With the Cowboys coming to town in a few days for the season finale at the Linc, the Eagles still have an empty spot on their roster.
With Ryan Mathews now on IR, the Eagles have just two healthy running backs left in Darren Sproles and Byron Marshall.
So it would make sense for player No. 53 to be a running back.
"I would like for it to be a third running back and with (Terrell) Watson sitting right there (on the practice squad), it would be a no-brainer for us," head coach Doug Pederson said, "but we'll wait and see later in the week how things go."
Mathews, Kenjon Barner and Wendell Smallwood are all finishing the 2016 season on injured reserve.
Even if the Eagles do sign Watson to the 53-man roster this week, it's very likely that Sproles and Marshall will get the bulk of the work against the Cowboys.
Philadelphia Eagles
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
And in a game with no playoff implications for either team, it could be a good chance for the Eagles' coaching staff to get a better look at Marshall, the undrafted rookie from Oregon.
"I think so," Pederson said. "Right now the plan is Darren, but for sure to see Byron a little more on first and second down probably. And even some third-down situations. He learned a lot from the Baltimore game, playing and sort of calming himself down in that game. And he had a nice couple runs. Had a nice little 12-yarder in that game, something to learn and build from. His role will definitely increase this week a little bit."
As the Eagles begin to practice inside on Wednesday, they'll be without Allen Barbre (hamstring) and Jordan Matthews (ankle). Barbre started against the Giants but had to leave early.
Matthews has been dealing with an ankle sprain since the Green Bay game but is expected to play on Sunday.
Jordan Hicks (ankle), Isaac Seumalo (high ankle) and Halapoulivaati Vaitai (knee) will all practice on Wednesday. So will safety Jaylen Watkins, who has cleared the NFL's concussion protocol.
