Eagles Training Camp: What Nick Sirianni Has To Say So Far

Contributor - Ryan Straub

It was a week ago today on July 23rd that the doors of the NovaCare complex opened up another Philadelphia Eagles season. After an extremely disappointing end to the season, in which it would be fair to call it a downright collapse, a great deal is being expected of the Eagles team this season.

As every training camp goes, fans are following closely along as they try to stay up to date on the position battles, scrimmages, and other bits and pieces that make the NFL season feel much closer than it really is. It is around this time of year where early questions will be answered. 

Who will win the WR3 spot behind Brown and Smith? How do the offensive line and secondary look? And of course, how does Jalen Hurts and the new offense under Kellen Moore look? Head Coach Nick Sirianni touched on these concerns after practice on Monday. Here’s what he had to say.

When asked about his assessment of the wide receivers outside of A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith, Sirianni said “Yeah, I'm really excited about this group. I really am. Without going into detail of all the guys, I think that everyone brings a little different skill set to the table that everybody can contribute to.”

A few other guys mentioned include Britain Covey, Ainas Smith, and Joe Ngata. As far as the entire WR room goes, Sirianni has high praise: “It's a good group, one of the best groups I've had 1 through 13 in my time in the NFL, and they all bring different and I’ll be excited to see how that plays out as we go through the rest of camp.”

When the Eagles line up on September 6th in Brazil for their season opener, it will be the first time since 2012 that Jason Kelce will not be under center. The general consensus is that Cam Jurgens, who has played as a Guard so far with the Eagles but was drafted as a Center, will fill that void. Sirianni is showing confidence in Jurgens:

Guard Tyler Steen went down with an injury which paved the way for Mekhi Becton to possibly get some time in at right guard next to Lane Johnson. Sirianni stated, “As bummed as we are that Tyler Steen is going to be out for a little bit, it gives other people opportunities to work, and Mekhi is going to be one of those guys.”

Lastly, the secondary is an intriguing concept this summer. Top picks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are two guys who will make an immediate impact and contribute, adding crucial depth. James Bradberry, coming off a sluggish season, has started camp practicing with the second team. 

Sirainni emphasizes that this is a good thing: “The depth chart, he's working with the twos right now, but that's fluid. That can change, and you're always going to need depth, and there's always going to be competition. So, I'm excited for this opportunity for him. He's handled it great, and he just wants to continue to contribute, and he still has the ability to do things at corner. That versatility will play well for us in the secondary.” 

The Quarterback and skill positions tend to be major talking points during training camp, but only when there are glaring issues. Since the Eagles hold the fortune of having a top-10 quarterback along with two elite Wide Receivers, and a solid Running Back and Tight End, there isn’t a whole lot that needs to be discussed. But people do it anyway and here we are.

Sirianni had this to say about Hurts: “I think he's had a really good camp so far. I'm really excited for him to continue that. There's ebbs and flows in camp and he's been on the high end for the last four days, so really excited about him and how he's looked so far.” 

Another focus point that Sirianni has been trying to implement is utilizing the backfield more in the passing game. However, he doesn’t want this to be exclusively through check-downs: “We know we have the backs capable of being able to get the ball in the pass game. They're going to get their touches in the run game. They'll get their touches in the screen game but then being part of that pass game, and we're looking forward to that with the guys that we have. The pass game offense is still going to run through DeVonta [Smith], A.J. [Brown], and Dallas [Goedert].”

There will certainly be many more developments and questions answered over the next week and a half before the Eagles take on the Ravens in their first preseason game on August 9th.

Every year in Eagles camp, there is some random player who wins the hearts and minds of Eagles fans. Someone who goes from a relative unknown to everyone's favorite player. They smash onto the scene in camp and in preseason games and have fans frothing at the mouth to make the final 53-man roster.

The truth is that player usually does not make the roster, or really ever make it in the NFL. There are outliers, but often times that player who comes out of nowhere in Eagles camp doesn't end up going anywhere.

I am talking about guys like Paul Turner, Rasheed Bailey, Tyree Jackson, and Dane Evans. Often times it is skill players. It is hard for Offensive Linemen to stand out too much. It has happened.

