August 14, 2024
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
LB Devin White was released by the Eagles on Tuesday. He never played any regular season snaps for the team.
We are now 12 practices and one preseason game into 2024 Philadelphia Eagles training camp, so on the Birds' day off let's see what's on your minds. This will be Part I of a two-part mailbag. We'll focus on questions about the defense here.
Question from @bigseb31213: Having watched camp, what position group do you think is stronger than you anticipated going in?
Linebacker. They've all shown positive traits so far this camp:
• Devin White: When he correctly diagnoses the play, he gets to where he needs to be fast. There are no questions about his pure physical ability, he plays with some fire, and there's playmaking potential.
• Zack Baun: The team has touted his toughness, and from everything I can tell he's a smart player who plays his assignments and has upside as a blitzer because of his experience playing on the edge.
• Nakobe Dean: When he plays downhill, he's physical and feisty. He'll stick his face in the fan, so to speak, and is willing to throw his body around as a run stopper and blitzer.
• Jeremiah Trotter: His instincts are obvious. He doesn't look like a rookie out there. He's just been an all-around solid player to start camp.
• Ben VanSumeren: His athleticism is obvious, and is arguably the most improved player on the team from last year's camp to this one.
Of course, they all also have their reasons for concern:
• Devin White: He got benched last year, and there were ensuing questions about his awareness.
• Zack Baun: He has played just 660 career defensive snaps in four seasons, and much of that time was on the edge.
• Nakobe Dean: Can he cover? Can he stay healthy?
• Jeremiah Trotter: While he has not looked like a rookie so far, he is, you know, a rookie, and he fell to the fifth round because he's undersized and isn't thought to be a special athlete by NFL standards.
• Ben VanSumeren: The knock has always been that he is more athlete than polished football player.
Still, all five of those guys have had encouraging moments this summer. It'll be interesting to see what linebackers coach Bobby King can get out of them as players, and how Vic Fangio can put them in positions to accentuate their positive traits while masking their concerns.
At a minimum, this group is looking far better than last year's linebackers, when Dean was the top guy, Nicholas Morrow was getting "stock down" votes, and they were bringing in guys like Zach Cunningham, Myles Jack, Rashaan Evans, and Shaq Leonard.
Question from @WalkWithLyle: If you had to bet your life savings on if Trotter will be starting by Week 8 where would you place your money?
Barring injuries, I would bet that he is not yet a full-time starter. I think that he has already shown that he is a legitimate NFL player, but that's a tough position to master quickly in the NFL. I think he'll play in the regular defense, but they'll let him ease into some kind of non-starting role initially.
Question from @BillBogardus: Review available LBs by trade or FA, because Baun and Dean are not very good.
I strongly believe they're prepared to roll with this group.
Question from @SlippinBenny: Overall impressions of Bryce Huff so far? Feel like it’s been really quiet about him for such a marquee signing.
I agree that he has been very quiet, but a lot of that has to do with having to face Lane Johnson every day. Haason Reddick rarely beat Lane in practice, too. Huff finally got to face someone other than Lane yesterday, and he made some plays.
So, we'll see. There are concerns over whether Huff can be an early down player or if he'll just be a super expensive situational pass rusher, but I wouldn't fret just yet that he'll be a complete bust.
Question from Hamiltwan: Is Mekhi Becton winning the RG job (good), or is Tyler Steen just losing it (bad)?
Neither! I don't think Steen has been bad, and I also don't think Becton has really done anything special to win the job.
I do think the RG spot is a legit concern.
Question from @ron_aden: With the CB room actually being pretty heavy, do you think Howie will entertain trade offers for any? Obviously not the rookies or Darius Slay.
Sure, I think guys like Eli Ricks or Josh Jobe can be had for other bottom of the roster players, sayyyy, along the defensive line, maybe? I don't think they want to deal guys like Isaiah Rodgers or Kelee Ringo, as I have seen suggested.
Corners get hurt, a lot. You need a bunch of them.
Question from RHamberger14: What are the chances Slay has a big dropoff this year being an older corner and all?
Slay said a week or so ago that he doesn't think he'll play much longer. He'll be 34 in January. Last year we saw James Bradberry's play fall off a cliff, so I understand the concern.
Slay has had a good camp, in my opinion. He can still run with the Eagles' best receivers down the field, and he has gotten hands on a lot of passes this summer. He's still their best corner. We'll see if the long season takes a toll on his body.
Question from @Footba11Joe: At what position do you see Cooper DeJean primarily lining up when he comes back?
He got reps at outside corner and slot corner (more in the slot than on the outside) during spring practices. I imagine that's where he'll be when he's ready to play in team drills again.
It's looking a lot like the outside corners will be Slay at CB1 and either Isaiah Rodgers or Kelee Ringo (heavy lean toward Rodgers) at CB2, and Quinyon Mitchell in the slot.
My bet is that they'll continue to work DeJean at both spots, with a focus on the slot, and Avonte Maddox will move a little more full-time to safety.
On a side note, if indeed Mitchell starts in the slot as a rookie, that could serve him well from a long-term perspective. If/When he eventually becomes a starting outside corner, and if he is a good player, he'll theoretically be more comfortable trailing opponents' best receivers all over the field, including in the slot. In other words, this experience in the slot could help make him a more well-rounded corner as his pro career progresses.
Question from @PinkNittany: What is the probability that Haason Reddick comes back?
Somewhere close to 0%. The Eagles traded him because they didn't want to pay him what he wanted.
But also, there is no way Joe Douglas is going to trade him for compensation that is less than what the Jets gave up to get him. Certainly, no team is ponying up more. Douglas' entire tenure would be remembered just for this gaffe. He would no doubt rather just hope Reddick eventually reports and plays.
Question from @eagsfan: Did you consider yesterday's scrimmage a win? If so that boosts their incredible scrimmage win record.
For sure. They'll be undefeated in joint practices in 2024.
Relatedly, for the gambling degenerates among you: I don't know what the Pats' win total over/under is, but I'd consider banging the under.
Question from @bbrewerstandup: If you weren’t covering the Birds what order would you rank the other Philly teams in terms of best to worst to cover?
The Eagles are No. 1 for me, by a mile. Really, the NFL in general is just a better league to cover than the other major sports. They play 17 games, plus three preseason games. If the team you cover is good they play 1-4 more games in the playoffs. Beyond the fact that Philadelphia is so obsessed with the team — which is great for peace of mind in terms of job security — I love that every game is super meaningful. They're all major events, unless they're resting starters in Week 18, or if the team starts like 2-9 or something, and they're out of contention in November. And even then, covering a dumpster fire can be fun.
Football teams also have 53 players during the season, and 90 during the offseason. With so many players to cover, if you can't think of story ideas, I mean, shame on you. The other sports have considerably smaller rosters.
I also love that the season is played in the fall and winter, and that during the offseason the NFL spaces out their notable events. For example, the Combine is late February. Free agency is early-mid March. The owners meetings are late March. The draft is late April. OTAs and minicamp are in May and early June. And then there's nothing for the best part of the year from mid-June to late July, when training camp begins. I can enjoy my summer with my daughter, whereas with baseball, for example, I'd be on the road for weeks at a time. No thank you. That might sound fun during my single days in my early 20's, but my old ass would not enjoy that now.
So I'd order them like this:
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