The Most Intriguing Battle At Eagles Training Camp This Year
Eagles training camp is just around the corner. Players report on Tuesday. There are lots of interesting battles to watch, like who will be the 3rd WR, who will be the second Safety, or which of the hundreds of corners will make the team. But the one that is most likely to have a big impact on the team, and the one I am most interested in following, is who will be the Right Guard.
Cam Jurgens filled that role last year. With Jason Kelce retiring, Jurgens will slide over to his natural position at center. It leaves a hole at RG. One likely to be filled by 2nd-year player Tyler Steen. But there is another name worth keeping an eye on, Mekhi Becton.
Could Mekhi Becton Steal A Job At Eagles Training Camp?
We have not seen much from Becton yet. He did spend a little bit of time at LG in Mini-Camp. He even drew some praise from his teammates.
Becton is also a former 11th overall pick, so he comes in with a pedigree. It never quite worked with the Jets, but Jeff Stoutland saw something he liked, enough for the Eagles to scoop him up in the off-season.
Dave Zangaro from NBC Sports Philly joined The Best Show Ever on Wednesday, and he singled out this battle as one he is interested in following.
“The one guy who is really intriguing is Mekhi Becton… if you’re trying to get your 5 best out there, he might have a claim to be one of your 5 best players… If Steen comes out and struggles early in camp, it will be in the back of my mind. Ultimately I think it will be Steen, but that is something I would watch early in camp.”
Tyler Steen did not play much last year. He was inactive for most weeks, but he got the start in week 9 against the Cowboys. It did not go well.
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Steen allowed a pressure of 6 of his 32-pass block snaps, and a hurry on 5 more. He was getting beat 33% of the time. As a run blocker, he performed better. But still, the rookie left a lot to be desired. He is just a rookie, and we shouldn’t make judgments because of 1 bad game, but it did show he has stuff to work on.
Does it leave him vulnerable? I would say mostly say no. As Dave mentioned, they drafted Steen for a reason, and Stotutland praised him this offseason.
But they do have a really good second option now. Becton has all the traits you want in an Offensive Lineman. He has been a Tackle, but the Eagles seem to believe he is capable of sliding inside. They wouldn’t have played him inside at Mini-Camp if they didn’t.
As Dave Zangaro said, it is Tyler Steen’s job to lose. But if he struggles, and Becton impresses, that could change quickly.
Becton had a tremendous rookie season in 2020. Injuries have plagued him since, but with the help of the best O-Line coach in the league, maybe he can regain that rookie form here.
It is something to keep an eye on at Eagles Training Camp. Right Guard is a big question mark for them right now. Steen has upside, and there is good reason to be excited about him too. But don’t be surprised if Becton swoops in and steals the job.
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Eagles 53-Man Roster Projection Following Mini-Camp
Quarterbacks (3)
- Jalen Hurts
- Kenny Pickett
- Tanner McKee
This one is easy. The only odd man out is Will Grier. From the start, we knew Grier was here to help new OC Kellen Moore implement his system. But it is hard to see him supplanting McKee as the 3rd stringer, and the other two guys are obviously locked in.
McKee was impressive last spring, well impressive by the standard of a 3rd string QB. It’s worth holding onto to him to see if he can become a long term back up.
Running Backs (3)
- Saquon Barkley
- Kenny Gainwell
- Will Shipley
Another easy one. We know that Saquon will start, and Gainwell will be the main backup. Gainwell gets hate randomly by some Eagles fans. But as a backup, he is effective. They aren’t going to play Barkley every single snap, so don’t get upset when we do see Gainwell out there.
As for Shipley. Unless he is a complete disaster he will make the roster as the 3rd string RB. Will he see much of the field? Who knows, but he will be on the team.
Last year they carried 4, with Rashaad Penny spending most of the season on the inactive list. As of now, there is not a 4th RB worth spending that roster spot on.
Wide Recievers (5)
- AJ Brown
- DeVonta Smith
- Parris Campbell
- Anias Smith
- Britain Covey
I still don’t have John Ross making the roster, yet. He will have to do a lot more than impress in Mini Camp. The guy hasn’t played in a few years, and wasn’t good when he did play. It will be an interesting story to watch, but he is still a longshot.
For now, I only have 5. Brown and Smith are locks. Campbell and the other Smith will compete for the slot spot, but both should make it regardless. And Covey will make it as the return man. I even heard they might find ways utilize Covey on offense.
