When Donnel Pumphrey exited the Philadelphia Eagles’ preseason finale Thursday night against the New York Jets and was evaluated for a head injury, the “Phantom IR” conversation immediately began.

Pumphrey, however, said after the game that he cleared concussion protocol.

Donnel Pumphrey said that he cleared concussion protocol. #Eagles

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) September 1, 2017

OK, so now what?

The Eagles traded up in the fourth round to select the FBS’ all-time leading rusher Pumphrey and despite how atrocious he’s looked this preseason, are they really going to give up on him already? If you put him on the practice squad, would they want to risk Pumphrey getting scooped up by another team? By the way, even if the Eagles wanted to place Pumphrey on IR prior to final cuts, he’d still be subjected to waivers. So he has to be on the roster, at least initially.

We all know about the struggles. He carried the ball 26 times for only 49 yards, a putrid 1.9 yards per carry. He tied fellow fourth-round rookie Mack Hollins for the team’s preseason receptions lead, but Hollins’ 13 catches went for 139 yards as opposed to Pumphrey’s 72.

Undrafted running back Corey Clement on the other hand has totaled 105 yards on 28 attempts and looks like the better back right now. The game looks too fast for Pumphrey at the moment, and Eagles head coach Doug Pederson had a lot of plans for him. He had him lining up in the slot, with Darren Sproles in pony packages and in the backfield during OTAs and Training Camp.

That’s a lot to digest for a rookie. I wouldn’t give up on him yet, but he certainly has a long, long way to go.

I certainly wouldn’t be shocked if the Eagles kept five running backs, but I would think the phantom IR situation will pop up for Pumphrey eventually.

Billy Brown has showed off his athleticism at tight end, but the Eagles already have Zach Ertz, Brent Celek and Trey Burton at the tight end spot. That’s a great trio, do they really need a fourth?

The fifth and sixth wide receiver spots on the roster are going to be between Marcus Johnson, Bryce Treggs, fifth-round rookie Shelton Gibson and undrafted converted quarterback Greg Ward Jr. Johnson has shown the most explosion, while Treggs led the team in receiving yards with 141 on 12 receptions. Gibson has dropped a plethora of passes during Training Camp and preseason, although he’s turned a corner in recent weeks.

The Eagles are DEEP along the defensive line. Alex McCallister has had a very strong preseason showing off his speed rush and long veiny arms. He made some solid plays in the running game on Thursday, but Steven Means was handed a one-year extension on Wednesday. The quarter of Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Vinny Curry and Chris Long are locks.

Then you have depth at defensive tackle as well. Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan, Destiny Vaeao and Beau Allen are definitely making the team. Then there’s sixth-round draft choice Elijah Qualls and Justin Hamilton. Both have had outstanding preseasons, one is probably going to get put on the practice squad.

The cornerback situation is interesting too. Roseman added competition with the trades of Ronald Darby and Dexter McDougle, so suddenly there are some tough calls at the back-end of the position. Patrick Robinson looks a lot more comfortable in the slot and I think he makes it, McDougle had a very encouraging debut Thursday and I think he’s in. Darby, Jalen Mills and Rasul Douglas are locks. So if the Eagles go with a sixth cornerback, will it be C.J. Smith or Jaylen Watkins, who moved back to the cornerback spot last week after starting out at safety. Watkins had an interception in the red zone against Miami and played well Thursday. Smith had a rough start in Week 1, but has bounced back.

53-Man Projected Roster

QB- Carson Wentz, Nick Foles
RB- LeGarrette Blount, Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood, Corey Clement, Donnel Pumphrey
WR- Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, Bryce Treggs, Marcus Johnson
TE- Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Trey Burton
T- Jason Peters, Lane Johnson, Halipoulivaati Vaitai, Dillon Gordon
G- Isaac Seumalo, Brandon Brooks, Chance Warmack
C- Jason Kelce, Stefen Wisniewski
DE- Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Vinny Curry, Chris Long, Steven Means
DT- Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan, Destiny Vaeao, Beau Allen, Elijah Qualls
LB- Jordan Hicks, Nigel Bradham, Mychal Kendricks, Joe Walker, Kamu Grugier-Hill
CB- Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills, Rasul Douglas, Patrick Robinson, Dexter McDougle, C.J. Smith
S- Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Corey Graham, Chris Maragos
K- Caleb Sturgis
P- Donnie Jones
LS- Rick Lovato

Practice Squad Projections

Billy Brown, Justin Hamilton, Shelton Gibson, Greg Ward Jr., Dane Evans, Tre Sullivan, Don Cherry, Tyler Orlosky, Alex McCallister, Nathan Gerry

 

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