Thursday, October 1, 2026
73 ° Clear
73 ° Clear
Friday night is the final audition for those players on the roster bubble with the Philadelphia Eagles cutting their 90-man roster down to 53 players after the conclusion of their game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field.
There are plenty of locks already known, but there are still a handful of spots up for grabs and players who will have one more chance to prove they are worthy to break camp with the two-time Super Bowl champions.
Here are five players to watch in the game who can make or break their case:
He may already have a spot locked up after his strong showing last week in New England, but a similar performance Friday night would all but solidify the rookie’s spot. In turn, culminating the fairytale summer for the product out of Kenya who never played a down of organized football prior to joining the Eagles.
Weru flashed his exceptional speed and athleticism which is something you can’t teach. He will look to put together another strong game to force Howie Roseman and the coaching staff’s hands in keeping him as a developmental player who could potentially turn into a legitimate contributor in the future.
Steele was the offensive standout in last week’s loss, showing he could be more versatile than Cameron Latu who he is battling against for what will technically be a fullback role, something teams haven’t employed much in recent years.
However, the former Kansas City Chief showed that he has the ability to run, catch and block with a hard-nosed mentality finishing with 117 total yards (33 rushing, 84 receiving) to go along with a touchdown. He still might be on the outside looking in even with a good performance, but it would create a debate on whether he would be better suited in this offense than Latu.
There was a lot of noise surrounding the Hawaiian native just a week or two ago. The former Ole Miss Rebel is behind Marcus Epps and Michael Carter II on the depth chart for safety, but he is the front-runner for the final safety spot on the roster thanks to his ability to also play the slot and special teams. If he outperforms Maximus Pulley and Andre Sam on Friday, Gushiken could be a training camp darling to make the 53-man roster.
Another quarterback controversy in Philadelphia?!
Well, sort of, if you really care who will be the third quarterback on this team. Sean Mannion said last week that the backup quarterback battle has yet to be decided, although it’s hard to imagine that Tanner McKee doesn’t lock it up after how poorly veteran Andy Dalton has looked.
Could fifth-round rookie Cole Payton supplant Dalton and make this team out of training camp? The loser of the backup QB battle more than likely will not stick around, paving the way for the rookie to stay with the Eagles. Although the North Dakota State product has certainly struggled at times this summer, there seems to be intrigue surrounding his dual-threat capabilities which he displayed in the Week 1 preseason loss to Baltimore.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio told the media earlier this summer not to sleep on Chance Campbell. Originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round in 2022 out of Ole Miss, the 26-year-old finished with seven tackles last week against the Patriots, which was second-most, only behind Shaun Wade’s 10.
With Fangio’s seal of approval, which goes a long way, and the fact the Eagles will likely carry five linebackers, Campbell has a pretty good shot at making the team with a good performance against the Bengals all but locking it up for him.
