25 Eagles training camp questions, answered

For my own benefit each year, I put together a list of things to watch throughout training camp before it begins, and then publish it. Now that training camp is over (or at least the parts that the media is allowed to watch), let's republish the list of 25 things I was looking for, and I'll provide updates on each.

1) After a 2022 season during which he led the Eagles to a Super Bowl and was the regular season MVP runner-up, Jalen Hurts was rewarded this offseason with a monster five-year extension worth $255 million ($51 million per season), including $179.3 million guaranteed. Last training camp, all eyes were on Hurts, and in my opinion he made strides as a passer, notably with his accuracy and decision making, but even after a strong camp nobody could have predicted the season he was about to have.

This year heading into camp, Hurts will try to continue to grow as a mental processor and decision maker while operating as the unquestioned leader of the team and the face of the franchise. How will he handle the pressure of being the $50 million/year man on a contending team? (Note: I already know he'll be fine.)

UPDATE: Hurts had the best training camp of his career, by far, as he continued to make improvements to his accuracy and decisiveness.

2) The free agency signing of Marcus Mariota made a lot of sense, since he possesses a stylistic profile similar to Hurts. In 2022 with the Falcons, Mariota did some nice things on a bad team, but he was also wildly inaccurate when he tried to push the ball down the field. Can the Eagles' coaching staff — notably offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo, and quarterbacks coach Alex Tanney — get Mariota to be a more accurate passer like they did with Hurts?

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UPDATE: Not yet! You all saw him during the preseason games. While Mariota can make plays with his legs and he can run the Eagles' RPO concepts, if he has to push the ball down the field, it's likely going to be an inaccurate throw.

3) Who will win the battle for the No. 3 quarterback job between rookie Tanner McKee and third-year quarterback Ian Book?

In recent years, the Eagles whiffed on a Day 3 quarterback in Clayton Thorson, and they paid decent money to an undrafted but well regarded quarterback in Carson Strong. Both stunk in camp, and never made the 53-man roster. That's the low bar for McKee to clear. The higher bar would be if he showed legitimate promise for the future as a long-term No. 2 quarterback. If McKee can develop into a worthy No. 2, he could save the Eagles a nice chunk of money on the salary cap at that position in 2024 and beyond. But his first challenge will be to beat out Book.

UPDATE: It became clear after an impressive performance in his first preseason game in Baltimore that McKee had won the No. 3 quarterback job. However, what most hadn't anticipated was that he would also pretty clearly outplay Mariota throughout training camp and the preseason. For now, Mariota remains Hurts' direct backup, but there's at least some legitimate debate whether McKee should be the No. 2 instead.

4) The running back situation will be a fun one to try to figure out throughout camp. Running back depth charts are usually shown in terms of RB1, RB2, RB3, etc., but I don't think that's how we should be viewing this group. The Eagles have two different kinds of backs on their rosters — guys who will play on run downs only, and guys who will also have roles on obvious passing downs and in the two-minute offense:

In 2022, the running back rotation was fairly straightforward. Miles Sanders was the early down back, Boston Scott was his direct backup in that role, and Kenny Gainwell was the third down / two minute guy, with Trey Sermon typically inactive on gameday.

That dynamic will look different in 2023, as the Eagles added Rashaad Penny, who is probably an early down guy only, and D'Andre Swift, who can do a little of everything. It will be interesting to see how much Swift plays in Gainwell's third down role, how many opportunities Gainwell gets on early downs, and of course whether or not the new guys are making explosive plays in practice.

UPDATE: Gainwell got the most action in camp by a pretty wide margin, but Swift is easily the most talented back on the roster, in my opinion. My bet: We'll see Swift get the most touches Week 1, but Nick Sirianni's deployment of the backs will be matchup-based throughout the season.

5) DeVonta Smith on the verge of superstardom after proving that he is the real deal his first two years in the NFL. I think it's worth noting that he showed continuous progression each year during his college career at Alabama. 

That trend has continued during his first two seasons in the NFL. 

In training camp his rookie year, it was clear that Smith was a good player, but he wasn't dominant. In Year 2 in camp, we saw glimpses where he was uncoverable. I don't think we have seen Smith's ceiling quite yet.

