Posted August 3, 20241 yr Eagles 2024 training camp battle tracker There are several available spots in camp. Which Eagles are gunning after them? By Jimmy Kempski PhillyVoice Staff Colleen Claggett/PhillyVoice Eagles OL Mekhi Becton At the start of Eagles training camp, there are a half dozen battles to be won or lost over the next month or so. Here we'll keep track of each of those battles and add analysis after each practice. ✔️ = Good day 🚀 = Great day 🚨 = Alarming day ❌ = No longer a contender ✅ = Camp battle won Starting RG The combatants: Tyler Steen, Mekhi Becton, Matt Hennessy, and Trevor Keegan Pre-camp favorite: Steen After transitioning from his more familiar college position at OT to OG as a rookie last year, Steen lost a camp battle for the starting RG job last year to Cam Jurgens. He is the favorite this year, but will have to fend off a number of other players for the starting job. Steen's biggest challenger is Becton, who was the 11th overall pick in 2020, and who is getting a clean slate in Philly after a disappointing four years with the Jets. Becton is a flawed player, but has upside because he is a behemoth with intriguing power and athleticism. Hennessy, Keegan, and Max Scharping are longshots. Starting RG 7/24 7/25 7/27 7/29 7/30 Tyler Steen ✔️ - 🚨 - - Mekhi Becton - - - - - Matt Hennessy - - - - - Trevor Keegan - - - 🚨 ✔️ Starting RG 8/1 8/4 8/5 8/6 8/7 Tyler Steen - Mekhi Becton ✔️ Matt Hennessy ❌ Trevor Keegan - • 7/24: Steen was the first-team RG to start camp, as expected. Becton actually played with the first-team as well, at LG in relief of an absent Landon Dickerson. But we'll give a ✔️ to Steen, who got reps at the starting spot that is up for grabs. • 7/25: There isn't a whole lot you can see from line play when they're not in pads, but Jordan Davis beat Becton for a couple of run stuffs. I don't notice Steen, which probably isn't a bad thing. • 7/27: Steen left practice early, but walked off on his own. The details and severity of his injury are to be determined. • 7/29: Steen will be out for a bit with an ankle injury, but his injury is not considered serious. Becton played with the first-team offense in his absence. The interior defensive line dominated, and I saw Becton get beaten at least twice, so he couldn't have made a great impression, however, the longer he's getting first-team reps, the longer a chance he has to show something special, and the pads go on Tuesday. Keegan left practice with what appeared to be a left arm injury. He did not return to the field the rest of the day. Hennessy got second-team reps at RG after primarily playing second-team center the first three days. • 7/30: Keegan returned quickly from hurting his shoulder, and even get some first-team reps at LG in place of Dickerson. • 8/1: Becton sent Moro Ojomo for a ride on a run block. Emphatic pancake 🥞. Becton has his flaws, but his power is undeniable. I don't think Becton has been so good that Steen's hold on the starting RG job is in extreme peril, but the sooner Steen can return to the field and prove that he should be the guy, the better. The longer he's out, the more comfortable the team could feel with Becton just continuing to "start" at RG. Becton, Keegan, Darian Kinnard, Max Scharping, and now Brett Toth have gotten first-team reps at guard, and Hennessy has not. I think we can probably eliminate Hennessy from this competition. Starting cornerback opposite Darius Slay, and starting slot corner The combatants: Quinyon Mitchell, Isaiah Rodgers, Kelee Ringo, Cooper DeJean, and Avonte Maddox Pre-camp favorite: Mitchell Slay will be the Eagles' CB1 for the fifth straight season, while Mitchell, the Eagles' first-round pick in 2024, will compete with a handful of other players for the CB2 spot. Rodgers and Ringo both had good showing during spring practices and are legitimate contenders. Cooper will be in the mix both in the slot and on the outside, but more likely the slot. His primary competition in the slot will be Maddox, who is kinda/sorta the incumbent, and Mitchell, if he doesn't win the CB2 job. CB2 7/24 7/25 7/27 7/29 7/30 Quinyon Mitchell - - - - 🚀 Isaiah Rodgers - - - ✔️ ✔️ Kelee Ringo - - - - - Cooper DeJean 🚨 - - - - Avonte Maddox ✔️ ✔️ - - - CB2 8/1 8/4 8/5 8/6 8/7 Quinyon Mitchell - Isaiah Rodgers - Kelee Ringo - Cooper DeJean - Avonte Maddox - • 7/24: DeJean will start camp on the NFI list with a hamstring injury, and is expected to miss three weeks. Rodgers and Ringo alternated first-team reps. Maddox got first-team reps in the slot. It's not out of the ordinary for rookies to have to wait a bit to get first-team reps, even as first-round picks, so we won't raise any alarms for Mitchell. • 7/25: Rodgers and Ringo split first-team reps again on Thursday, with Ringo up first. Maddox had a really nice PBU on C.J. Uzomah. • 7/27: Pretty much every corner in contention for a starting job gave up a big play today, even if their coverage wasn't bad. I can't say anyone really separated from the pack in any way. • 7/29: I thought Isaiah Rodgers made a hell of a play