster is set, but several roster-related questions remain as Week 1 approaches.

While plenty of players have solidified a spot on the anticipated roster for the opener, some of those roles are seemingly still up for grabs. Let’s take a look at the remaining gaps that the Eagles must address before hitting the road to face the New England Patriots on Sept. 10:

In an unprecedented move, the Eagles announced their initial roster without a punter. Arryn Siposs, who has served as the team’s punter for the last two seasons, was released on Tuesday.

Siposs had entered camp trying to bounce back following a botched punt in the Super Bowl. He outlasted Ty Zentner, whom the Eagles brought in as competition before the start of camp and was subsequently released on Aug. 19.

On Wednesday, the Eagles signed Siposs to their practice squad, giving them the flexibility to call him up to the active roster on game day. But between now and Sept. 10, the Eagles could identify an external candidate to replace Siposs and sign that player to the practice squad. They currently have three open spots, with the practice squad standing at 13 players.

The Eagles also announced their initial roster without a clear-cut punt returner. Wide receiver Britain Covey had handled the bulk of those duties last season, returning 33 punts for 308 yards (9.3 average), and he was also waived on Tuesday. The Eagles signed him to the practice squad, too, making him a candidate for a game-day call-up.

The Eagles also may identify other players to return punts, both internally or externally. In practice on Wednesday, Covey, Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus, and DeVonta Smith each took reps fielding punts.

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One of the starting safety spots appears to be secured by 2022 undrafted free agent Reed Blankenship. He exclusively took reps with the first-team defense throughout training camp and picked off Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson three times through two joint practices.

But who will play alongside Blankenship in Week 1 in scenarios that call for two safeties? The team knows for certain who won’t — four-year veteran K’Von Wallace, whom the Eagles selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, was waived on Tuesday. Arizona claimed him on Wednesday to reunite him with former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who now holds the title of Cardinals head coach.

That leaves three safeties in the mix for the other starting role — Terrell Edmunds, Justin Evans, and Sydney Brown. Edmunds, who is going into his sixth year in the league, has started 75 of his 79 career games with the Pittsburgh Steelers, making him the most experienced of the group. In that span, he has collected 410 tackles, five interceptions, 26 pass breakups, 15 tackles for loss, five sacks, and a fumble recovery.

Evans is also going into his sixth year in the league, but he has bounced around throughout his career and has seen limited action due to injury. He has played 39 games over the course of three seasons (25 starts). He came on later in camp as an option alongside Blankenship.

In all likelihood, barring a signing, either Evans or Edmunds will be the second starting safety. Brown, whom the Eagles selected in the third round of this year’s draft (No. 66 overall), could assume a starting role down the line as he continues to develop.

Three inside linebackers made the initial roster — Nakobe Dean, Zach Cunningham, and Christian Elliss. The Eagles rounded out the room with a fourth on Wednesday when they signed Ben VanSumeren to the practice squad.

Dean, who will wear the green dot as the defensive play-caller, and Cunningham, whom the Eagles signed during camp on Aug. 6, are most likely to be tabbed as starters come Week 1. But the fact that the room is so light could be indicative of what to expect from the scheme under new defensive coordinator Sean Desai.

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Instead of hoarding inside linebackers on the initial 53-man roster, the Eagles went heavy at cornerback (seven) and defensive end (six). It’s possible that the Eagles will deploy various sub packages with multiple defensive backs on the field, or ask edge defenders to drop into coverage. Edge rushers Patrick Johnson and Nolan Smith took reps at off-ball linebacker during camp. Still, general manager Howie Roseman may look to the free-agent market to bolster the inside linebacker position through the practice squad.

The Eagles also went light at wide receiver, carrying just four players at the position on the initial roster — Smith, Watkins, Zaccheaus, and A.J. Brown. They beefed up the room via the practice squad when they brought back Covey, Devon Allen, Joseph Ngata, and Greg Ward, giving them additional call-up options on game day.

It’s also worth noting that the Eagles acquired tight end Albert Okwuegbunam in a trade with Denver on Tuesday, effectively bypassing the waiver order on a nonexempt player who was expected to be released. The 6-foot-5, 258-pound Okwuegbunam has the raw potential to emerge as a receiving option with continued development. The 25-year-old Missouri alumnus posted seven receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in his final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams.