- What you should know
- The Eagles lost their final preseason game against the Bengals Friday night. Here are what we learned about the backup QB competition and grades from last night’s game.
- Rookie Makai Lemon had a rough NFL debut. He’s just ‘glad’ it didn’t happen in September.
- The deadline for the Eagles and every other NFL team to trim their rosters down to 53 players is Sunday at 6 p.m. Here’s our final 53-man roster predicion.
- Jeff McLane also made his own roster prediction, which included a potential quarterback trade.
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Eagles release DB Shaun Wade: ESPN
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Cowboys trade for OT Broderick Jones: ESPN
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Eagles release CB Ambry Thomas: ESPN
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Eagles reportedly release two lineman
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2026 Eagles roster cut tracker
The Eagles are in the process of reducing their roster down to 53 players by Sunday’s 6 p.m. deadline.
Here are all the players the Eagles are expected to waive, according to sources and other reports:
Offense
- Wide receiver Quez Watkins
- Running back Carson Steele (per multiple reports)
- Wide receiver Samori Toure (per NFL Network)
- Guard Michael Jordan (per NJ.com’s Cayden Steele)
- Tackle Myles Hinton (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter)
- Cornerback Shaun Wade (per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler)
Defense
- Safety Cole Wisniewski (per NJ.com’s Cayden Steele)
- Edge rusher Tarron Jackson
- Defensive back Maximus Pulley (per Ryan Fowler)
- Defensive lineman Gabe Hall (per Ryan Fowler)
- Cornerback Ambry Thomas (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter)
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Eagles reportedly waive safety Cole Wisniewski
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Eagles reportedly release DB Maximus Pulley
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Eagles waiving edge rusher Tarron Jackson
The Eagles are waiting edge rusher Tarron Jackson, according to a source.
Jackson was drafted in the 6th round by the Eagles in the 2021 draft. He was in his third stint with the Birds after being signed by the team on Aug. 10.
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Eagles releasing WR Quez Watkins
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Eagles reportedly release RB Carson Steele
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Eagles waive WR Samori Toure: NFL Network
The Eagles made their first post-preseason cut.
The team is waiving wide receiver Samori Toure, NFL Network reported Saturday afternoon. The 28-year-old signed with the Birds on the first day of free agency in June.
The Eagles are likely to keep five or six wide receivers. DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown and Darius Cooper are likely locks, while Elijah Moore, Britain Covey, Quez Watkins, Danny Gray, Erik Ezukanma and Tahj Washington duke it out for the sixth spot.
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Other teams begin trimming their rosters
All is quiet on the Eagles’ front so far, but other teams have begun making moves:
- The Jacksonville Jaguars are waiving linebacker Amari Burney, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
- The Miami Dolphins announced numerous cuts, including cornerback Alex Austin and running backs Coleman Bennett and Donovan Edwards.
- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived quarterback Connor Bazelak and several other players, according to Fox Sports’ Greg Auman.
- The Buffalo Bills are reportedly waiving wide receiver Mecole Hardman (per Fowler) and punter Mitch Wishnowsky (per Tom Pelissero).
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Giants trade for Ravens DT C.J. Okoye: NFL Network
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Final Eagles 53-man roster prediction features four QBs
Training camp is officially over, and Howie Roseman is on the clock.
The Eagles have to submit their initial 53-man roster by 6 p.m. Sunday, and there are key decisions to make at multiple positions, including the quarterback spot.
Projecting the 53-man roster has its twists and turns throughout a training camp. The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane revealed his one and only roster prediction earlier on Friday before the team’s 30-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the final preseason game.
But Friday night’s defeat provided some more data when it comes to decision making, both for Roseman and in this roster view. So, let’s get to our final projection of the 2026 training camp:
Quarterbacks (4): Jalen Hurts, Andy Dalton, Tanner McKee, Cole Payton
Well, this is quite a departure from every projection from this training camp. But if you watched Friday night, and saw the other two games, can you really imagine another NFL general manager parting with draft capital to acquire one of Hurts’ backups?
