Coach James Hird said that while he was happy with the list at Windy Hill, players were on notice to make positions their own in 2011.
Admitting that Essendon spoke to Collingwood centre half-forward Travis Cloke after the Magpies' grand final win, he said the club might need to turn to seasoned players in future.
"This year is about looking at our list and seeing where we're at, and with what we've seen in first four months is we're very happy with the list we've got and the players we've got," he said on Thursday at the announcement of a new joint major sponsorship with True Value Solar.
"How we go during the season will determine what we think we need at the end of the year, but coming into the season we're very comfortable with the players we've got at the moment."
An article in Thursday's Herald Sun reported that Cloke turned down a four-deal worth $2 million from the Bombers when his contract was up for negotiation.
"We didn't actively pursue Travis, but there was a chance he was going to come out of contract and maybe he wasn't going to be happy at Collingwood with the money," Hird said.
"We had a quick chat to him and he said, 'No, I want to stay at Collingwood'.
"I think we have those chats all the time and I wouldn't say it was a really serious chat but there was an opportunity, it didn't come off and we move on."
The rookie coach said he was happy with his stock of forwards that included Michael Hurley, Paddy Ryder, Jake Carlisle and Scott Gumbleton, but would reassess the situation at the end of this year.
Hird said he was pleased with the Bombers' side for Friday night's NAB Cup clash with St Kilda and the Brisbane Lions with just David Hille, Tayte Pears and Kyle Reimers absent from the pick of his senior list.
"The side's pretty fit. We don't have a lot of injuries; there are just three or four who are either in our best side or around our best side who aren't available," he said.
"It's a good squad and we're fit and ready to go. Now we just need to see if we can play football the way we want to play."
Hird said he wasn't suffering from first-game jitters as he had confidence in the 36-man squad selected for the two shortened matches.
"I can't wait. You forget how much enjoyment you got from that competition and it will be great to be back in a competitive mindset where you're trying to beat an opposition and they're trying to beat you," he said.
"I'm not nervous yet but I think there might be [some nerves]. We've done a lot of work with the players, it's now over to them to really get out and show they want to play football for Essendon."
Hird said the prospect of sledging St Kilda or Brisbane Lions players - who have endured difficult pre-seasons for different reasons - was irrelevant and hadn't been discussed.
The Bombers' three-year sponsorship deal with True Value Solar is worth more than $5 million.
They will wear the company's logo on the front of their jumper for away games and on the back for home games, with existing partner Samsung on the alternative side of the guernsey.
