Eagles roster: Saquon Barkley’s fit, right guard uncertainty stand out as major questions before draft

The draft is less than one month away. The Eagles roster going into training camp — let alone their depth chart — is nowhere near complete.

Still, there’s value in assessing the depth chart as it stands after the initial wave of free agency, in which the Eagles signed 11 players, acquired one via trade, and re-signed four pending unrestricted free agents.

Breaking down each position group reveals the question marks on the roster, both in starting and in depth roles, that could potentially be addressed in the draft, April 25-27.

Let’s take a look at the offensive depth chart in the first part of a two-part series. Part 2 will analyze the defense and the specialists:

The Eagles already have their group of quarterbacks in place for training camp, and it seems highly unlikely that anything will change between now and then. Most recently, the team agreed to terms with quarterback Will Grier, who has experience working with new Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore with the Dallas Cowboys in 2021-22.

Grier, 28, never played a snap for the Cowboys and hasn’t seen game action since his rookie season in 2019 with the Carolina Panthers. He figures to be a camp arm who can serve as a resource for his teammates given his familiarity with Moore and new quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier.

» READ MORE: It’s a good thing for Nick Sirianni that he agreed with Jeffrey Lurie on the Eagles’ new coordinators

Regardless of the addition of Grier, the Eagles view 2023 sixth-round pick Tanner McKee as their third-string quarterback. He took the most snaps of any Eagles quarterback in the preseason last year and showed promise as a pocket passer. McKee, who is 6-foot-6 and 231 pounds, was inactive for each game once the regular-season began but was available as the emergency third quarterback.

The Eagles may want to see Kenny Pickett, who turns 26 in June, take more preseason snaps than Marcus Mariota did given his relative inexperience. McKee, 24 in April, still has a lot to prove if he wants an eventual crack at a backup gig and will get another opportunity to do so in the preseason, too.

Saquon Barkley, get ready to carry the bulk of the workload among the running backs. It’ll be a diverse workload, too — not only is the former Penn State star explosive in the run game, but he’s versatile in the passing game, capable of catching balls out of the backfield, in the slot, or on the perimeter.

Barkley has a strong track record in pass protection, a skill set that the 2023 Eagles running backs lacked and, in turn, hurt their overall performance against the blitz.

Whether Barkley’s body can withstand a heavy workload will become apparent over time. General manager Howie Roseman appeared confident that at 27, Barkley still has a lot left in the tank. History at the position suggests that his clock may be ticking.

Kenneth Gainwell will rotate in depending on the situation — the Eagles have a penchant for using him in the red zone — but Barkley is going to eat up the most touches of any running back on the team as long as he can stay healthy.

» READ MORE: Saquon Barkley says he can squat more than Jalen Hurts, gets advice from Jason Kelce, and recounts Fletcher Cox’s trash talk

As the depth chart lays out, the running back corps beyond Barkley and Gainwell is quite thin. The Eagles could bring back sixth-year veteran Boston Scott, who is an unrestricted free agent. Tyrion Davis-Price, a 2022 third-round pick out of LSU by the San Francisco 49ers, is an intriguing candidate for a practice-squad role.

Still, given that the Eagles haven’t taken a running back in the draft since Gainwell in 2021, it seems probable that they’ll select one this year.

With Quez Watkins, Julio Jones, and Olamide Zaccheaus becoming unrestricted free agents this offseason, the Eagles have been in the process of revamping the depth chart behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. So far, they’ve added 31-year-old DeVante Parker and 26-year-old Parris Campbell through free agency.

Campbell, 6-2 and 205, has the best chance of making the team out of camp beyond Brown and Smith. A speedy slot receiver, Campbell had a productive career with the Indianapolis Colts, especially in 2021, when he racked up 623 yards and three touchdowns on 63 receptions. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Campbell will be the full-time third receiver — the Eagles took a by-committee approach at that spot last season.