Dalton probably has more trade value at this time of year given his body of work. But trading him means the Eagles would be committing to McKee as the primary backup, and while that was fine last year, backing up Hurts with McKee and Payton seems a bit risky for a team that fancies itself a Super Bowl contender.
McKee was dreadful Friday night, though the necessary caveats need to be applied: he was playing with backups, and the only first-teamer who joined him on the field, Makai Lemon, was playing NFL football for the first time. But he was playing against backups, too. He finished the game 12-for-22 for 55 yards and an interception (that hit Lemon in the hands). A year ago, McKee dominated the Bengals in the first preseason contest of the season and cemented himself as the bona fide backup.
Keeping four quarterbacks would be a bit unusual, but it also gives Roseman some time to figure out what to do next. The first game is still two weeks away, and a lot can change on his roster and the other 31 between now and then.
The easy answer might be to cut Payton. The fifth-round pick has been turnover-prone during camp, but the Eagles may not want to expose him to waivers and ensure they’re the team that gets to develop him.
All of this uncertainty begs the question: Is the Week 1 backup quarterback even on the team’s roster right now?
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What does recent history say about going winless in the preseason?
The Eagles ended the preseason winless after losing at home to the Cincinnati Bengals Friday night.
But does that even matter?
Since 2021, when the NFL reduced the number of games from four down to three, 32 teams have gone winless during the preseason. Of those, 15 – about 47% – went on to make the playoffs.
That includes the Los Angeles Rams, who didn’t win a single preseason game in 2021 yet still managed to win Super Bowl LVI. The Kansas City Chiefs also advanced to the Super Bowl after their winless preseason in 2024, though they were blown out by the Eagles.
During that span, the Eagles have had winless preseasons twice, and in both years – 2021 and 2023 – the Birds secured a playoff spot. Though the less we remember about the final two months of 2023, the better.
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All eyes are Howie Roseman ahead of NFL roster deadline
Howie Roseman has all the pieces laid out in front of him as he whittles the Eagles’ 91-man roster down to 53 players ahead of Sunday’s 6 p.m. deadline.
Most of the team is in place, but it isn’t like some piece of furniture from IKEA with specific parts. Roseman will build his makeshift roster by balancing the Eagles’ immediate needs with the long term, while also factoring in injury variables, the salary cap, and other potential moves.
The general manager is scanning the rest of the NFL for upgrades at positions that are in question. He’s yet to make any trades since camp started, but no one likes to wheel and deal as much as Roseman. C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Jahan Dotson are just two of the players Roseman acquired in and around this time.
Wide receiver, tight end, and safety are among potential areas that could be addressed.
The 16-man practice squad will also afford the Eagles a landing spot for vested veterans, players they will taxi up on game days, or prospects they hope to develop. So while only 53 will make the initial cut, Roseman considers his roster a 69-man outfit (70 if they have an international prospect).
It is an ever-evolving list that will likely change ahead of the season opener vs. the Commanders on Sept. 13. But for one fleeting moment there will be those who make it, and those who don’t. Here’s one beat reporter’s predictions:
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What we learned about the backup QB battle from Friday’s preseason game
After displaying signs of progress in the second preseason game against the New England Patriots, Tanner McKee took a step back on Friday.
He started and played the entire first half. In 32 plays, McKee went 12-for-22 for 55 yards and an interception, good for a 41.1 passer rating. He was sacked twice.
The 2023 sixth-rounder out of Stanford struggled to push the ball downfield. Most of his yardage came on short gains, namely check downs to the running backs. Running back Carson Steele was McKee’s most popular target in the first half, as he amassed five receptions on five targets for 32 yards. Steele had one long 17-yard catch-and-run gain, but he averaged 3.75 yards per reception on his other four.
The sacks that McKee took highlighted his inability to escape the pocket. Former Eagles defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland split a sack with Bengals defensive end Isaiah Foskey on the Eagles’ opening drive, collapsing on McKee from either side as he lingered too long in the pocket and eventually attempted to flee.