UPDATE: Smith was tremendous in camp. Stud. He gets open, and even when he doesn't he is pound-for-pound the best contested catch artist in the NFL.

6) There will be a fun battle for the starting slot receiver job between Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus.

Watkins entered 2022 with an interesting juxtaposition. On the one hand, expectations for his play were heightened because of the promise he showed in 2021. On the other hand, he was losing his starting job as a result of the trade for Brown, and his production was surely going to decline even if his play on the field didn't.

What the Eagles asked of Watkins was to make the most of the opportunities that came his way, and he largely disappointed. 

1. He fumbled after a catch deep down the field in a loss against Washington. The Eagles might have otherwise won that game.
2. He was directly responsible for interceptions in games against the Bears and Cowboys as a result of sloppy route running, and seemed to lose the trust of the Eagles' staff on any sort of precision or timing routes thereafter. 
3. In the Super Bowl, the Eagles dialed up a shot play for him that he probably should have made, but didn't.

Watkins finished the 2022 season with 33 catches for 354 yards and (10.7 YPR) and three TDs. Even with all the frustrating mistakes that Watkins made in 2022, he brings a valuable commodity to the table — speed.

A message was sent this offseason when the Eagles signed Zaccheaus, who was used similarly in Atlanta's offense a season ago as a down-the-field target out of the slot. While Zaccheaus has good speed, he does not have Watkins-level speed, but he was a more reliable receiver for Atlanta than Watkins was for Philly in 2022.

If Watkins can win back back some of the trust he lost last season and proves that he (a) can make the plays that come his way and (b) is where his quarterbacks expect him to be in his routes, then he should pretty easily win the starting job. If he falters and Zaccheaus proves to be a reliable presence, then Watkins will tumble down the depth chart.

UPDATE: Watkins had a nice start to camp, but he missed the last two weeks with a hamstring injury. Zaccheaus probably didn't do enough to wrestle the starting slot receiver job away from Watkins while Watkins was out. Both players will have secondary roles in the offense this season, barring injuries to A.J. Brown and/or DeVonta Smith.

7) Which deep backup WR will step up? And who might fill the Zach Pascal "enforcer" role in the Eagles' offense?

The Eagles have a 1a and 1b WR combo in A.J. Brown and Smith, and thereafter they have a trio of slot receivers in Watkins, Zaccheaus, and Britain Covey. While Watkins has some inside-outside versatility, the Eagles are thin on outside wide receiver depth. Elite track athlete Devon Allen obviously has speed and undrafted rookie Joseph Ngata is a big, powerful guy who the Eagles paid well to sign in Philly. Ngata could perhaps be an unselfish, dirty work type of player like Pascal, or perhaps that job could go to one or more of the tight ends.

UPDATE: None of the deep backup receivers showed enough to be counted on for a role in this offense this season. Also, there doesn't appear to be a good candidate ready to step into that Pascal-like "enforcer" role. Also also, they cut Covey and are going with just four wide receivers.

8) Dallas Goedert has become a clear cut top five NFL tight end, but he is still seeking a monster season as a pass catcher. If he can stay healthy there's little reason to doubt that he can become a 1000-yard receiver. Beyond Goedert, Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra should be back as the TE2 and TE3, respectively, with guys like Dan Arnold, Tyree Jackson, Dalton Keene, and undrafted rookie Brady Russell trying to make the roster as a fourth tight end. The Eagles haven't typically rostered four tight ends, so they'll have to make an emphatic statement during camp to make the team, or benefit from an injury to one of the top guys.

UPDATE: Goedert had the best camp of his career, and in my opinion has taken his receiving game to the next level. Back in the Zach Ertz days, Ertz would often dominate targets in camp and make catch after catch after catch. There were days this summer when Goedert would look a little like prime Ertz. While he won't ever dominate targets in games because there aren't enough passes to go around between him, Brown, and Smith, Goedert will make the most of his targets and he will rarely ever leave the field. He could have a big year.

Otherwise, Stoll and Calcaterra are back, and the Eagles traded for Albert Okwuegbunam, a height-weight-speed freak from Denver. They're light at receiver but heavy at tight end.

9) The camp battle I'm most excited to watch is Cam Jurgens vs. Tyler Steen at RG.

