What to Watch For During Eagles Training Camp
The Philadelphia Eagles wrapped up OTA’s last week, and now they get a few weeks of rest for the summer before returning to the NovaCare Complex for training camp. Some positions are more than set in stone, but there are a few starting spots potentially up for grabs in July and August.
Let’s look at three position battles I will be interested in watching unfold when camp kicks off.
Right Guard – Cam Jurgens vs. Tyler Steen vs. Jack Driscoll
When Isaac Seumalo left in free agency, Cam Jurgens was penciled in as the presumed replacement at the starting right guard spot, given that the team used a second-round pick on him in 2022 and he had been getting cross-trained at both center and guard during his rookie season. However, the Eagles used an early third-round pick on Tyler Steen and announced him as a guard despite him playing tackle at Alabama. Steen is a freak athlete, so he certainly has the physical traits to make the switch, and it is clear that Nick Sirianni does not want to just hand the starting job to Jurgens.
A dark horse candidate might also be Jack Driscoll, who is by far the longest-tenured Eagle of the three and who has filled in competently at guard in the past when need be. It would probably be disappointing if neither recent draft pick can beat out Driscoll, but he can not be fully ruled out, either.
Linebacker – Nicholas Morrow vs. Christian Elliss vs. ??
Off-ball linebacker is the weakest position on the Eagles roster, in my opinion. After losing T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White in free agency, Nakobe Dean is the new leader of the pack. Dean is an intriguing player, but only played 34 snaps last year and is severely undersized for the position. If he is to become a good player, it will be due to his instincts and intelligence (which is certainly possible).
Beyond Dean, the Eagles gave Nicholas Morrow what was essentially a minimum contract, and they have primarily special teams players in guys such as Christian Elliss and Shaun Bradley. Elliss has shown some promising flashes, but can he be trusted to be thrust into a starting role with essentially no experienced linebackers surrounding him? I am quite skeptical of that. They could (and probably should) also bring in a veteran free agent before training camp.
There will not be anyone extremely appealing at this point in the offseason, but there is also very little in the way of competition. This position is going to be completely up in the air entering training camp.
Safety – Reed Blankenship vs. Terrell Edmunds vs. Sydney Brown
The Eagles lost both starting safeties from last season in, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps. They brought in a pair of cheap veterans in, Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds, and also drafted Sydney Brown in the third round. Evans is a longshot for a roster spot, let alone a starting spot, in my view, given his lack of a track record over the past several seasons. Edmunds is a former first-round pick of the Steelers who started a lot of games for them over five years but is far from anything spectacular. Brown is a short but stocky safety out of Illinois who runs fast and hits hard, and is probably already the most intriguing safety on the roster, given the relative lack of talent at the position. The Eagles also have 2022 undrafted free agent Reed Blankenship coming off of an up-and-down rookie season.
While only a third-round pick, it would almost be disappointing if Brown is unable to win a starting spot considering his competition. My guess is that he ultimately will earn that spot. It would be encouraging to see Blankenship successfully fend off an experienced player in Edmunds for the other starting role, but that battle is also a difficult one to predict.
Photo: Andy Lewis/Getty Images
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