today. Kenny Pickett threw an on-target deep pass to what appeared to be an open Joseph Ngata into the end zone, but Rodgers showed excellent recovery speed and broke up the play. That was an eye-opening moment with Rodgers. It was a "starter" type of play. • 7/30: The highlight of the day was during wide receiver / cornerback 1-on-1's, which were in the red zone. Mitchell was matched up against A.J. Brown, and he blanketed Brown so well that Jalen Hurts didn't even venture a throw. (This does not happen often at all during these drills, much less with a player like A.J. Brown.) Mitchell then stared Brown down, lol. Soon after, Mitchell matched up with Brown again, and Brown made a great one-handed catch, but Mitchell's coverage once again was good, and Brown could not keep two feet in bounds. The Eagles' other defensive backs were hyped up for Mitchell's reps vs. the All-Pro. Rodgers also had a strong day. He had a nice PBU while covering Brown on a slant. It looked like Brown got open for a hot second, but Rodgers closed quickly and batted the pass down. It's becoming evident that Rodgers has excellent recovery speed. I really like what I have seen from him so far both in training camp and in spring practices. • 8/1: Rodgers and Ringo continue to split first-team reps at CB2. Linebacker (both spots) The combatants: Devin White, Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean, Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. Pre-camp favorites: White and Baun White is an undersized linebacker at 6'0, 237, but his best trait as a pro has perhaps been his ability as a blitzer, as he has 23 career sacks. It will be interesting to see if Vic Fangio can get the most of White's unique abilities. I have him penciled in as a Week 1 starter, but we'll wait for the beginning of training camp to confirm that. Baun was something of an edge rusher / off-ball linebacker hybrid during his time in New Orleans. It was expected that he would be playing more on the edge, but he consistently lined up at first-team off-ball linebacker opposite White during spring practices. Dean missed some of OTAs as he continued to recover from the foot injury suffered during the 2023 season. When he was able to participate more extensively during a June minicamp, Dean played on the second-team defense behind White and Baun. Was that a demotion, or were the Eagles easing him back in after returning from his injury? We'll get a better answer to that when training camp begins. And finally, there's Trotter, a fifth-round rookie who is unlikely to start, but we'll include him here since it's not as if the Eagles have star players ahead of him. Linebacker 7/24 7/25 7/27 7/29 7/30 Devin White ✔️ - - ✔️ - Zack Baun ✔️ - - - - Nakobe Dean - ✔️ ✔️ ✔️ - Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. - - - - - Linebacker 8/1 8/4 8/5 8/6 8/7 Devin White - Zack Baun - Nakobe Dean 🚨 Jeremiah Trotter - • 7/24: White and Baun began the day as the two first-team linebackers, with Dean subbing in on occasion for Baun. White is clearly the LB1 in the team's eyes to begin camp. Baun had a nice PBU on a pass intended for Grant Calcaterra. He looked better than expected in coverage during spring practices, and that carried over into Day 1 of the summer. • 7/25: Dean had an active day. He was flying around quite a bit, and was vocal. I thought he showed confidence today. • 7/27: Once again, Dean was active, and is being sent on a lot of blitzes, which was a strength of his at Georgia. • 7/29: White showed off his speed when he raced to the flat to limit a pass to Will Shipley to a short gain. He got there in a flash. Dean had a sack today, and has consistently made plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage when blitzing. Baun hasn't really stood out the first four practices, positively or negatively. He remains with the first-team defense. • 7/30: No standouts today, but it's worth noting that after five practices White is very clearly the LB1. We may be close to making a call there. • 8/1: Dean has looked good as a blitzer, but he has struggled in coverage. If he can't cover Kenny Gainwell in practice, how is he going to fare against guys like Christian McCaffrey? Third wide receiver The combatants: Parris Campbell, Britain Covey, John Ross, Ainias Smith, and Johnny Wilson Pre-camp favorite: Campbell Covey and Smith best fit the profile of the classic slot receiver, in that they're both smaller, shifty guys. However, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are both weapons out of the slot in addition to the outside, so it's not imperative that the WR3 fits the classic slot receiver profile. When the Eagles signed a big receiver in Julio Jones last season, for example, he quickly became the WR3, even if that didn't exactly pan out. Campbell is a speedster (4.31 40 once upon a time) who does not play like a speedster (career 9.3 yards per catch). He got the most first-team reps among this group of players during spring practices, so that's why we're calling him the favorite. Ross is another speedster (4.22 