June 10, 2024
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Will Shipley #39 of the Philadelphia Eagles performs a drill during practice at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia, Pa. on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.
Philadelphia Eagles OTAs and minicamp are in the books, and the players won't be out on a practice field as a team again until training camp begins in late July. Here we'll take a look at some players whose stock is up, and down.
📈 CB Isaiah Rodgers: After a year away from football, Rodgers looked fast and twitchy, and he made plays on the football throughout the spring, including a pick-six of Jalen Hurts. He also got occasional first-team reps and could compete for a starting job opposite Darius Slay in training camp.
📈 CB Kelee Ringo: Ringo looks notably improved after a season in 2023 when he couldn't get on the field for the first three months of the season even with the secondary suffering a laundry list of injuries. He had no trouble running vertically with receivers who possess world class speed, and he got his hands on a number of passes.
📈 LB Zack Baun: When the Eagles signed the versatile Baun, it was expected that he would be playing on the edge behind a slew of guys like Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, and Nolan Smith. Instead, he consistently lined up at first-team off-ball linebacker opposite Devin White.
📈 RB Will Shipley: Shipley got a ton of reps throughout the spring and was often used out of the slot as a receiver. Saquon Barkley is the top running back, of course, but Shipley could compete for some of Kenny Gainwell's snaps, especially if he can prove to be effective as a receiver who can line up all over the formation.
📈 QB Tanner McKee: McKee had a good training camp and preseason showing last year, but we (as in, the media) did not get to watch him practice once training camp wrapped. As such, it was unknown whether his play fell off during regular season practices or if he continued to impress. The team's trade for Kenny Pickett this offseason showed that the Eagles were not yet ready to crown McKee as the No. 2 quarterback, but he was probably the sharpest of all the Eagles' quarterbacks during their three-day minicamp last week.
📉 LB Nakobe Dean: With Baun and White running with the 1's at linebacker, Dean played on the second-team defense. He also missed some of OTAs as he continued to recover from a lingering foot injury suffered during the season.
📉 iOL Matt Hennessy: When the Eagles signed Hennessy in free agency, it seemed like he would be able to push Tyler Steen for a starting job at RG, or at least be a primary backup at the three interior offensive line spots. After spring practices, it is clear that Jeff Stoutland sees potential in the recently added Mekhi Becton, who got first-team reps at RT during OTAs with Lane Johnson out, as well as first-team reps at LG during minicamp with Landon Dickerson out. Becton appears to be the top reserve guard at the moment, not Hennessy. (We should give Becton an honorable mention as a stock up 📈 guy.)
📉 CB James Bradberry: After skipping OTAs, Bradberry attended mandatory minicamp, and Nick Sirianni mentioned before the first practice that Bradberry would get some work with the safeties. However, during individual drills on the first day of minicamp, before practice really even got underway, Bradberry made his way to the medical tent with a trainer. He was in there for a minute or so, before heading back out onto the field, without a helmet. He was a spectator the rest of the minicamp. It would be surprising if Bradberry is on the team Week 1.
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