The Philadelphia Eagles training camp battles to watch heading into 2024.
The 2024 season for the Eagles is their quest for redemption for how last season ended. 2023 came crashing down hard for the Eagles, losing six of their last seven games after a promising 10-1 start. General manager Howie Roseman knew that change was needed, and the NFL draft was the culmination of that as they reshaped the future of their secondary, which we will get to in a bit. Yet the Eagles general manager was able to add key free agents and draftees that will make Eagles training camp battles interesting to watch throughout the summer.
The Free Agent Acquisitions
Roseman brought in former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and Jets edge rusher Bryce Huff in free agency. The Huff move preceded the trade of Haason Reddick to the Jets, who had an open spot at edge courtesy of Huff.
Roseman also brought back a few familiar faces in C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Avonte Maddox, who had been cut by the team earlier in the offseason. The remaining big moves came in the secondary, where the Eagles made quite the splash in the NFL draft, but now they have quite the depth chart to sort through at that position.
Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Battles
Cornerback
The Eagles are a team where it is easy to pick out the starters, especially on the offensive side of the ball. However, the cornerback room may be one of the most complicated position groups to decipher in the NFL.
Darius Slay will lock down the CB1 spot for now. His past play has warranted it, and there is faith he will bounce-back in Vic Fangio’s scheme.
The tricky part is when it comes to the second outside corner position. You have an established veteran in James Bradberry, who has been taking snaps at safety this offseason. This is an interesting development because this room added a ton of new talent this offseason.
Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean were the Eagles’ first two picks in the 2024 NFL draft. It is unknown what DeJean’s long-term plans will be, but Mitchell looks to start on the outside sooner than later. DeJean can play corner or safety, but there will be a battle for the slot corner spot for the Eagles. They brought back Maddox and drafted DeJean. I firmly believe DeJean’s ball skills will eventually propel him into the starting role.
This is all without mentioning Isaiah Rodgers Jr. and Kelee Ringo. Rodgers is coming off of a year-long gambling suspension. In his last full season in 2022, he tied with Tyson Campbell for the fifth-highest PFF grade among cornerbacks.
Meanwhile, Ringo was a 2023 day-three draft pick by the Eagles that saw them ship out a future third to secure his services. Ringo showed flashes late in the season when the Eagles gave him starting reps, including a game-sealing interception against the Giants.
This coaching staff has several decisions to make regarding this room. It will be intriguing to see their direction, considering their staggering fourteen cornerbacks on the current roster.
Wide Receiver
A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have recently signed extensions and will be the Eagles starting receivers for the foreseeable future. The ultimate question is who will win the job as the third receiver.
Quez Watkins left Philadelphia for their cross-state counterpart, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Eagles signed Parris Campbell and John Ross, while drafting Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson. Campbell and Ross look to the early leaders in the clubhouse. Wilson and Smith are acclimating to the league and the ups and downs that come with it.
Campbell has the early lead in the clubhouse, but don’t rule out John Ross and his speed. It broke the combine record all those years ago, and it likely hasn’t gone away. The lack of consistency from a third option has hurt the Eagles in years past. Ross and Campbell came into the league with lofty expectations as high draft picks. If one of them has a late-career breakout, the ceiling is even higher for this Eagles offense. I am not expecting that, but I can easily see someone like Campbell providing consistency as the fourth or fifth option in the passing game for Hurts and company.
Linebacker
Since T.J. Edwards left for Chicago, the Eagles have been searching for consistency at the linebacker position. This past offseason, Howie addressed the position with Devin White, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., and Zach Baun.
Baun has impressed the most thus far. Many considered him a special teams signing, but he is taking first-team reps at inside linebacker early in OTAs. With the two signings taking first-team reps, it begs the question, where will Nakobe Dean fit in?
Early reports say White is a lock for one spot, while Baun and Dean will battle it out for the other. This year is an absolute make-or-break year for Dean, who is coming off a foot injury that hampered his development in 2023.
Dean will have his chance to impress the coaching staff. If it looks anything like his rookie year, the Eagles will have a good problem on their hands. A problem they have not had in what seems like forever is depth at the linebacker position. That also assumes Devin White can return solid value as he attempts to rebuild his career from being the fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft to being a linebacker with a small market in free agency in 2024. Fans are right to have optimism in this group, but I warn them to be cautious. However, I believe this group will deliver a good 2024 for the Eagles, no matter who wins the starting spots.
Running Back
Saquon Barkley is the unquestioned starter for the Eagles, but the backup job may have some stiff competition.
Rookie Will Shipley has been impressing early, showing his versatile skillset and even lining up in the slot. Shipley had a decorated career at Clemson, and current backup Kenneth Gainwell is entering a contract year. Howie broke his philosophy about not paying running backs in the offseason. However, the vision here is straightforward. Have Gainwell walk in free agency with Shipley slotting in as the RB2 behind Saquon. The buzz around the franchise makes it seem like it may happen sooner than that.
The Eagles look to climb back to the top of the sport. While most of the prominent positions have their starters, the Eagles training camp battles can still go a long way in helping determine a season in critical moments. Cornerback is the biggest position to watch, mainly because of how they will handle the highly drafted rookies early on and as the season progresses.
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