As a supposed NFC contender, the Eagles began training camp with few question marks, especially on offense.
Ahead of Thursday night’s second preseason game, it’s time to check the match tracker and find out where Philadelphia stands in terms of finding answers just under three weeks before its season opener against the Green Bay Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
QB2: Kenny Pickett versus Tanner McKee
This is more of an artificially created competition by those who have taken a liking to McKee, a second-year player with potential. The Eagles traded Pickett as a low-cost replacement for the final two years of his rookie contract, and that remains the plan.
Status: There has never been any competition for the backup quarterback spot, and the increase in practice sessions for McKee on the second team is simply to further develop a talent that the coaching staff likes.
TE2: CJ Uzomah vs Grant Calcaterra
Going into training camp, it was assumed that veteran free agent CJ Uzomah would be the backup tight end for Dallas Goedert, while Grant Calcaterra would try to stay off the field for the TE3 spot.
It turns out that Calcaterra, a third-year player with just 9 career pass catches, has etched himself in the minds of coaches, and a shoulder injury during the season opener in Baltimore that kept the SMU product from practice this week isn’t raising any new discussions.
The question is whether Albert Okwuegbunam can return from his abdominal injury or whether young EJ Jenkins is promising enough to displace Uzomah from the TE3 job.
Status: This was already predicted, with Calcaterra emerging as the winner.
WR3: Parris Campbell against the field
This competition has been misunderstood from the start and the bigger problem is finding a replacement for AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith outside of the numbers.
The Eagles are content to do the actual WR3 job in pieces. Think Britain Covey as a traditional slot receiver, huge sixth-round rookie Johnny Wilson as a red zone threat or blocker, Campbell as a YAC option, or John Ross as a deep threat.
Internally, Campbell, who has just started individual training again after a groin injury, as well as Ross and Wilson, a player who has been left out by fans and even some media representatives, remain the most likely candidates to replace Brown and Smith.
This is the area where GM Howie Roseman will most likely look outside the organization for a solution.
Status: The Eagles are content to split the actual WR3 role piecemeal among 11 players, and Roseman will continue to look for support for an actual outside backup.
RG: Mekhi Becton vs. Tyler Steen
Becton has now overtaken Steen, but we’re not ready to call that race yet. There wasn’t much positive news from the Patriots’ joint practice on Tuesday, aside from a solid push through the middle, where the problems usually seemed to start with Becton, a natural tackle.
Steen regressed after missing eight days with an ankle injury and is still limping, so the second-year player is now playing from behind and will need more inconsistent days from Becton to get the competition back on track.
Status: It’s impossible to predict, but Becton is now the clear favorite and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland seems excited about what the 6-foot-8, 350-pound 2020 first-round pick could bring to the offense.
If both are faltering, you may have to hand the job over to others, such as rookie Trevor Keegan and veterans Max Scharping and Matt Hennessy.
CB2: Isaiah Rodgers vs. Kelee Ringo vs. Quinyon Mitchell
From a practical standpoint, Rodgers took the lead over Darius Slay in Week 1 and got the most snaps, but there’s a lot of reasoning behind that.
When there are only two CBs on the field, Mitchell is expected to face Slay, and when a slot corner is needed, the first-round pick will slide inside and Rodgers will take over the right cornerback position.
Ringo still has a good chance against Rodgers and had a good game against Baltimore in the season opener, but the latter has been more consistent in practice… which brings us to the slot.
Slot CB: Quinyon Mitchell vs. Avonte Maddox vs. Cooper DeJean
The only reason you can’t say that is because Cooper DeJean is returning to practice after missing three weeks with a hamstring injury. Ultimately, the Eagles want to play DeJean, the No. 40 overall pick in April, inside and Mitchell outside, but the injury has delayed those plans.
Maddox has fallen behind in the slot race while competing as a first-team safety on the pace of the injured CJ Gardner-Johnson
Status: The best bet for Week 1 is that Slay and Rodgers will be on the outside for the majority of the snaps in Week 1 and Mitchell will do the work inside. Eventually, that will become a trio of Slay, Mitchell and DeJean.
Linebacker: Devin White and Zack Baun against the field
The sea change began on Tuesday in Foxborough when Nakobe took Dean Baun’s place alongside Devin White. That duo is now the clear favorite for Week 1.
Still, this remains the toughest competition, as White, Dean, Baun, as well as freshman Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and second-year player Ben VanSumeren all still have some first-team action left.
Status: White and Dean are expected to be the Week 1 LBs. If Trotter finishes the summer strong, he will at least get rotation snaps early and be in line for a bigger role sooner or later.
MORE NFL: Cooper is back: What’s next for the Eagles in the secondary?
