During the offseason, we'll be taking a close look at Philadelphia Eagles players of interest who are currently on the roster but we may not know a lot about just yet. We'll kick off this year's series with second-year offensive lineman Tyler Steen, who is currently the Eagles' projected starting RG in 2024.
In the 2023 draft, the Eagles selected Steen with the second pick in Round 3, at 65th overall. Steen played his entire college career at offensive tackle, but the Eagles played him initially at guard, which made sense, given his short, 32 3/4" arms. It should be no surprise by now that if the Eagles take an offensive lineman with a high pick, that guy is going to have impressive athleticism. And, well, Steen has that, in addition to well above average size for a guard.
At the start of 2023 training camp, Steen was given the opportunity as a rookie to compete for the starting RG job with then second-year pro Cam Jurgens. That competition was very quickly won by Jurgens. Steen never looked fully comfortable at guard during the summer, but he looked good when he got reps at LT, his much more familiar position.
During the 2023 season, Steen was a healthy scratch for each of the first four games of the season, and also each of the final three games. He only appeared in the regular offense in four games, with one start:
- Week 8 at Commanders: 6 snaps
- Week 9 vs. Cowboys (started): 62 snaps
- Week 14 at Cowboys: 2 snaps
- Week 15 at Seahawks: 1 snap
Otherwise, the team trusted Sua Opeta over him whenever they needed a reserve guard. Opeta played 528 snaps on the season (134 at LG, 394 at RG), while Steen played just 71 (3 at LG, 68 at RG). The Eagles did not show any urgency in retaining Opeta this offseason, and Opeta ending up signing a one-year deal with the Buccaneers.
Steen's first action of his career came against the Commanders, as noted above. He played six snaps, all of which came on an Eagles TD drive. I cut those plays during the season last year:
The Eagles slid protection his way on five of those six snaps. On the play that they didn't, Steen did a nice job working with Lane Johnson on a Commanders T/E stunt. So far, so good!
The following week, with Jurgens and Opeta both on the injury report, Steen started against Dallas. We cut up about a dozen plays from that game, and showed them rapid-fire here. (You might have to click "Watch on YouTube.")
The CliffsNotes: He got beaten in one-on-one situations by Micah Parsons (as many offensive linemen do) and DeMarcus Lawrence, but his game overall wasn't as bad as I remembered, and I thought he did some good things as a run blocker.
Overview
In 2024, Steen is once again competing for the starting RG job with Jurgens taking over for Jason Kelce at center. He has two obvious challengers in free agent acquisition Matt Hennessy and rookie Trevor Keegan. He might also have to fend off free agent Mekhi Becton and rookie Dylan McMahon. More on that camp battle here.
I thought Steen showed some promise, despite getting roasted by Parsons, who of course is one of the most athletic edge rushers ever. I would consider him the clear favorite for the starting RG job, but he certainly won't just be handed the job.
MORE: 2024 Eagles win-loss predictions
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