at the Combine) who busted with the Bengals. The wildcard is Wilson, a 6'6, 233-pound freak of nature whose hands need to improve in the NFL. There's also a decent chance the Eagles will add a player to this mix at some point during camp. WR3 7/24 7/25 7/27 7/29 7/30 Parris Campbell ✔️ - - - - Britain Covey - - ✔️ - ✔️ John Ross - - - - - Ainias Smith - - - - - Johnny Wilson - 🚨 - - - WR3 8/1 8/4 8/5 8/6 8/7 Parris Campbell - Britain Covey - John Ross - Ainias Smith ❌ Johnny Wilson 🚀 • 7/24: Campbell got first-team reps as the WR3. Actually, he may have gotten every WR3 rep with the 1's, and he had a nice handful of catches. Nothing splashy, but he made the plays that came his way. • 7/25: Ross got first-team reps today, but was quiet. Wilson had a bad drop. He's huge and has some speed, but his hands were a concern coming out of Florida State. • 7/27: Covey was the most active receiver on the day, making catches all over the field, including a deep ball down the left sideline from Kenny Pickett that beat Mitchell. • 7/29: Ross got open deep down the field on a post route, but Hurts missed him. Nobody from this group stood out on Monday. I remain confident that the Eagles will make another move at receiver. • 7/30: Covey is getting open and making more receptions than any of these other guys. • 8/1: Wilson worked out this summer with Hurts, who praised Wilson for his work ethic unprompted during a press conference. Wilson has also gotten some first-team reps the last two practices. It's also pretty clear by now that Ainias Smith won't be winning this job. No. 2 quarterback The combatants: Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee Pre-camp favorite: Pickett This offseason, the Eagles traded the equivalent of a fourth-round pick for Pickett, who was a Steelers first-round pick (20th overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft. He started 12 games both in 2022 and 2023, with a 7-5 record in each season. McKee is a second-year player who has not yet appeared in a regular season game, but who played well in 2023 training camp, the 2023 preseason games, and 2024 spring practices. No. 3 Quarterback 7/24 7/25 7/27 7/29 7/30 Kenny Pickett - - ✔️ - - Tanner McKee - - - - - No. 3 Quarterback 8/1 8/4 8/5 8/6 8/7 Kenny Pickett - Tanner McKee ✔️ • 7/24: Pickett made a nice throw to Grant Calcaterra, had some misses otherwise. McKee did not have a noteworthy day, good or bad. • 7/25: Pickett sailed a throw way over the head of Uzomah, but he also completed a bunch of passes in the middle of the field. Once again, McKee did not have a noteworthy day, good or bad. I'd like to see him get more reps than he is getting so far. • 7/27: McKee just isn't getting very many reps, which is disappointing and confusing. We may have to wait until the preseason games to get a long look at him. Pickett had a good day. • 7/29: Nothing significant to report on either QB on Monday. • 7/30: Tanner McKee got some second-team reps. • 8/1: More second-team reps for McKee, which feels like he is being given a chance to unseat Pickett as the QB2. Kick/punt returner The combatants: Britain Covey, Cooper DeJean, Will Shipley, Ainias Smith, Isaiah Rodgers Pre-camp favorite: Covey (PR), Rodgers (KR) Covey will return punts as long as he makes the team. The kick returner battle will be interesting to watch since the NFL has a bunch of new kick return rules. KR/PR 7/24 7/25 7/27 7/29 7/30 Britain Covey ✔️ - - - ✔️ Cooper DeJean 🚨 - - - - Will Shipley - - - - - Ainias Smith 🚨 - - - - Isaiah Rodgers - - - - - KR/PR 8/1 8/4 8/5 8/6 8/7 Britain Covey - Cooper DeJean - Will Shipley - Ainias Smith - Isaiah Rodgers - • 7/24: Smith struggled fielding punts during spring practices, and he had another on Day 1 of training camp. With DeJean on the shelf and Smith consistently struggling to field the ball, Covey's roster spot is looking more and more secure (not that I thought it should have ever been in question). • 7/25: A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith fielded kick returns today. Weird. There's no way they'll be doing that in real games, right? The only way I can see that making sense is if opposing teams primarily try knuckleball squib kicks, and simply fielding them becomes a bigger priority than returning them. Covey and Ross also got some kick return reps. • 7/27: Nothing noteworthy to report. • 7/29: The punt returners were (in order of reps), Covey, Smith, Rodgers, and Ross. No surprises there. I imagine DeJean will be second in the pecking order when he returns. • 7/30: Covey said during his post-practice media availability that he will be a part of the kick returner group this season (in addition to punt returns). • 8/1: There's nothing new to report here, but we're probably getting close to calling Covey's spot as the punt returner, which he'll definitely be as long as he makes the team. https://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-2024-training-camp-battle-tracker-cornerback-linebacker-wide-receiver-right-guard/
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