Morning Roundup: Can Offense Find Its Rhythm Early?

Sep 03, 2018 at 11:00 AM

Graham Foley

Good morning, Eagles fans! The initial 53-man roster and practice squad are both official after a eventful weekend for the Eagles' front office. The team has two more practices, including today at 1 p.m., before Thursday night's regular-season opener against the Falcons. Offensive coordinator Mike Groh and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will speak with the media today at 11:40 a.m. and we will carry both press conferences live. Here's what you need to know in today's Morning Roundup presented by Microsoft.

1. Practice Squad

The Eagles announced yesterday the ten players that will make up the team's 2018 practice squad: RB Josh Adams, CBs De'Vante Bausby and Chandon Sullivan, DT Winston Craig, WRs Rashard Davis and Greg Ward Jr., LB Asantay Brown, TE Billy Brown, DE Joe Ostman, and C Jon Toth.

2. Carter's Promise

Wide receiver DeAndre Carter's younger brother Kaylan brother passed away five years ago this summer while training with his high school football team. In Kaylan's last moments, Carter promised him he'd make an NFL roster one day for the both of them

Saturday, after spending time on the practice squads of four different teams since coming out of Sacramento State in 2015, Carter finally made an active roster when he was announced as a member of the Eagles' 53 and fulfilled his promise. Chris McPherson has more on the emotional moment for Carter and what is next for the Eagles' newest receiving weapon:

"I've been around the block a couple of times. I've seen the right way to go about situations like this, coming at the bottom of the depth chart," he said. "I think whether you're at the bottom of the depth chart and top of the depth chart, you have to focus on yourself. Get your job done so we can succeed as a team, collectively."

3. Falcons Ready For Foles Or Wentz

Falcons' head coach Dan Quinn met with members of the Philadelphia media yesterday in a conference call ahead of Thursday night's season opener. He explained that the Falcons, who lost to the Eagles 15-10 last season in the divisional playoff round at Lincoln Financial Field, are preparing for the Eagles' offense as a whole instead of one quarterback:

"Both guys have shown they have full command of everything," Quinn said. "Are there small tweaks that could take place? Yeah. But by and large, I thought that both guys did a really good job at handling the whole thing. More than anything, that's out of our control so we're just going to do our best to get our preparation right and really make the preparation about us."

4. New Look On Offense

With new weapons slated to make their Eagles debut and some starters from last season either gone or injured, finding a new identity will be key for the offense to pick up where it left off in Minneapolis. The Eagles have not yet announced whether Nick Foles or Carson Wentz will start at quarterback. But as Eagles' Insider Dave Spadaro writes, the other members of the offense are sure that no matter who plays, they will be ready to go:

"We have to do our jobs," right tackle Lane Johnson said. "Atlanta's got good edge pass rushers, twitchy guys, powerful inside. They're good. They use their linebackers well. They're just really solid. They don't do a lot to try to fool you. They just make you execute, make you beat them."

5. Which Player Will Breakout In 2018?

Several young players on the roster stood out in Training Camp and the preseason. Wide receiver Shelton Gibson led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. Rookie tight end Dallas Goedert scored a touchdown in his first game. With a lot of young and under-the-radar talent included in the Eagles' initial 53-man roster, we asked Eagles players for a candidate to have a breakout season this year based on their observations in the summer.