Eagles 53-man roster projection 2.0: Motion at linebacker and a familiar addition at wide receiver

Ahead of their second preseason contest versus the Cleveland Browns — with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field — the Philadelphia Eagles brought the juice to the final joint practice session involving the pair of teams earlier in the week. Tuesday’s practice was thoroughly dominated by the Eagles’ starters and reserves.

General manager Howie Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni will continue to evaluate the roster, weighing in performances from the preseason opener and also from the joint sessions with the Browns.

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 Aug. 29. Throughout the preseason, I will provide updates on my 53-man roster projections.

Here’s version 1.0, and 2.0:

Jalen Hurts, Marcus Mariota, Tanner McKee

McKee, a rookie, further solidified his spot as the third-string quarterback with his debut performance in the preseason opener. He delivered multiple strikes while showing off his impressive arm strength. Five of McKee’s 10 completions against the Ravens gained 17 or more yards. Hurts started camp on fire. He’s since cooled off a tad, but Hurts has shown the ability to rebound from a few incompletions with dynamic connections to his top receivers. He proved just as much Tuesday, when he favored A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, completing passes to each wideout at multiple spots across the field.

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

Sirianni explained his philosophy of sidelining Gainwell and Scott in the first exhibition game: “My plan with the backs ... I always like those guys getting tackled, so the first time they get tackled isn’t [Week 1 at New England]. So, next game, Boston or Kenny will get a couple carries, like Swift did [against the Ravens], and the next game, the other one will get a couple carries.” Game snaps aside, the rep distribution among the running backs from training camp is a clear indicator that these are the four players atop the depth chart with Gainwell and Swift each vying for the lead spot.

A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus, Greg Ward

If the Eagles elect to keep five receivers on the initial 53-man roster, then the No. 5 spot is totally up for grabs. Undrafted wideout Joseph Ngata climbed the depth chart with strong practice outings, but it was fourth-year player Tyrie Cleveland who flashed most in the opener with his game-high 68 receiving yards. Don’t forget about the veteran Ward, though, who caught all five of his targets for 53 yards. The 28-year-old Ward is a locker-room favorite and an established veteran. Ward also fielded two punts as featured returner Britain Covey remains out with a hamstring injury.

Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra

No changes here. Ideally, the coaching staff would like to see Calcaterra and Stoll take additional steps in the passing game. With Goedert out, the two reserve tight ends combined for two catches on five targets.

» READ MORE: Eagles practice observations: Offense strikes back; Reed Blankenship impresses; Sydney Brown sparks scrum

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, Julian Good-Jones

This second projection swaps out 12-year veteran Dennis Kelly for Good-Jones. Kelly, who appeared at offensive tackle, struggled during the opener; he gave up a sack after he struggled to contain a spin move from Ravens outside linebacker Malik Hamm. Good-Jones stepped into the second-team center role during Tuesday’s joint practice and aided Mariota with the reserves claiming “victory” over the Browns’ second-stringers. Dickerson recently tweaked his ankle, and Opeta and Sills have filled in for him at left guard.

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

Carter played just two snaps against the Ravens, but the team’s top rookie made his presence felt with a forceful pass-rush rep. I really want to find a way to sneak seventh-round pick Moro Ojomo onto the roster. He’s looked good in one-on-one drills, but so has third-year player Tuipulotu. Perhaps the Eagles go thin at another position, which allows them to add another defensive lineman on the initial 53.

» READ MORE: Eagles stock up/stock down report: Eli Ricks shines, Jalen Carter flashes, and more

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

The first four listed are locks to make the roster. Barnett, who carries trade value as a former first-round pick and functional pass rusher at age 27, has been penalized on multiple instances over the past week. Johnson provides special-teams value, but he’ll need to continue to stack quality reps over the final two preseason games and also in next week’s joint practice session with the Indianapolis Colts.

Nakobe Dean, Myles Jack, Zach Cunningham, Christian Elliss

After he initially struggled with coverage reps, Nicholas Morrow’s play has improved over the past week. However, it didn’t help his case when the team added Jack and Cunningham on identical one-year deals. At $1.77 million each, Jack and Cunningham are slated to earn more than Morrow ($1.15 million), despite them signing with the Eagles nearly five months after him.

Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Zech McPhearson, Josh Jobe, Kelee Ringo

Eli Ricks could force his way onto the roster with another memorable performance. The undrafted rookie returned an interception for a touchdown against the Ravens. Ricks also finished as the team’s highest graded player, according to Pro Football Focus. Jobe has nearly solidified his spot as the top reserve cornerback. He put the exclamation point at the conclusion of joint practices with his leaping interception of Browns quarterback Joshua Dobbs.

» READ MORE: Eagles practice observations: Josh Jobe steps up

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

Brown seemingly continues to climb the depth chart with the passing of each day. The rookie out of Illinois plays with one speed: He’s a “heat-seeking missile,” as described by Maddox. It’s been a strong week for Blankenship, who intercepted Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson three times over two days.

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

Surprisingly, Elliott missed a 46-yard field goal attempt at Baltimore. The established veteran had been perfect this summer. Siposs still appears to have a firm grip on the punter battle, although rookie Ty Zentner did boot one punt inside the 20 that led to a momentum-swinging turnover thanks to Mekhi Garner’s forced fumble.

Following their one-point loss in the preseason opener, the Eagles return home to host the Cleveland Browns in their second 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.