Tight Ends (3)
- Dallas Goedert
- C.J. Uzomah
- Albert Okwuegbunam
TE depth has been an issue for the eagles for years now. But these 3 should be locks to make it. Goedert should see a boost in his production with Moore in charge. The Eagles will utilize the middle of the field, and the TEs much more now.
The other two guys, I am not sure about. With so little depth, they are currently locks to be here. But I don’t know if they would step up if Goedert misses time.
I left Grant Calcaterra off. It has been two years, He had multiple chances to step up and prove something, and never did.
Offensive Linemen (10)
- LT- Jordan Mailata
- LG- Landon Dickerson
- C- Cam Jurgens
- RG- Tyler Steen
- RT- Lane Johnson
- Mekhi Becton
- Matt Hennessy
- Trevor Keegan
- Dylan McMahon
- Fred Johnson
The starting 5 are near locks. The only possible change could be Becton taking the RG job from Steen. They worked him out there in Mini-Camp, and he apparently looked good. Both guys are locks to be on the team at this point though.
Eagles love having lots of OL depth, and they love guys who can play multiple positions. Nearly everyone, apart from McMahon and Johnson, fit that description here.
Edge Rushers (5)
- Bryce Huff
- Josh Sweat
- Nolan Smith
- Brandon Graham
- Jalyx Hunt
The Edge Rusher room has lot of question marks. None of these guys have proven they can be consistent pass rush threats.
Huff has only 1 season with double digit sacks, where he was a part time player. Will he hold up with more playing time? Sweat has 1 double digit sack season, and fell off last season. Nolan Smith has never been productive in the NFL or College, but his upside is huge. Graham is 35. And Hunt is a project.
All 5 of these guys are locks. Patrick Johnson is on the bubble.
Defensive Tackles (5)
- Jalen Carter
- Jordan Davis
- Milton Williams
- Marlon Tuipulotu
- Moro Ojomo
I would classify at least the first 4 guys here as locks. Ojomo was on the roster, but inactive most weeks. They didnt add much in terms of DT depth this off-season though, so barring future moves, his spot should be mostly safe. UDFA Gabe Hall has a chance to break through though.
Like on the EDGE, they are relying on a lot of inexperience. Carter and Davis have huge upside, but are not proven commodities yet.
Linebackers (5)
- Zack Baun
- Devin White
- Nakobe Dean
- Jeremiah Trotter Jr
- Ben VanSumeren
Baun surprisingly has been their main inside linebacker so far. He has mostly been an edge rusher in his career, but evidently, Vic Fangio sees something in him as a LB. Devin White was the 2nd LB, leaving Nakobe Dean the oddman out of the starting group.
All 3, plus Trotter, are locks to make the roster, its just a matter of who gets the most snaps. VanSumeren is less of a lock, but they seem to like him, so I see him sticking around.
Cornerbacks (6)
- Darius Slay
- Quinyon Mitchell
- Cooper DeJean
- Kelee Ringo
- Isaiah Rodgers Sr.
- Eli Ricks
The Eagles have a lot of corners. There are going to be a lot of cuts. We are all waiting for Bradberry, it just hasn’t happened yet. I don’t think he makes the team though. Eventually I think he is cut though. They might be hoping to pull of a trade to lessen the dead cap blow.
Slay, Mitchell, Dejean, and Ringo are near locks. DeJean I think ends up the starting slot corner, with Mitchell and Slay the starters outside. That leaves Ringo as the main backup, and Rodgers and Ricks there for depth.
As for Avonte Maddox, I have him making the team, but playing a different position.
Safeties (5)
- CJ Gardner Johnson
- Reed Blankenship
- Sydney Brown
- Avonte Maddox
- Andre’ Sam
CJ Gardner-Johnson thankfully gives them 1 sure thing at Safety. He was mostly great for them in 2022. They badly missed his playmaking last season.
Who the 2nd Safety will be is up in the air. Plus with Fangio, there will be many 3 Safety packages. Brown is evidently on track to come back earlier than we first thought . He will likely play a big role. We can expect Blankenship to see a lot of time as well, even if his sophomore season was disappointing.
I also have Maddox moving to Safety. He has played there in the past, and its probably the cleaner path to him keeping his spot on the roster with there being so much competition at corner.
Special Teams (3)
- Jake Elliott
- Braden Mann
- Rick Lovato
These 3 are all locks. Elliott is one of the best kickers in the league, Mann was above average after joining the team, and Lovato never messes up a snap. Special Teams was the one part of the team that worked the way it is supposed to last season. None of these 3 will even have competition on the roster.
