A look at the likely Eagles roster

At the start of every Eagles training camp, there are 80 players and a lot fretting over who will make the 53-man roster six weeks later.

But, somehow, after dozens of practices, four preseason games, and hours of watching film, coach Andy Reid and his crew end up with very few tough choices when final cuts must be made by Saturday afternoon.

With various places to stow and sometimes protect players - injured reserve, the physically-unable-to-perform list or the practice squad - picking the final roster essentially comes down to two or three players.

Final, of course, is a relative term. Reid and general manager Howie Roseman will continue to tinker with the roster in the week leading up to the Sept. 12 season opener against Green Bay, and, well, there's a lot of football after that.

The Eagles already have begun sorting through the back end of the roster, trading rookie running back Charles Scott and placing rookie defensive end Ricky Sapp on IR earlier this week.

But a few jobs still are up for grabs, and Thursday night's preseason finale against the New York Jets, in which the starters will rest, could go a long way in determining who stays and who goes.

Based on observing nearly every practice, watching and re-watching every preseason game, and consulting with various coaches and members within the Eagles' organization, here's one man's stab at who makes the 53-man roster:

Quarterback (3). Despite months of rumor and conjecture that Michael Vick would not be wearing an Eagles uniform this season, the backup quarterback is where the team said he was going to be all along: on the roster as the backup to Kevin Kolb. Rookie Mike Kafka is the emergency third-stringer.

Running back (4). Reid loves rooting for the little guy, and Eldra Buckley has been an underdog since he arrived two off-seasons ago. He was a tackling dummy for the first-team defense in training camp, but Buckley is a tireless worker and a more-than-competent special-teams contributor. He will make the team as the fourth running back behind LeSean McCoy, Mike Bell, and fullback Leonard Weaver.