The Eagles “Sweet 16” Roster Spots

Today on the show we were excited that the Eagles are now just 16 days from their first practice. At the risk of annoying Ray Dunne, it’s also now just 60 days until the opener in Brazil. I proposed a challenge in favor of the 16 days.

The NFL has decided to expand by two more teams. In order to stock their rosters, the league will hold an expansion draft. Every team will be allowed to protect 16 players from their roster. It’s up to Howie Roseman to create his list of protected players. I asked Kevin Cooney (who was in for Andrew Salciunas) and Brendan Gunn to come up with their lists. I made mine and we compared our lists and saw how many of the players we had in common.

At first pass, we agreed on thirteen of the names!

The consensus was that the Eagles choices on the offensive side of the ball were easy selections. There were no arguments as to who should be protected. A few easy observations;

The Eagles are enjoying arguably the best offensive talent ever in offensive franchise history. They are also very youthful. Only one of these talents is over the age of 30. They should be good for years to come.

Protecting a kicker may seem crazy, but protecting a weapon is not. “Jake the Make” has done an amazing job of being clutch and dependable on the routine tasks. It is worth securing.

Only four players are from the defensive side, but only one of those is over the age of 30. The building block talents are younger and fresh.

Related: Vic Fangio Needs Good Players, Does He Have Enough?

After much discussion, we selected these three players for the final spots in the Sweet 16. I was shocked that it took a vote to secure Jordan Davis a spot. Cooper DeJean was considered too valuable a prospect to risk. Bryce Huff was the last choice. He was also the only true pass rusher to grab a spot.

Were we off base? Who would you have taken? Let us know!
John.Kincade@bbgi.com

Happy holiday! The NFL schedule has been released. We have known for a while now who the Eagles would be playing in the 2024 season, but now we know the dates and times. We now can determine which spots are good, which spots are bad, and of course the dreaded trap games. Whether you are like my partner John Kincade and think that doing wins and losses is “lazy radio”, there isn’t a single sports fan who doesn’t do it on their own time.  

After you make your prediction, you will text your friends and family to make sure it is on the record. You will call your favorite radio show and utter the words “you heard it hear first.” We will also find out some important answers:

Who will be the member of the Fanatic who has the Eagles winning 14 games? Who will be the first caller who predicts a perfect season including a Super Bowl win? Who will be the “Negadelphian” who has the Eagles finishing below 500?  

The schedule release isn’t just about determining the record of your favorite team, it is also a chance to start planning road trips, tailgates, or the big family get-together.

Will that family get-together be for a divisional rival? Or will it be for some of the nationally anticipated games between two potential Super Bowl opponents? Either way, the schedule release gives us a ton to be excited about. 

This bit of content is not about wins and losses, this is about my own personal likes and dislikes of the Eagles schedule. I will tell you about the games I am most excited for, and the games I am least excited about.  

Some games will be rated highly on my list for the quarterback battle, whereas some games may be low on the list because of the opponent or the field of play... Let me know what you think! 

I stated on Kincade and Salciunas last week that the Eagles would win the NFC East comfortability. That means by at least 2 games which is not something we are used to in this wild division. For that to happen, they have to take care of business against the Cowboys. I think this game will solidify the Eagles as division champs. Added bonus for it being at home.

Like I said, this is personal. I have a TON of family in Balitmore. There is also a big Lithuanian community in Baltimore. I need Philly to win this one. It is also a great quarterback battle and a late season matchup between two great teams which helps put this so high on the list.

Eagles vs Bengals was my Super Bowl pick for last season. It won’t be my pick this year, but I do think the Bengals bounce back in 2024. Between the quarterback battle and my prediction that didn’t come to fruition last year, this was a game I was excited for when the opponents first came out.

