Eagles roster: How the Philadelphia roster was put together ahead of Super Bowl 57

The Philadelphia Eagles will represent the NFC in Super Bowl 57. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has spent some time making “win-now moves,” and they seemingly have paid off as the Eagles have amassed a combined 16-3 record ahead of their Super Bowl appearance. Their roster is a combination of rising talent and veteran experience and Roseman especially made worthwhile free-agency additions during the 2022 regular season that have paid dividends.

Acquired via draft

QB Jalen Hurts (2nd round, 2020)
RB Miles Sanders (2nd round, 2019)
RB Kenneth Gainwell (5th round, 2021)
WR DeVonta Smith (1st round, 2021)
TE Dallas Goedert (2nd round, 2018)

LT Jordan Mailata (7th round, 2018)
LG Landon Dickerson (2nd round, 2021)
C Jason Kelce (6th round, 2011)
RT Lane Johnson (1st round, 2013)

DE Brandon Graham (1st round, 2010)
DT Fletcher Cox (1st round, 2012)
DE Josh Sweat (4th round, 2019)
DT Jordan Davis (1st round, 2022)

CB Avonte Maddox (4th round, 2018)
S K'Von Wallace (4th round, 2020)

This list of players shows how good the Eagles have been at drafting and developing their players. Guys like Kelce, Graham and Cox have been around for a decade and bring the veteran experience of winning Super Bowl LII in 2018 to the team. It's also interesting how well Philadelphia does in the second round. Hurts, Sanders, Goedert and Dickerson are all staples of their offensive attack this season and were all drafted in the second round of their respective drafts.

Acquired via undrafted free agency

LB T.J. Edwards (2019)
S Reed Blankenship (2022)

Few teams are able to develop players that go undrafted and turn them into starters, but the Eagles have two. Edwards was signed in 2019 and has made an impact on the team to still be around three seasons later. He has played 94% of snaps this season for Philadelphia. Blankenship went undrafted in 2022 but has provided important depth to the secondary and has played 26.31% of snaps.

Acquired via veteran free agency

DT Javon Hargrave (3-year, $39 million deal, 2020)
DT Linval Joseph (1-year deal, 2022)
DT Ndamukong Suh (1-year deal, 2022)
LB Kyzir White (1-year deal, 2022)
LB Haason Reddick (3-year, $45 million, 2022)
CB James Bradberry (1-year, $7.5 million, 2022)

One of the mid-season moves that Roseman made was an effort to help the team's run defense by signing DT Linval Joseph to a one-year deal in mid-November. The day after signing Joseph, the Eagles signed DT Ndamukong Suh to a one-year contract. Interestingly, their free-agent signings are only defensemen. They know they can draft offensive players well and acquire others through trade, but the free-agent move have all paid instant dividends on the defensive side of the ball.

Acquired via trade

QB Gardner Minshew (acquired from Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 for conditional 2022 6th-rounder)
WR A.J. Brown (acquired for No. 18/101 in the 2022 NFL Draft from Tennessee Titans)
LB Robert Quinn (acquired in 2022 from Chicago Bears for 2023 4th-round pick)
S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (acquired from New Orleans Saints ahead of 2022 season for a fifth and sixth round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft)
CB Darius Slay (acquired from Detroit Lions in 2020 for a third and fourth round selection in that year's draft)

Brown, Slay and Gardner-Johnson are clearly the front runners for the best trades in this list. Brown was instantly signed to an extension and will factor into the team's game plan for the foreseeable future. Brown led the team with 1,496 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, while Slay was tied for second with three interceptions. Gardner-Johnson has been the best defensive acquisition, as he led the team with six interceptions in only 12 games played.

Acquired via waiver wire

RB Boston Scott (Signed off New Orleans Saints practice squad in 2018, re-signed in free agency since)
S Marcus Epps (claimed after Minnesota Vikings cut him in 2019)
K Jake Elliott (signed off Cincinnati Bengals practice squad in 2017, re-signed for a five-year deal in 2019)

Epps may go down as the best Philadelphia waiver wire pickup ever. A little hyperbolic, yes, but he has developed well with the Eagles. Epps played 99.10% of defensive snaps this season and has provided reliable help in the Eagles' secondary. Elliott is obviously the other notable name on this list, as he has been Philly's starting kicker since being acquired. Scott is a notable name but tends to only excel when playing the New York Giants.

  
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