Jurgens converted from tight end to center early in his college career at Nebraska, and only played center in games. At OTAs, he said that he weighed around 305 pounds, but wanted to be somewhere in between 310 and 315 for the start of camp. Whether he is able to get up to his preferred weight or not, he'll be undersized for the position. Jurgens has outstanding athleticism, but his ability to anchor against power and to move bodies in the run game will be tested in camp. 

Steen is also new to guard, as he played his entire college career at offensive tackle at Vanderbilt and Alabama. However, the Eagles announced him as a guard, which makes sense, given his thick lower half and his short, 32 3/4" arms.

If Jurgens or Steen is obviously better than the other during training camp, they will start at RG. #Analysis. However, if it's close, I would argue that Steen should win the starting job. Why? Well, he could be the long-term answer at RG. He has a body type that is guard-ready while Jurgens is planning on changing his body in preparation of competing for that spot. For now, Jurgens is not the long-term answer at RG, as he is expected to eventually move to center whenever Jason Kelce retires. Why not just give the job to the guy who is going to play that position over the long haul if there isn't a significant difference in their play? 

Previously, the counter-argument could be that because Steen has guard-tackle versatility, he is more useful than Jurgens as a backup, especially on a Super Bowl-contending team that lost tackle depth this offseason. But after the signing of T/G Dennis Kelly, that's not as compelling of an argument anymore.

UPDATE: This ended up never being a contest. Jurgens played well at RG from Day 1, and very quickly established himself as the starter there. That doesn't mean that Steen played poorly. He struggled a little during the first week or so of practice at RG, but improved steadily there throughout camp, and also got work in at his more familiar spot at LT, where he looked solid. 

10) Nolan Smith is the individual player I'm most interested in evaluating throughout camp. Dude runs a 4.39 40 and vertical jumps 41 1/2 inches at 238 pounds. He's also a physical run defender, he is widely regarded as a team leader, and he's a great quote.

At our first look at Smith in OTAs, he looked bigger than his listed weight, in my opinion. He's rocked up, and is stout in his lower half. If I had no knowledge of his listed height and weight, I would not look at that guy and think, "That guy is small." He was also hustling his ass off like he was an undrafted free agent as opposed to a first-round pick.

But beyond his physical and mental traits, it will be interesting to see how Sean Desai intends on using him within his defensive scheme.

UPDATE: Smith practices as hard as anyone on the team, and his athletic traits were obvious to see throughout camp. It was also interesting to see him get some reps at off-ball linebacker. The Eagles are loaded on the edge, and not so loaded at linebacker, so that could be a way to get him on the field.

11) This time last year, Brandon Graham was coming off a 2021 Achilles tear, and expectations weren't very high for him to have a big season in 2022. He was a surprise beast in training camp, and then racked up 11 sacks in just 474 snaps during the regular season. Graham is now 35, so once again, expectations won't be super high in 2023, even coming off his most productive sack season as a pro. Can he dominate during the summer once again and prove that regression will have to wait a while longer?

UPDATE: BG made plays throughout the summer but he had a quiet camp relative to 2022. Perhaps a year ago he pushed himself to play at a high level during the summer to get himself ready for the regular season because he was coming off that injury, and this year he took more of a self-preservation approach? I don't think his summer is cause for concern.

12) Haason Reddick was a slam dunk free agent acquisition by the Eagles last offseason who racked up 19.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and 32 QB hits in 2022, playoffs included. He was second-team All Pro, a Pro Bowl selection, and he finished fourth in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting. If the playoffs were included, there's a good argument to be made that Reddick was the best defensive player in the NFL in 2022.

Amazingly, Reddick is only the 13th highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL on an average annual value basis. 

Honestly, he should probably be asking for a bump in pay. It's worth noting that Reddick skipped OTAs. He certainly doesn't need OTAs at this stage of his career, but it's maybe something to monitor?

UPDATE: Reddick was asked if he is underpaid, and he more or less acknowledged the obvious. He is. While he didn't hold out or "hold in" or whatever, he did miss time to start camp with "groin soreness," and later in camp also suffered a torn ligament in his thumb that required surgery. That injury is not threatening to his availability for Week 1, but use of that hand could be hindered early in the season. 

