Eagles 53-man roster projection 3.0: Is there a spot for Britain Covey? Safety depth chart still in flux

At last, the Eagles have reached the end of training camp. The team will host former offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and the Indianapolis Colts in the preseason finale with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday. Over the next several days, general manager Howie Roseman and his staff will conduct their final evaluations of the roster with expected tough decisions ahead.

As a reminder, the Eagles can carry 90 players on the active roster throughout the preseason. NFL teams must cut down rosters to 53 players on Tuesday. Throughout the preseason, I will provide updates on my 53-man roster projections.

Here’s version 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0:

Jalen Hurts, Marcus Mariota, Tanner McKee

Hurts, 25, had the best training camp of his young career. Even when he wasn’t at his best during a couple of practices, Hurts would still show off and quickly remind us of his MVP-caliber talent with his high-arcing completions to top receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. Mariota has experienced an up-and-down summer. Last week, the veteran picked apart the Browns in the joint practices ... only to later lay an egg in the second preseason exhibition. It’s still early, but McKee, a sixth-round pick, has impressed with every rep. He’s displayed the ability to quickly scan the field and his arm strength also is evident with his tendencies to air it out.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts Inc. and the search for authenticity: How the Eagles QB and businessman is staying true to himself

D’Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, Rashaad Penny, Boston Scott

The Eagles claim to be working toward a committee approach, but based on training camp reps, Gainwell and Swift appear to be in a two-way race for the lead role. Penny’s breakaway speed has been evident on multiple instances; he should serve as a nice change-of-pace tailback. Scott continues to be a steady veteran presence in the locker room.

A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus, Britain Covey

The first four listed are absolutely locks to make the team. If the Eagles keep five wideouts, Covey makes the most sense given his status as the team’s featured punt returner. Despite missing the past two weeks with a hamstring injury, Covey showed enough stability during the 2022 season — and no one has dethroned him from his spot — for the Eagles to keep him around. Joseph Ngata was an early candidate for training camp darling, but his performance in camp hasn’t necessarily translated to the preseason games. Tyrie Cleveland also flashed some until he suffered a concussion and neck injury during last week’s game. He was then waived by the team, cleared waivers, and reverted to injured reserve. On Wednesday, the Eagles signed wide receiver Freddie Swain, a 2020 sixth-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks. Swain has 42 career catches for 576 yards and six touchdowns over 37 games (10 starts) with the Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, and Denver Broncos. Swain previously played for offensive coordinator Brian Johnson at the University of Florida.

Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra

Goedert is aggressively eyeing his first 1,000-yard season. He’s been tremendous in finding the soft spots of the zone and breaking open for Hurts. If he stays healthy, there’s little doubt within the locker room that Goedert has the potential to evolve into a household name.

Left tackle Jordan Mailata, left guard Landon Dickerson, center Jason Kelce, right guard Cam Jurgens, right tackle Lane Johnson, Jack Driscoll, Tyler Steen, Sua Opeta, Josh Sills

The Eagles typically go heavy at O-line, but given the intrigue at other positions, we’ll keep them at nine linemen for this projection. Steen has cross trained at nearly every spot, while Opeta recently catapulted over Sills on the depth chart, occasionally filling in for Dickerson over the past week. The Eagles on Wednesday released reserve offensive tackle Fred Johnson.

» READ MORE: Fights & Fines: Jason Kelce shows James Harden the meaning of leadership, accountability

Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu

No changes here. Despite sustaining a recent concussion, seventh-round pick Moro Ojomo could push Tuipulotu for the No. 5 spot. Kentavius Street is another intriguing depth option. He had a relatively quiet camp, but flashed during the Browns game. Carter, the team’s top rookie, is receiving regular praise from veteran teammates, the latest notes being from Lane Johnson and Darius Slay. Carter was a one-man wrecking crew during the team’s lone joint practice with the Colts. Reps are important for nearly every rookie, but Eagles fans shouldn’t mind if Carter is shelved until New England.

Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Nolan Smith, Derek Barnett, Patrick Johnson, Kyron Johnson

Patrick Johnson (ankle) returned to practice this past week; he registered multiple quality reps against Lane Johnson, his best move was his bull-rush. Kyron Johnson has missed time due to an appendectomy, but he’s still viewed as a key special-teams player. The same could be said with Patrick Johnson. Seven players is pushing it with position allocation; perhaps general manager Howie Roseman swings a trade for Barnett before Week 1. Reddick had surgery on his thumb on Monday. The team is hopeful he’ll be ready for the season opener, Sept. 10 at New England. Sweat seemingly registered a sack in every practice this summer. He’s on an absolute heater heading into the regular season. The Eagles are being cautious with Smith, who suffered from a stinger to his shoulder versus the Browns. Smith insists he’s OK, but the team held him out of practice this week.

Nakobe Dean, Zach Cunningham, Christian Elliss, Nicholas Morrow

Two weeks after signing with the Eagles as a free agent, Myles Jack has retired. Jack’s retirement felt a bit abrupt, but it wasn’t necessarily a total surprise after witnessing him drop to the bottom of the depth chart shortly upon his arrival. Meanwhile, Cunningham is beelining for the other starter role alongside Dean. His lengthy frame (6-foot-3, 238 pounds) has the potential to complement Dean (5-foot-11, 231 pounds) nicely.

» READ MORE: Eagles practice observations: Jason Kelce cheap shot; Jalen Carter, a wrecking ball

Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Josh Jobe, Kelee Ringo, Eli Ricks

The Eagles lost a key special teamer in third-year player Zech McPhearson when he sustained a torn Achilles against the Browns. McPhearson also provided versatile depth at outside and nickel cornerback behind Slay, Bradberry, and Maddox. Jobe continues to solidify his positioning as the top reserve at outside cornerback. The Eagles would like to see more consistency from Ringo, but they’ll need to be patient with the rookie out of Georgia. With McPhearson sidelined, expect the Eagles to fill the final spot with one of their depth options, a group that includes Ricks, Josiah Scott, Mario Goodrich, Mekhi Garner, and Tristin McCollum.

Reed Blankenship, Sydney Brown, K’Von Wallace, Terrell Edmunds

Aside from Blankenship, this group is a complete toss-up in regard to predicting the other starting safety. The Eagles have trotted out literally every possible pairing, including non-listed Justin Evans. The team eventually would like to transition to a backend that features the rookie Brown.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Reed Blankenship picks off Deshaun Watson, shining in a joint practice session against Browns

Long snapper Rick Lovato, kicker Jake Elliott, punter Arryn Siposs

Undrafted rookie Ty Zentner’s stay was short-lived. He never threatened Siposs for his roster spot, and he was cut immediately following the team’s tie with the Browns. With Zentner gone, Siposs insists he has a clear conscience heading into the upcoming season. Earlier in the week, Siposs acknowledged he’ll need to live with his mistake in reference to his forgettable shank in the Super Bowl. Time will tell if Siposs can rectify his image.

The Eagles host the Indianapolis Colts in their final exhibition game of the summer. Join Eagles beat reporters Josh Tolentino, EJ Smith, and Olivia Reiner as they dissect the hottest story lines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.