Updated Eagles training camp battles after 6 practices originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
We’re already well into August and the Eagles are already pretty deep into training camp.
There’s still a long way to go with more practices, a joint practice and three preseason games before the Eagles have to finalize their 53-man roster. And then there’s even more time before the season opener in Brazil.
But we’re far enough into camp to update some of the biggest position battles of the summer.
Let’s get to it:
Right guard
This appears to be a two-man race for now.
The Eagles began training camp with second-year pro Tyler Steen at right guard between Cam Jurgens and Lane Johnson. And based on Jeff Stoutland’s preference to let the top five work together day after day, it’s possible that Steen would have kept getting all those reps if he didn’t get hurt. But Steen injured his ankle on Day 3 of camp and had to leave practice early. That day, the Eagles bumped up Darian Kinnard to first-team right guard but that was the last time he worked with the first unit.
The last three days, the Eagles have had free agent pickup Mekhi Becton at right guard. The 6-foot-7, 363-pound Becton is now getting an extended look at the right guard position. While having a guard as tall as Becton presents some challenges, Johnson also pointed out that Becton’s size and strength can be an advantage.
The big question now is what happens when Steen is healthy enough to return from injury. Will he just be inserted back into the starting lineup? Or will the Eagles rotate between Steen and Becton like they once did during the Jordan Mailata vs. Andre Dillard battle of 2021. In any case, the Eagles would probably prefer to figure this out relatively soon because getting the five starting linemen to play together is really important. Johnson has expressed a desire to get as much work with the starting right guard — whoever it is — as possible.
Wide receiver No. 3
The Eagles began training camp with Parris Campbell getting the bulk of the work on Day 1 but there’s been a healthy rotation since then. The very next day, John Ross worked in with the ones. Both Campbell and Ross have had good moments through six practices but neither has really taken over. Those two veterans might be at the top of the list among the competitors but there are some other guys in the mix too.
Those other guys? We’ve seen Britain Covey and Johnny Wilson also get more first-team reps recently. It’s worth noting just how different Covey and Wilson are from a body-type perspective. Covey is just 5-foot-8 and Wilson is 6-foot-6. But head coach Nick Sirianni had some interesting comments about the WR3 position on Thursday night.
“As far as the No. 3 receiver, I mean, it can be a lot of different things, but you need different types of skillsets, and I’m really excited about the skillsets we have at the No. 3 receiver,” Sirianni said. “It doesn’t have to be all from one guy, right? It can be Johnny Wilson’s blocking; Parris Campbell’s ability to run with the ball in his hands and do different things with the ball in his hands; could be John Ross’ speed. So, yeah, you’re looking for different things on different plays. Could be Britain Covey’s ability in the slot.
“Again, not one person has to fill the role of anything. And it could. We’re far away from having to play that and some games could look different than others.”
So maybe this isn’t necessarily just a competition for the WR3 spot but instead a competition to make the roster and then earn some playing time. Of course, if no one runs away with this job, that might end up being the best route unless the Eagles want to add another player. That also seems like a very real possibility.
Tight end No. 2
Grant Calcaterra is running away with this one. Entering his third NFL season, Calcaterra had been the Eagles’ No. 3 but Jack Stoll left in free agency and Calcaterra is making the most of his new opportunity. He’s clearly ahead of the other competitors in this race. Not only is Calcaterra getting all the reps as the second tight end in the Eagles’ 12 personnel package but he’s also taking some reps in 11 personnel when Dallas Goedert isn’t on the field.
“Grant has really done an excellent job to be the second tight end currently,” Kellen Moore said on July 27. “His consistency throughout OTAs, early in training camp. He has a great awareness and understanding of the game. He teams up with Dallas really, really well, and so we’re excited about that and hopefully continues to build.”
The other contenders for the TE2 position haven’t been able to get close to Calcaterra so far. In fact, veteran C.J. Uzomah has had a pretty disappointing summer with several drops. Of course, Uzomah has experience and size so maybe he’ll begin to show off some blocking prowess but he has ground to gain. Things have been pretty quiet for Albert Okwuegbunam in his first Eagles training camp but he had a huge performance in the preseason with the Broncos last year so we’ll watch him once the games start. And E.J. Jenkins has done some nice things but he’s a little further down the depth chart.
Cornerback
There are really two battles going on at the cornerback position so we’ll handle them separately.
1. At outside cornerback, the top two competitors appear to be Kelee Ringo and Isaiah Rodgers. Both have had good moments and have been splitting time at CB2 on the right side of the field opposite Darius Slay on the left. While both Ringo and Rodgers have gotten reps with the first team each day, they’ve each had three days beginning as a starter:
Day 1: Rodgers
Day 2: Ringo
Day 3: Ringo
Day 4: Ringo
Day 5: Rodgers
Day 6: Rodgers
While Ringo has looked good, it’s probably fair to say that Rodgers has been a little more active making plays on the ball. Rodgers has gotten first crack at the job both days in pads. But Ringo has been looking strong in coverage too.
And don’t completely sleep on Quinyon Mitchell. The first-round pick isn’t getting first-team reps at outside cornerback yet in 11-on-11 drills but he has looked very good in 1-on-1 drills and in 7-on-7s facing Pro Bowler A.J. Brown. And even if Mitchell can’t win a starting outside gig, he might still be on the field.
2. That’s because Mitchell is getting more and more reps as the first-team nickel cornerback as camp goes on. The Eagles began the summer with incumbent Avonte Maddox as the top nickel cornerback and he’s looked solid there. But the Eagles also like Maddox’s ability to play safety so he could potentially be a backup safety too. Mitchell is getting first-team reps as a slot cornerback and a dime linebacker.
The one guy we haven’t seen yet is second-round pick Cooper DeJean, who seemed like a real possibility to win this nickel corner job. But DeJean hurt his hamstring working out before camp began and has spent the first six days on the Non-Football Injury list. He’s missing valuable time and he’ll have to play catch-up whenever he returns.
Linebacker
This competition might still have a long way to go. There are clearly three players at the top of the list who are competing: Devin White, Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean. The Eagles gave White decent money and he has plenty of high-level experience so it seems likely that he’s going to be a starter, which leaves Baun and Dean fighting for the other job. The Eagles come out every day with White and Baun as their two linebackers but then Dean rotates in and we see every possible combination between the two of them. There’s a lot of mixing and matching going on right now.
But it’s clear that Baun is legitimately in this battle. We saw him get reps at off-ball linebacker in the spring and he looked good. He still hasn’t looked out of place — not even in coverage — so far this summer. The one thing that we’ve seen from Dean that looks good is his ability to blitz. Dean was a good blitzer at Georgia and Vic Fangio is giving him those opportunities this summer.
Meanwhile, Oren Burks (knee) got hurt on Day 1 and isn’t in the mix. With every day, his chances to make the 53-man roster take a hit. The guy who could benefit from this is Ben VanSumeren, who is getting second-team reps and is looking great on special teams. And don’t sleep on rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr. either. He is a rookie and faces an uphill battle to earn playing time but he’s showing off his range and instincts this summer. He’s looking good.
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