Jordan Mailata is the rare example of that type of guy working out. Alex Villeneuve was a darling as a Lineman, got cut, and made it elsewhere. So sometimes it pans out, and fans were right to fall in love.

Related: Eagles 53-Man Roster Projection Following Mini-Camp

But the vast majority of the guys we fell in love with were WRs, or pass rushers. Those are the guys who have the chance to stand out in camp, or in preseason games by putting up big numbers.

Someone in the second half of preseason games has to get targets. Getting a chance to play against 2nd string, or 3rd string corners or Linemen, might give those players a chance to beat up on their peers a bit. It is why Paul Turner, who never did much in the NFL, was so explosive in Eagles camp.

But who will be that guy this year? Which guy on the fringes of the Eagles roster are fans going to swoon for? Which players can be the standouts at Eagles camp? Whose name will have Eagles fans upset when they inevitably miss the cut?

Speed does not always play in the NFL, but it can play in camp. It is easy to see someone as fast as John Ross impressing in camp with his straight-line speed. With a few long TDs in practice or a pre-season game, Eagles fans will fall in love and think he is going to have a breakout season at 28 years old, 7 years after being drafted.

He is a long shot to make the team, even with a good camp. We have seen him struggle in the NFL. He has had a lot of shots and didn't make use of any of them. But he has the skill set to be a guy who looks good in practice.

Eagles fans love a tall WR. Wilson is tall, with decent speed. Like Ross, he has some traits that could make him stand out in practice.

Does he have the skills to be an NFL WR, we don't know. But he easily could have a big pre-season game and win the hearts of Eagles fans who are crazy enough to be locked into the second half of the 3rd Pre-Season game. Then it is just a matter of if he can crack the roster. But I could see him being a practice squad guy unless he is so good he forces their hand.

An RB from Georgia, of course, Eagles fans will fall in love. I doubt we see much of Barkley or Gainwell in the pre-season. Someone has to get carries. Will Shipley will get a good chunk, but so will UDFA Kendall Milton.

Milton was a fine back in College. There is nothing overly special about him, but he is solid. If he gets a ton of carries in these games, I won't be shocked if he puts up big numbers. I doubt he makes the team though. Barkley, Gainwell, and Shipley are locks. Will they keep a 4th RB? I doubt it. But Eagles fans might fall in love with him anyway.

Ngata was a camp darling last year. He impressed in camp but then was relegated to the practice squad. He will get another chance to be a camp darling this year. But it will be an uphill battle to make the roster yet again. There are a lot of WRs competing for a few spots.

At one point he was a highly touted College recruit. we never quite saw it, which is why he was a UDFA. But the traits that had him highly regarded going into College are still there, and can still show up on a practice field.

Rodgers is already a camp darling and camp hasn't started. There were Eagles fans who swore the Eagles did not need to draft a corner because they had Rodgers. Thankfully the Eagles disagreed and drafted 2 of them.

Rodgers was a good corner for the Colts. But he is no lock to make the team. Cornerback is the busiest position on the team. 4 spots, Slay, Mitchell, Ringo, and Dejean, are locks. That leaves 7 other guys competing for maybe 2 spots. Rodgers having success in the past gives him a leg off, but I can see him getting cut, and I can see Eagles fans losing their mind about it.

Here is a camp darling who might have a chance to break tradition and actually make the team. Smith was compared to Deebo Samuel when he was drafted. The skillset speaks to a guy who would be the perfect WR3 on this team.

But again, cracking the team as a WR may be tough. They need a WR 3 though, so if he impresses in the slot, he does have a chance. of all the WRs here, I think he has the best chance to actually be something.

As a former 1st round pick, Smith does not fit the criteria of the traditional camp darling. He is a lock to make a team and comes in with high expectations. But he is a guy where his skillset has not yet matched production. I can foresee him having a huge camp, making people very excited.

Does that mean he will also be great in the season? Maybe, maybe not. We won't know until the games start. But Smith's big camp had people thinking he would make an impact last season, and he never did. I will be surprised if he is not one of the camp standouts this season too. It is just a matter of if it carries into the season again.