13) I was wowed by Jordan Davis' sheer size in camp a year ago when he was a rookie, and he had his share of moments when he moved in ways that should be impossible for a 6'6, 340-pound human. However, his regular season contributions were understandably disappointing for some. Pressure will be on for Davis to produce more in the regular defense in Year 2. He flashed as a rookie, but ideally he will look dominant more consistently in camp, like Javon Hargrave did a year ago before his outstanding season.

UPDATE: Davis had a solid-but-unspectacular camp. 

14) If Nolan Smith is the player I'm most looking forward to evaluating, Jalen Carter is a close second. Carter was widely considered the most talented player in the 2023 draft, but he fell to pick No. 9 because of a variety of incidents that called his character into question. 

The Eagles have strong leadership in their locker room, and Carter will also have some familiar faces around him, like Smith, Davis, Nakobe Dean, and Kelee Ringo. He landed with a team in Philly where he probably has the best chance to succeed. Can he maximize his gifts?

UPDATE: We already knew that Carter is extremely talented, but over the last month it has become clear that his play demeanor is a positive as well. He practices hard, he stands up for his teammates, and any stamina concerns that arose during the draft process have not been evident so far. He has a good chance of breaking a recent NFL trend of poorly performing rookie defensive tackles.

15) The Eagles have a lot of eggs in the Nakobe Dean basket. As you saw this offseason, starting linebackers T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White left in free agency, and Dean is now the team's top linebacker. He will wear the "green dot" helmet, relaying the play calls from Sean Desai to the rest of the defense. In 2022 camp, Edwards, White, and even guys like Shaun Bradley and Davion Taylor made plays regularly in camp, while Dean was very quiet. Edwards and White started, and Dean got just a couple dozen snaps in the regular defense all season. Now that he has his NFL sea legs under him, Dean will be expected to stand out more in camp in Year 2. If he doesn't, that will be pretty serious cause for concern.

UPDATE: Dean did not stand out in a good or bad way throughout the first few weeks of camp, but he made a big play when he forced a goal line fumble in the Eagles' second preseason game against the Browns, and he was very active and around the ball a lot in joint practices against the Colts. He closed camp on a high note.

16) At the other linebacker spot, free agent signing Nicholas Morrow will battle it out with Christian Elliss.

Morrow is a veteran who has been a contributor for the Raiders and Bears since 2017, and he led the Bears with 116 tackles in 2022. Elliss was an undrafted player in 2021 who looked good in limited action for the Eagles in 2022. He had a strong spring, making several splash plays in OTAs.

The rest of the Eagles' linebackers don't have much of a chance of cracking the starting lineup.

UPDATE: About midway through camp, the Eagles signed Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham. Jack quickly proved to be cooked, but Cunningham was a surprise standout who will likely start Week 1. Morrow did not make the team, and the Eagles only kept three linebackers.

17) Howie Roseman makes a lot of trades during training camp. In fact, since 2016, the year he came back into power as the team's general manager, Roseman has made 17 trades in between the first day of camp and the first game of the regular season.

The Eagles don't have much in the way of potential outgoing players. The best bet is probably Derek Barnett, but even that feels unlikely. But Roseman could look to bolster the roster, particularly at linebacker. It's worth noting that if you include projected compensatory picks, the Eagles hold 10 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, so they certainly have the ammo.

UPDATE: It took a while, but he finally dealt for Okwuegbunam. I don't think he's done.

18) The Eagles have one of the best starting cornerback trios in the NFL in Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and Avonte Maddox, but they're not without questions. Slay's play tailed off a bit in the back half of the season, Bradberry played almost unsustainably well, and Maddox is always a durability risk. It's also worth noting that Maddox missed OTAs after having offseason surgery.

UPDATE: Slay and Bradberry looked good, but Maddox looked a little off. I'm not so sure he's 100 percent.

19) The Eagles have enviable cornerback depth.

• Zech McPhearson is adding slot corner duties to plate this season after working almost exclusively outside his first couple seasons. That should give him more opportunities to get on the field.

• Kelee Ringo is a height/weight/speed specimen who shouldn't have fallen to the fourth round. Will he have a chip on his shoulder, eager to make the teams that passed on him regret it?

• Josh Jobe is back after making the team as an undrafted rookie last year.

• The Eagles added a lottery ticket in Greedy Williams, who was a high pick once upon a time.

• They signed a pair of notable undrafted rookies in Eli Ricks and Mekhi Garner.

