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Eagles Roster Pyramid: Ranking the Eagles’ entire 2026 roster, from elite players to training-camp wildcards

EJ Smith Avatar
19 hours ago
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Now that the majority of Howie Roseman’s offseason maneuvering has been completed, it’s a good time to take stock of where the Eagles roster stands going into the 2026 season.

Below, we’ll rank each member on the expanded roster, 1 through 92, and place each into the types of tiers that NFL front offices (and our friend Fran Duffy) use to categorize players across the league.

Star players

These are top-5 players at their position who are still realistically in their prime years. There is some projection in having Johnson in the top spot because of the Lisfranc foot injury he finished last season with, but his importance to the team is well documented and illustrative of just how good Johnson still is as a 36-year-old.

1. Lane Johnson

2. Quinyon Mitchell

The fact that Mitchell was recognized as one of the best cornerbacks in football last season despite his relative lack of actual ball production shows just how dominant he has become. His passer rating allowed when targeted, catch percentage, and EPA/target each ranked second in the NFL last season, the latter of the three being even more impressive considering he had just two interceptions last year.

3. Cooper DeJean

Even if Mitchell may be the better player, DeJean could have the stronger case for being the most important cog in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s system considering how effective he is flowing downhill against the run, matching up in coverage against slot receivers, and bringing physicality to the secondary against bigger-bodied tight ends or power slots. Add his ability to play on the outside or at safety in base and DeJean fits comfortably along with Kyle Hamilton and Jalen Ramsay as the best versatile defensive backs in the NFL.

4. Zack Baun

Baun proved his breakout 2024 wasn’t a flash in the pan. He’s one of the best linebackers in the NFL and showed encouraging improvements around the margins in his second year as another important mainstay in Fangio’s scheme.

5. Saquon Barkley

It’s difficult to know exactly where Barkley should fit among the top 5, but he still belongs in this tier. He still has game-breaking ability when given the opportunity (see: Eagles vs. Commanders in Week 16 last season), but whether the 29-year-old returns to historic levels in 2026 may be more dependent on the players who follow him on this list.

6. Jordan Mailata

I flip-flopped on whether Mailata belongs at the bottom of this tier or the top of the next, but he sneaks into the elite group mostly down to him playing a heavily scrutinized position without as much help as some of his peers enjoy. Even if he’s not quite staking a claim for the “best left tackle in the NFL” title quite yet, he isn’t far off.

Impact starters

These are players you win because of, but are perhaps just outside of the top-5 at their position.

7. Jalen Carter

Carter is the first player who, had I done this list last year, would have moved down a tier. The 25-year-old still had some of the splash plays that underscored his 2024 season, but shoulder injuries and a season-opening blunder resulted in an underwhelming 2025. Carter is a good encapsulation of what this group represents, though: Players who are within arm’s length of the “elite” tier going into next year.

8. DeVonta Smith

Stepping into the No. 1 receiver role in the new-look Eagles offense has me (and plenty others) buying DeVonta Smith stock this offseason. And here’s a stat to back it up: DeVonta Smith’s yards per route run when A.J. Brown wasn’t on the field the last two seasons (2.69) rank third in the NFL behind Puka Nacua and Luther Burden. It’s a small sample size, but instructive that Smith can make the most of this opportunity.

9. Jalen Hurts

Like Carter, Hurts dropped down a tier over the last 12 months. A Super Bowl MVP should be weighted heavily when discussing the top-5 quarterbacks in the league, but a season of offensive dysfunction makes it harder to place the 27-year-old on this list. I believe you can still win because of Hurts, so he should remain among this group. It’s fair to say he needs the right scheme and personnel around him to flourish, but there aren’t many quarterbacks outside the top two or three guys who that statement doesn’t also apply to. If he can bounce back running Sean Mannion’s scheme, he should vault right back into the elite tier.

10. Landon Dickerson

Dickerson may be the biggest faller from last year to now almost exclusively because of injury. If the 27-year-old is able to return to full health after suffering a laundry list of injuries last year, there’s a clear path for him to re-establish himself as one of the best interior linemen in football.

11. Jonathan Greenard

Even though he’s coming off a down year with the Minnesota Vikings, Greenard has a track record of being a difference-making edge rusher. If he can replicate the impact Jaelan Phillips had in a half season with the team last year, he’ll justify this placement.

12. Jordan Davis

Davis is one of the few tier jumpers this high on the list and one of the biggest risers in general. I’d probably have put him among the average starters this time a year ago, but now it’s fair to wonder if he could climb into the elite tier if he adds some pass-rushing chops to his game after improving his conditioning enough to have a breakout 2025 season.

