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Tim McManus, ESPN Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA — It has been an offseason of notable change for the Eagles. One of the most highly regarded players in team history, center Jason Kelce, called it a career, as did another pillar of the organization, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. Both of coach Nick Sirianni’s coordinators were fired following a 1-6 collapse down the stretch last season.
The team made a splash by signing star running back Saquon Barkley and tried to bolster a leaky secondary by drafting Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean with its first two picks, becoming just the fourth team in the common draft era to take two of the first four defensive backs selected. With the change came a number of questions, including what life without Kelce would be like and how Barkley would fit into his new environment.
Meanwhile, there were multiple position battles that remained unresolved heading into the summer, including at linebacker and receiver. Now that most of training camp is in the rearview and the regular season is fast approaching, let’s examine where things stand on some of the key issues surrounding the hopeful NFC contenders.
How is Jalen Hurts handling life without Kelce?
Well, “life without Kelce” might be a stretch. He’s still a fixture at the NovaCare Complex. Right tackle Lane Johnson said during a podcast appearance that Kelce was in the building more than a lot of the active players this offseason and even has his own locker in the coaches’ room. It’s not out of the ordinary to see Kelce on the sideline during training camp practice. “He just won’t go home, man,” guard Landon Dickerson recently joked.
But he’s no longer playing, which is a big deal. Kelce not only shined as a downfield blocker over his 13 standout seasons at center for the Eagles but was also the maestro when it came to setting pass protections — taking a bulk of the responsibility off the shoulders of his quarterbacks, including Hurts.
With former second-round pick Cam Jurgens stepping in for Kelce, the dynamic is shifting. It remains a collaborative approach, but Hurts has assumed more authority over the operation. “It’s been a role that I’ve been waiting on,” Hurts said. “I know we’ve had a well-respected, Hall of Fame guy who’s been doing that, and now we [have] the opportunity to do that. It’s something I’ve been wanting, and I think that’s how it’s supposed to be.”
Hurts has commanded Kellen Moore’s new offense effectively this summer. He has been highly efficient, throwing zero interceptions to this point, and has been smooth with his checks at the line of scrimmage. The real test will come in the regular season. The Eagles struggled against the blitz in 2023, and as the joint practice with the New England Patriots showed last week, there’s still work to be done in that area. But Hurts has embraced his new duties, and the early signs have been largely encouraging.
How is Saquon Barkley fitting into the offense?
Pretty darn well, by the looks of it.
Moore has been creative in how he has deployed Barkley. We’ve seen him put in motion a good bit and even flexed out as a wide receiver. He has been active in both the run and pass game, where he’s been able to show off that rare blend of speed and power. “Yeah, Saquon is obviously a special player,” Moore said in late July. “You can see it out here without even pads, just his bursts, quickness, ability to hit the hole. Obviously, he’ll be a guy that you can utilize at all aspects of the field. He can be a space player, which we’re excited about in the passing game.
“He’s going to be able to attack people in a lot of different ways. That’s the exciting part. It won’t be just a downhill run game. He’ll be able to emphasize and do some other things.”
The expectation is Barkley will have more room to operate than he did with the New York Giants given the strong supporting cast he has around him in Philadelphia, and we’ve seen some evidence of that. With a stout offensive line in front of him and defenders forced to respect the playmaking abilities of Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and others, Barkley has found daylight at a pretty high rate.
His presence is making life easier on his teammates, too. A prime example: He and Hurts have worked on some option looks, and often all it takes is a fake pitch to Barkley to open a wide seam for Hurts to dart through.
Who are the favorites to start in the cornerback competition?
The battle for the outside corner spot opposite Darius Slay Jr. between former Indianapolis Colt Isaiah Rodgers and second-year player Kelee Ringo has been a good one. While they continue to split reps, Rodgers has been getting the nod at the start of practice more frequently of late and can probably be considered the front-runner at this point.
Mitchell, meanwhile, appears on track to be the starter in the slot. Mitchell projects as an outside corner long-term, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said he “may have to play him at nickel” for now in order to get the best combination of players on the field. Fellow rookie Cooper DeJean was also in the running for that post but is just now returning from a hamstring injury that cost him a valuable three-week period.
However it shakes out, it’s clear the Eagles have gotten faster and added depth at corner following a dismal 2023 in which the secondary yielded the second-most passing yards and passing touchdowns in the league.
Have the Eagles found stability at linebacker?
This remains a work in progress.
Free agent acquisitions Zack Baun and Devin White have been paired with the first team most frequently, but it’s been a rotating cast with Nakobe Dean and rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr. among the other linebackers working in.
There are question marks: Baun was primarily an outside linebacker during his time with the New Orleans Saints, making this newish territory for him; White is coming off a down year with the Tampa Bay Bucs in which he was benched late in the season; and Dean has had difficulty staying on the field due to injury.
The group has had promising moments this summer, but Fangio won’t know for sure what he has at the position until the season gets underway.
Who will be WR3?
This position is also unsettled.
Sixth-round pick Johnny Wilson has been a good story. He has earned the trust of Hurts and has been getting work with the first team. Third-year player Britain Covey has made the most of his opportunities and is in the mix as well.
The favorite coming into camp, Parris Campbell, is just now getting back into the fray after missing over a week with a groin injury. Fellow veteran John Ross has had some productive days and will try to make a final push for a roster spot/playing time.
Signs are pointing to this being a group effort, with Wilson, Covey and others on the depth chart getting snaps depending on a given matchup. The wild card is whether general manager Howie Roseman pulls off a trade to bolster the position. Given the expectations for this season and the lack of clear answers behind Brown and Smith, it seems likely the Eagles will look to add before Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.
Source: www.espn.com