It will be fun to see who emerges from that group.

UPDATE: The answer is Jobe, who played well all summer and will likely be the first CB off the bench should the need arise. Ricks also shined in the preseason games.

Greedy stunk, McPhearson tore an Achilles, and Ringo was disappointing, in my opinion.

The Eagles also kept Mario Goodrich, who will serve as the backup slot corner. The Eagles went heavy at corner, keeping seven of them, which makes sense since Slay and Bradberry are aging.

20) There's a three-way competition for two open starting jobs at safety between Reed Blankenship, Terrell Edmunds, and Sydney Brown. Blankenship is the only player of the three who was on the team last year (and he played well), Edmunds has by far the most NFL experience of the three, and Brown probably has the highest ceiling. That'll be a fun battle to watch, though I suspect all three players will have a role in the defense no matter who winds up starting.

UPDATE: Blankenship was the top safety on the team from Day 1, and he had a stellar camp. He was always in the right position, and he made more splash plays than anyone else on the defense.

Brown is probably the most interesting player to watch going forward. He has more pure talent than any of the Eagles' safeties, but the Eagles may need to tame his overexuberance before they trust him to take on a starting role.

Edmunds and Justin Evans (not mentioned pre-camp) seem to be competent enough players to hold down the fort on a team with a great pass rush and good veteran corners.

21) Britain Covey is almost certain to resume his role as the primary punt returner in 2023, with Boston Scott probably the most likely kick returner. I'm curious to see if the Eagles practice fair catches on kickoffs, which would be a strong indication that they intend on doing that during the regular season, content to take the ball at the 25-yard line.

UPDATE: Again, nope. Covey got whacked. We'll see if he makes it through waivers. If so, he'll likely be back on the practice squad and I imagine he'll be a Week 1 callup to return punts.

22) We finally have a punter competition, a year too late, between Arryn Siposs and undrafted rookie Ty Zentner. Siposs out-punted Zentner during OTAs, but we'll have the stopwatch handy for hangtime throughout camp. Side note: We usually track field goals throughout camp, but I think at this point that's probably a waste of energy when Jake Elliott has become such a great, reliable kicker.

UPDATE: Siposs and Zentner both stunk. Zentner stunk worse and was released prior to the third preseason game. Siposs was released at final cuts. The Eagles currently don't have a punter.

23) We expect that Sean Desai's defensive scheme won't look significantly different from Jonathan Gannon's, but will we get some hints that he will try more creative/exotic looks from time to time? That may have to wait for the regular season, as the expectation is that he'll keep it vanilla in the media-attended practices. I'm also curious to see his on-field demeanor with the players.

UPDATE: The hints were there. We saw Desai expand the versatility of a number of players, like Bradberry in the slot, Edmunds at linebacker, Smith at linebacker, etc. We also saw him experiment at times with unique personnel groupings, like four safeties, for example. He won't be as vanilla as Gannon.

24) The last two seasons, Brian Johnson was always camped out behind the quarterbacks during practice, because, duh, he was the quarterbacks coach. This offseason he was promoted to offensive coordinator after Shane Steichen was hired to be the Colts' head coach. During OTAs, Johnson stood on the sidelines and was coaching up the wide receivers. It was interesting to see him get out of his comfort zone and shift his focus to other parts of the offense. We'll see how well he is able to get into a rhythm as a play caller when the season begins, but it'll also be interesting to see how his on-field time is divided between the quarterbacks and the rest of the offense.

UPDATE: Honestly, I just didn't pay much attention to this, and won't pretend that I did. Sorry. 🤷‍♂️

25) The Eagles only have 9 scheduled training camp practices (plus 5 walkthroughs), then likely 2 joint practices with the Browns and one with the Colts. That's only a dozen practices during training camp, which would be the lightest camp I have ever covered. I assume there will be no more quibbling with Nick Sirianni's and the front office's cautious approach to camp, given the team's low number of injuries the last two seasons, not to mention a pair of Week 1 wins.

UPDATE: They ended up adding a few practices to the schedule, and had 15 overall. I also thought that the joint practices were particularly competitive. Most of the best players on the team did not play at all during the preseason games, which was a first. In previous years under Sirianni the starters typically got into at least one game for a few series.

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