13. Dallas Goedert

I struggled with Goedert, who hasn’t flashed enough of the two-way capability as a blocker to challenge for top-5 status the way he did a few years ago but is still a very solid starting tight end when healthy. I’m not sure how often you’re winning because of him, but he has a similar argument for optimism as Smith: He ranks fourth in yards per route run without Brown on the field and should be the benefactor of the post-Brown world.

14. Cam Jurgens

Placing Jurgens is one of the trickier exercises on the list. The injury-marred version of the 26-year-old the Eagles got last year belongs several tiers below this placement, but presumably a year of rehab from what he’s described as a pretty serious back injury should, in theory, lead to a better 2026, right?

Potential stars

These are players you can win with who show flashes of becoming impact players — or even possible stars — in the future. This category is a departure from what most NFL front offices would account for, but helps frame a handful of players in between tiers on the Eagles’ roster.

15. Riq Woolen

Woolen was one of the major standouts in spring workouts and defines the range of outcomes for this tier quite nicely: His best version belongs a tier above as a game-changing cornerback, but his worst version probably belongs a tier below as an adequate outside corner opposite Mitchell.

16. Moro Ojomo

It’s actually fun to consider where exactly Ojomo would have fit into this list a year ago. I’d likely have still snuck him into the bottom of this tier, but six sacks in 2025 cements him right at the top of the group and perhaps pushing into higher altitude. Ojomo is on the Milton-Williams track: Ball out on a rookie contract and use it to get paid handsomely in free agency by a team without the defensive-tackle depth that the Eagles have.

17. Jalyx Hunt

Hunt is another one climbing the list, and there’s not much limit on how high he could go. He has the physical tools to be one of the league’s best edge rushers and has made steady progress throughout his career.

18. Jihaad Campbell

Despite getting benched in favor of Nakobe Dean midway through his rookie year, Campbell still has earned some upward mobility from a year ago based on the first half of 2025. He missed OTAs with a shoulder injury, but he’s got a clear pathway toward ascending at least one tier in 2026.

Average starters

Simply put, these are players you can win with, but maybe not the types of players who can consistently impact winning.

19. Tyler Steen

I’m intentionally pairing Jurgens and Steen together here, and there’s a valid argument to be made that Steen should be higher given the way last year went. His ceiling might not be quite as high as Jurgens’, especially in the run game, but he’s still got room to grow now that he’s settled in as the team’s starting right guard next to Lane Johnson.

20. Nolan Smith

If Hunt climbed a handful of spots in the rankings, Smith dropped about the same distance over the last 12 months. You could make an argument for him to be even lower based exclusively off last year, but I’m banking on the 25-year-old still providing value as a high-motor, every-down edge rusher who is going into a contract year.

21. Dontayvion Wicks

Wicks’ standing with the Eagles will require plenty of projection, but Nick Sirianni was bullish on the spring the 25-year-old put together and even drew some parallels to Keenan Allen when discussing Wicks’ route-running prowess.

22. Drew Mukuba

Mukuba seemed ready to ascend into the next tier above before breaking his ankle last regular season. The Eagles need him to pick up where he left off this upcoming season to solidify the safety position.

23. Makai Lemon

Rookies are difficult to place in this exercise, so Lemon lands here for now. He should be the No. 3 option in the pass game behind Smith and Goedert to start, and how productive he can be will largely depend on whether Mannion can find advantageous situations to unleash him.

24. Braden Mann

Mann punted well enough last season to earn a spot outside of the specialists designation that will follow; the puntalytics guys on social media were bullish on his start to the season and thought he settled in as around a league average punter by year’s end. Good enough.

High-end backups

These are players who could start on a handful of teams — somewhere between five and 10 — but would be a solid backup for a contending team.

25. Tanner McKee

It was a weird spring for Tanner McKee, who rotated with Andy Dalton on the second team for the duration of OTAs and mandatory minicamp. That doesn’t change the fact that McKee has looked like a fringe starter most of the times he’s gotten a chance to prove it.

26. Marcus Epps

Epps is the only person in this tier actually currently slated to start for the Eagles in 2026, but it’s fair to acknowledge there aren’t many safety rooms that would pencil him in at the top of the depth chart league-wide.

27. Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

I may be higher on Trotter Jr. than consensus, but he’s showcased enough good instincts and special-teams acumen for me to believe he could start on a handful of teams. I’d argue there’s a very small, but a nonzero chance he could unseat Campbell for a starting role the way Nakobe Dean did last year, but at the very least the Eagles can feel good about him being the first ‘backer off the bench.

28. Fred Johnson

The fact that Johnson has tried finding a starting opportunity elsewhere two offseasons in a row without success means he’s very much on the fringe of this tier and the one below. He’s played well enough for the Eagles when filling in for Mailata or Johnson to justify him just barely hanging on here.

Backups

These are average depth pieces solidified on the roster going into next season.