That said, they likely aren’t finished adding to the position. This is a deep draft for wideouts, a position the Eagles haven’t addressed since they took Smith No. 10 overall in 2021. Seeing as Smith is a candidate for an extension this offseason and Brown has three more years left on his deal, the Eagles ought to be thinking about the future at receiver. Identifying a receiver who can take snaps as the No. 3 this coming season and eventually develop into a starter could be a priority.

Dallas Goedert, 29, is going into his seventh season with the Eagles and his fourth season as the full-time starter. At times it appeared as though he wasn’t utilized to his full potential in the Eagles’ shaky offense, but he also didn’t consistently make the most of his targets behind Brown and Smith. Goedert recorded his lowest receiving yardage since 2020, when he was splitting time with Zach Ertz despite posting a career high in receptions.

Given Goedert’s age and the questionable depth behind him, it could be time for the Eagles to take a tight end in the draft. Ertz was 28 when the Eagles selected Goedert in the second round, No. 49 overall, in the 2018 draft out of South Dakota State.

Goedert is a year older now than Ertz was at the time and has two years remaining on his contract, but he doesn’t have any guaranteed money in the final year of his deal, according to Over The Cap.

» READ MORE: Jake Rosenberg, salary cap executive and GM Howie Roseman’s longtime aide, is leaving the Eagles

Their options behind Goedert are unproven. Grant Calcaterra, 25, has nine receptions for 120 yards on 145 pass-play snaps in two seasons with the Eagles, according to Pro Football Focus. The Eagles re-signed Albert Okwuegbunam to a one-year deal after acquiring him from the Denver Broncos before the 2023 season. Okwuegbunam, who turns 26 in April, appeared in only four games for the Eagles and was targeted once.

The Eagles have been preparing for Jason Kelce’s retirement since they selected Cam Jurgens in the second round, No. 51 overall, in the 2022 draft out of Nebraska. Jurgens, 24, was a three-year starter at center in college who was touted for his athleticism, which was also a notable trait of Kelce’s as an undersize player.

Jurgens made the transition to right guard last season to assume the starting role in place of Isaac Seumalo. Now, he figures to slide over to center in Kelce’s absence, with the recently signed Matt Hennessy providing insurance as his backup.

Hennessy, 26, has experience playing both center and left guard at the NFL level. He started in 22 of 41 games over the course of three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, including all 17 games in the 2021 season at center.

The biggest question mark among the projected starting group is at right guard. Tyler Steen, 23, the Eagles’ third-round pick in 2023, No. 65 overall out of Alabama, is the top candidate at the moment to replace Jurgens. Steen, 6-6 and 321, earned a start at right guard in Week 9 last season while Jurgens was sidelined with a foot injury, taking over for Sua Opeta, who had started the previous four games at the position.

But Steen struggled in his lone start of the season, allowing six pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. When Jurgens was out again in Week 15, Opeta won the start over Steen. Steen played tackle in his four seasons at Vanderbilt and in his graduate transfer season at Alabama, so right guard is still a relatively new undertaking for him.

Regardless of whether Steen is the starter at right guard in 2024, the Eagles aren’t likely finished addressing the offensive line. Right tackle Lane Johnson, who turns 34 in May, has three years left on his contract, and it might be time to start thinking about his successor.

» READ MORE: Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton has potential as mentor Lane Johnson’s heir apparent with the Eagles

Roseman could prepare for the future by identifying Johnson’s heir apparent through either of two avenues in the draft. He could take a developmental tackle who can start down the line, or he could select more of a finished product with versatility at guard and tackle who could be a candidate to start at right guard next season before eventually transitioning to right tackle.

It’s also worth noting that the Eagles let both Opeta and Jack Driscoll walk in free agency, two steady backups capable of playing both guard and tackle. With Hennessy being the lone addition on the interior so far this offseason, the Eagles could stand to bolster their depth — particularly at tackle — heading into training camp.