Three Eagles Players Who Need To Have A Huge Training Camp
Eagles players report to the NovaCare Complex to begin training camp in less than a week, and from there we will have 5-6 months of Philadelphia Eagles football. It goes without saying that training camp is more important for some players than others, as many will need to turn the heads of the coaching staff in order to warrant consideration for a roster spot while others are far from the hot seat. Here are three notable names who probably have an important few weeks coming up in regards to their NFL futures.
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside
Of course, JJAW is known best as the guy that Howie Roseman passed on DK Metcalf for (the criticism for this is incredibly overblown, but that is a discussion for another time). With that being said, no one can deny that the Stanford product has been a colossal disappointment in Philadelphia, so much so that the team is converting him to tight end seemingly as a last-ditch effort to find him a role on this team. JJAW is a good blocker with a bigger frame for a receiver, and his assignments last year were essentially those of an in-line, blocking tight end, so the position change makes sense.
Non-Dallas Goedert Eagles tight ends had nine total catches last year, and five of those were in the meaningless Week 18 practice squad game against the Cowboys. The Eagles need another receiving threat at the tight end position. With Tyree Jakson opening training camp on the PUP, the opportunity is there for JJAW to win the third tight end spot over Jack Stoll. If he fails, I am not sure who would give him a shot at this point.
Isaac Seumalo
Seumalo suffered a Lisfranc injury during a Week 3 game in Dallas and missed the rest of the season. Landon Dickerson filled in at left guard, and by the end of the season he and Jordan Mailata were a dominant run-blocking duo on the left side of the offensive line. The Eagles would be foolish to break up that pairing, so the only spot on the line that is up for grabs is right guard, which last year was a turnstile of reserve linemen due to Brandon Brooks missing the entire season. Brooks is now retired, so Seumalo will need to beat out the likes of Jack Driscoll and Sua Opeta (and possibly rookie second-round pick Cam Jurgens?). Seumalo is nothing special, but he is a perfectly competent and versatile linemen who is entering the final year of his deal. Considering the reasonable play of Driscoll and Opeta in the past, it will be interesting to see if the team looks to extend him as opposed to going cheaper with the aforementioned guys. He might need to earn that new deal with a great camp.
T.J. Edwards
It was a low bar, but Edwards was the best linebacker on the Eagles last year. He is not a great athlete and can struggle in pass coverage, but he is a smart player who is effective against the run. Still, the Eagles clearly needed an upgrade at linebacker, so they signed Kyzir White from the Chargers and then Nakobe Dean miraculously fell into their laps in the third round of the draft. On paper, White and Dean are probably already the two best linebackers on the team. For a team that played a lot of nickel coverage last year (two linebackers, five defensive backs) that could mean significantly reduced snaps for Edwards. Edwards is definitely not in danger of missing the roster, but he is in a contract year. If he wants an extension – or a contract somewhere else – he is going to need to show that he is still deserving of playing time even in a stronger linebacker room. Next week will be his first chance to do so.
Photo: David Maialetti/Philadelphia Inquirer
Discover more from Philadelphia Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categorized:Eagles