29. Tank Bigsby

There were enough two-back formations in the spring to wonder if the Eagles are dreaming of an expanded role for their backup running back. Bigsby may warrant it based off last season, although it’s hard to envision him infringing too much on Barkley’s carries.

30. Johnny Mundt

Especially with Grant Calcaterra and Eli Stowers vying for complementary roles in the Eagles’ tight end room, Mundt’s role as a physical presence in the team’s heavy sets should be a vital one.

31. Arnold Ebiketie

32. Michael Carter II

33. Jonathan Jones

34. Andy Dalton

35. Hollywood Brown

While Brown’s ability to be a deep threat comes front of mind when thinking about how he’ll look with the Eagles, his capabilities as a horizontal stretch player may be just as important in Mannion’s scheme. Getting Brown moving across the formation pre-snap, or finding him on shallow crossers into space could help the speedy veteran wideout find a productive role in the new-look offense.

36. A.J. Epenesa

Specialists

37. Britain Covey

38. Jake Elliott

Elliott would have ranked much closer to Mann 12 months ago, but is entering a prove-it year in 2026 after a shaky season. It’s worth noting Elliott has turned things around after a down year in the past (he followed a poor 2020 season with one of the best years of his career in 2021), so perhaps the Eagles were right to give him the benefit of the doubt this offseason when they guaranteed his 2026 salary.

Potential starters

These are young players who could develop into impact players or starters over time.

39. Eli Stowers

40. Markel Bell

41. Darius Cooper

Backups with special teams value

These are players who don’t project as starters, but provide enough value either on special teams or along the margins to give them an inside track to a roster spot.

42. Kelee Ringo

Ringo’s had a considerable drop to end up here. His special teams value makes it hard to envision him dropping much further than this, but it’s worth acknowledging just how differently he was viewed 12 months ago.

43. Elijah Moore

44. Will Shipley

45. Andre’ Sam

46. Smael Mondon

47. Cam Latu

48. Grant Calcaterra

49. J.T. Gray

    Long-term project players

    These are young players fighting to become one of the developmental backups in the tier above.

    50. Byron Young

    Dropping in here to point out this is probably where the bubble watch starts to get more precarious, but we’ll save that for the 53-man roster projections going into training camp.

    51. Drew Kendall

    52. Mac McWilliams

    53. Gabe Hall

    54. Cameron Williams

    55. Willie Lampkin

    56. Myles Hinton

    Bubble players

    These are veteran players fighting for a roster spot.

    57. E.J. Jenkins

    58. Jakorian Bennett

    59. Johnny Wilson

    60. Ty Robinson

    It’s a stretch to put Robinson in the “veteran” category here, but he is an older player who is set to fight for a roster spot after an underwhelming season. The 25-year-old was billed as a readymade rotational piece in the defensive tackle room this time last year, this summer he’ll have to prove his quiet rookie season was simply a product of the growing pains young interior rushers typically go through to make the roster.

    61. Dameon Pierce

    62. Elijah Mitchell

    Unknowns and camp bodies

    63. Micah Morris

    64. Keyshawn James-Newby

    65. Chance Campbell

    Shoutout to the great Zach Berman, who did a nice piece in The Athletic about Campbell being a standout on the scout team last season. You all should read it!

    66. Cole Payton

    67. Deontae Lawson

    68. Hollin Pierce

    69. Stone Smartt

    70. Cole Wisniewski

    71. Rocco Underwood

    The most likely player on this list to make the roster, by virtue of him being the only long-snapper.

    72. Dae’Quan Wright

    73. Jake Majors

    74. Kapena Gushiken

    75. Quez Watkins

    76. Danny Gray

    Quez Watkins vs. Danny Gray could be a fun, albeit obscure, training camp battle to monitor. Watkins obviously has been much more productive in the past, but Gray’s stuck around on the Eagles practice squad because he’s got a solid physical profile at the very least.

    77. Carson Steele

    78. Zion Wilson

    Our friend Fran Duffy had a great breakdown on Zion Wilson, who the Eagles signed once the defensive tackle declared for the NFL after the draft because he lost his appeal for another year of college eligibility:

    79. Jaedan Roberts

    80. Maximus Pulley

    81. Ambry Thomas

    82. Tucker Large

    83. Samori Toure

    84. Michael Jordan

    85. Tariq Castro-Fields

    86. John Ojukwu

    87. Ta’Quon Graham

    88. Shaun Wade

    89. Erik Ezukanma

    90. Jose Ramirez

    International Player Pathway Players

    91. Uar Bernard

    It’s harsh to put these guys on the list in any capacity, but given neither have played organized football, they are both situated at the bottom of the list and poised to climb in a few years. Buy your stock now!

    92. Joshua Weru

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