Right before the end of the first half, McKee took another sack from Foskey, who beat left tackle John Ojukwu. Again, McKee failed to get the ball out quickly, but this sack was less egregious than the first one.
McKee was nearly strip-sacked in the second quarter by Powell-Ryland after right tackle Cameron Williams gave up the pressure, but the play was eventually ruled an incomplete pass.
Andy Dalton wasn’t any better
Dalton, the former Bengals quarterback of nine years (2011-19), took over at the start of the second half. He wasn’t any more impressive than McKee was to start.
Dalton was handed favorable field position after Eagles receiver Jordan Mims, who signed with the team on Monday, forced a fumble on Bengals kick returner Tahj Brooks and Andre Sam came up with the recovery at the Bengals’ 43-yard line.
The 38-year-old quarterback didn’t do much with it. After a Steele five-yard run, Dalton threw two straight incomplete passes to Steele and Britain Covey. The Eagles settled for a 56-yard Jake Elliott field goal, trailing 9-6.
But Dalton heated up on his second possession. He led an 11-play, 76-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a 26-yard play-action strike over the middle for Danny Gray that put the Eagles in the red zone. Steele continued his impressive preseason showing, as his five-yard touchdown reception made it 16-13, Bengals.
His ensuing two drives were less inspiring. Both accumulated just 20 net yards apiece, and the latter resulted in a turnover on downs after Dalton failed to convert on fourth-and-1 from the Eagles’ 40.
Dalton went 12-for-19 for 104 yards and a touchdown (95.1 quarterback rating) on 26 plays. Statistically, it was his best single-game performance of the preseason. But was it QB2 material?
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Eagles roster hopeful Andre Sam carted off the field
Safety Andre Sam went down late in the third quarter after attempting to make a tackle. He did not put any pressure on his left leg as he was lifted off the field and carted indoors.
Sam, a 2024 undrafted free agent out of LSU, had a strong outing prior to his injury. He recorded a pass breakup, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries (one on defense, another on special teams), and three tackles.
Eagles 2026 schedule
Next up after roster cuts? Actual football games.
The Eagles 2026 season kicks off at home on Sunday, Sept. 13, against the Washington Commanders on Fox. Calling the game will be childhood Eagles fan Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady, who is entering his third season as Fox’s top analyst.
Here’s the Eagles’ complete 2026 schedule:
- Week 1: Commanders at Eagles — Sunday, Sept. 13, 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
- Week 2: Eagles at Titans — Sunday, Sept. 20, 1 p.m. (Fox)
- Week 3: Eagles at Bears — Monday, Sept. 28, 8:15 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)
- Week 4: Rams at Eagles — Sunday, Oct. 4, 1 p.m. (Fox)
- Week 5: Eagles at Jaguars (London) — Sunday, Oct. 11, 9:30 a.m. (NFL Network)
- Week 6: Panthers at Eagles — Sunday, Oct. 18, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Week 7: Cowboys at Eagles — Monday, Oct. 26, 8:15 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)
- Week 8: Eagles at Commanders — Sunday, Nov. 1, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
- Week 9: Giants at Eagles — Sunday, Nov. 8, 1 p.m. (Fox)
- Week 10: Bye week
- Week 11: Steelers at Eagles — Sunday, Nov. 22, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
- Week 12: Eagles at Cowboys — Thursday, Nov. 26, 4:30 p.m. (Fox)
- Week 13: Eagles at Cardinals — Sunday, Dec. 6, 4:05 p.m. (Fox)
- Week 14: Colts at Eagles — Sunday, Dec. 13, 1 p.m. (Fox)
- Week 15: Seahawks at Eagles — Saturday, Dec. 19, 5 p.m. (Fox)
- Week 16: Texans at Eagles — Thursday, Dec. 24, 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)
- Week 17: Eagles at 49ers — Sunday, Jan. 3, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
- Week 18: Eagles at Giants — TBD (TBD)
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