This game would be higher if it was at The Linc. It would also be lower if it wasn’t week 1. There is nothing like the first game of the season on the national stage. I want the Eagles to win every game, but especially this one. Midday Show producer Ray Dunne is the conductor of “The Love Train”. I need the Eagles to show the world early that the Packers cute little playoff run isn’t the sign of the future in the NFC. 

I am excited for this game because it will be a major test for the new look Eagles secondary. Between Cooper Kupp and Puca Nacua, we will find out a lot if this secondary is ready for the eventual Super Bowl expectations. Darius Slay will be on one side, but so will rookie Quinyon Mitchell. And against the Rams, potential slot corner Cooper Dejean will have a lot on his plate. Extra points for Sunday Night Football.

I have more road games in the top 5 than I do home games, this one is always a fun one no matter where the game is played. Philly or Pittsburgh, the cross-state rivalry is something that always brings a little extra to games like this between two out of conference opponents. Eagles fans make the drive to Pittsburgh, and Steelers fans make the drive to Philadelphia. And oh by the way, for all you morons who wanted Russell Wilson (It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me), we will get to see Jalen Hurts go up against him.

Not that one game against the Cowboys is necessarily more important than the other, but the end-of-the-season matchup with Dallas seems to always mean more. Points loss for it being “Americas Game of the Week” which means Tom Brady.

Most times a playoff rematch would be higher on the list, but last year sucked. Last year didn’t even feel like a playoff game. I will put money down now on the Eagles winning no matter what the spread is. It won’t be like last year. Why 8th then? Have fun making the trip Philly. I know you are going to have a blast.  

Dougie P in Philadelphia! Really the only thing I am looking forward to. Unless Trevor Lawrence turns things around and stops playing like a major disappointment, there isn’t much juice to this game for me.  

I can always use a laugh. The Giants usually provide that for me unless the Eagles find a way to crush my heart like they did at the end of last season. There is nothing like a beatdown of the Giants at the Linc. Also, because it is the final game of the regular season this could either mean something for division/conference standings, or a nice relaxing Sunday afternoon.

The Atlanta Falcons are one of the dumbest franchises in sports. Everything they do confuses me. Drafting Kyle Pitts instead of a quarterback. Drafting Bijan Robinson (and barely using him) when they had so many other areas to fill. Finally drafting a quarterback after they just signed Kirk Cousins to a 3-year deal. They offend my football intelligence. But hey, I’ll take a win at home.

Cleveland was a fun story last year... with Joe Flacco. They are back to that quarterback they gave a ton of guaranteed money to despite what he did off the field. Oh by the way, he hasn’t been anywhere close to the quarterback he was in Houston. At least the game is at home where I am sure Eagles fans will make Deshaun Watson feel comfortable... go get him Birds fans 

This is such a sleepy game. This isn’t the New Orleans Saints of 2017 where a rivalry had started very similar to the one against the 49ers following the 2022 season. You know, the one where they made ridiculous statements but couldn’t back it up because they lost? Yeah, that rivalry. Now the Saints regretfully have Derek Carr and a team in cap hell. This shouldn’t be a fun game, but if you are heading to New Orleans, have the time of your life.

They stink. That is all I have to say.  

Notice I haven’t had the Commanders on here once yet, and they play each other twice. No one in their life has said “I can’t wait for the Eagles to play the Commanders.” You know why? Because the Eagles should win every time... but sometimes they don’t and we lose our minds, and even in the games they win, they are NEVER pretty. I dread the Commander's games. 

Why is this one lower than the other matchup? Because it is being played in that toilet bowl of a stadium. Literally. Sewage has been seen falling from parts of the stadium. Looking forward to the day Josh Harris comes through and builds a new stadium just for Eagles fans to take over again. 

This one is self-explanatory. MetLife Stadium is Satan's favorite NFL stadium. It is a ticking time bomb for injuries. We saw last season, in one half, the Eagles lost both A.J and Sydney Brown for the remainder of the season. No other stadium has fans saying, “Just please get out of there healthy.” This game will always be at the bottom of my list.