We’re now 12 practices and one preseason game into the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles training camp, so let’s see what’s on your mind on the Birds’ off day. This is Part I of a two-part mailbag. We’ll focus on defense questions here.
Question from @bigseb31213: After watching camp, which position group do you think is stronger than expected?
Linebacker. They have all shown positive qualities so far in this camp:
• Devin White: If he diagnoses the game correctly, he will get where he needs to be fastHis physical ability is beyond question, he plays with a lot of passion and has playmaking potential.
• Zack Baun: The team has praised his toughness and from what I can tell he is a smart player who gets the job done and has potential as a blitzer due to his experience playing on the perimeter.
• Nakobe Dean: When he plays downhill, he is physical and aggressive. He sticks his face in the fan, so to speak, and is willing to use his body as a run stopper and blitzer.
• Jeremiah Trotter: His instincts are obvious. He doesn’t look like a rookie out there. He’s just been an all-around solid player coming into training camp.
• Ben VanSumeren: His athleticism is obvious and he is arguably the player on the team who has improved the most from last training camp to this one.
Of course, they all have reasons to worry:
• Devin White: Last year he was benched and there were questions about his alertness.
• Zack Baun: He has played just 660 defensive snaps in four seasons, and he spent most of those times on the edge.
• Nakobe Dean: Can he mate? Can he stay healthy?
• Jeremiah Trotter: Even though he hasn’t looked like a rookie so far, as you know, he is a rookie and he fell to the fifth round because he’s undersized and not considered a special athlete by NFL standards.
• Ben VanSumeren: The accusation was always that he was more of an athlete than an accomplished football player.
Still, all five of those guys had encouraging moments this summer. It will be interesting to see what linebackers coach Bobby King can get out of them as players and how Vic Fangio can put them in positions that will highlight their positive traits and hide their concerns.
At least this group looks a lot better than last year’s linebackers, when Dean was the best man, Nicholas Morrow got votes to downgrade, and they brought in guys like Zach Cunningham, Myles Jack, Rashaan Evans, and Shaq Leonard.
Question from @WalkWithLyle: If you had to bet your life savings on whether Trotter would be in the starting lineup in Week 8, where would you put your money?
Unless he gets injured, I’d bet he’s not a full-time starter yet. I think he’s already shown he’s a legitimate NFL player, but that’s a tough position to master quickly in the NFL. I think he’ll play regular defense, but they’ll have him slotted into a non-starter role at first.
Question from @BillBogardus: Check the available LBs after trade or FA because Baun and Dean are not very good.
I firmly believe that they are ready to work with this group.
Question from @SlippinBenny: What’s your overall impression of Bryce Huff so far? I feel like he’s been pretty quiet despite such an important signing.
I agree that he has been very quiet, but that is mostly due to the fact that he has to face Lane Johnson every day. Haason Reddick has also rarely beaten Lane in practice. Huff finally got to face someone other than Lane yesterday and made some plays.
So, we’ll see. There are concerns about whether Huff can be a player who comes into the game early or if he’ll just be a super expensive pass rusher in certain situations, but I wouldn’t worry about him being a complete bust just yet.
Question from Hamiltwan: Does Mekhi Becton win the RG job (good) or does Tyler Steen just lose it (bad)?
Neither! I don’t think Steen was bad, and I don’t think Becton really did anything special to get the job.
I believe that the RG spot is a legitimate concern.
Question from @ron_aden: Since the CB room is actually pretty crowded, do you think Howie will consider trade offers for anything? Obviously not the rookies or Darius Slay.
Sure, I think you can get guys like Eli Ricks or Josh Jobe for other players at the bottom of the roster, say, maybe along the defensive line? I don’t think they want to trade guys like Isaiah Rodgers or Kelee Ringo like I suspected they would.
Corners get damaged a lot. You need a lot of them.
Question from RHamberger14: What are the chances that Slay will have a big drop in performance this year, being an older corner and all?
Slay said about a week ago that he won’t be playing much longer. He turns 34 in January. Last year we saw James Bradberry’s performance drop off rapidly, so I understand the concern.
I think Slay had a good training camp. He can still hang with the Eagles’ best receivers and has intercepted a lot of passes this summer. He is still their best cornerback. We will see if the long season takes a toll on his body.
Question from @Footba11Joe: What position do you think Cooper DeJean will primarily play when he returns?
During spring training, he has taken reps at outside corner and slot corner (more in the slot than outside). I imagine that’s where he will be when he’s ready to participate in team drills again.
It looks like the outside corners will be Slay at CB1 and either Isaiah Rodgers or Kelee Ringo (strong leaning toward Rodgers) at CB2 and Quinyon Mitchell in the slot.
I bet they’ll continue to use DeJean at both positions, with an emphasis on the slot, and Avonte Maddox will move to the safety position a little more full time.
As a side note, if Mitchell does indeed start in the slot as a rookie, it could benefit him in the long run. If he eventually becomes a starting outside corner and is a good player, he will theoretically be more comfortable chasing his opponents’ best receivers all over the field, including in the slot. In other words, that experience in the slot could help him become a more versatile corner as his professional career progresses.
Question from @PinkNittany: What are the chances that Haason Reddick comes back?
Somewhere close to 0%. The Eagles traded him because they didn’t want to pay him the amount he was asking for.
But it is also impossible that Joe Douglas will trade him for less compensation than the Jets gave up for him. Certainly no team will more. Douglas’ entire tenure would be remembered for this faux pas alone. He would no doubt prefer to just hope that Reddick eventually comes forward and plays.
Question from @eagsfan: Did you consider yesterday’s practice game a win? If so, then that adds to their incredible track record in practice games.
Absolutely. They will be undefeated in joint training sessions in 2024.
And for the gambling nuts among you, I don’t know what the Pats’ overall win odds are, but I would consider betting on the under odds.
Question from @bbrewerstandup: If you weren’t covering the Birds, how would you rank the other Philly teams from best to worst to cover?
The Eagles are my No. 1 pick by a long shot. Basically, the NFL in general is just a better league to cover than the other major sports. They play 17 games plus three preseason games. If the team you’re covering is good, they’ll play 1-4 more games in the playoffs. Aside from Philadelphia being so obsessed with the team – which is great for peace of mind in terms of job security – I love that every game is super meaningful. They’re all major events unless they rest their core players in Week 18 or if the team starts 2-9 or something and is out of the running come November. And even then, it can be fun to cover a dumpster fire.
Football teams also have 53 players during the season and 90 during the offseason. If you can’t come up with story ideas with that many players, then shame on you. The other sports have much smaller squads.
I also love that the season is in the fall and winter and that the NFL spreads out its major offseason events. For example, the Combine is in late February. Free agency is early to mid-March. Owners’ meetings are in late March. The draft is in late April. OTAs and minicamp are in May and early June. And then most of the year from mid-June to late July when training camp starts, there’s nothing going on. I get to enjoy my summer with my daughter, whereas if I were playing baseball, I’d be away for weeks. No thanks. That might sound fun in my early 20s single days, but my old ass wouldn’t enjoy it now.
So I would arrange them like this:
- eagle: For all the reasons mentioned above.
- Six: Even though it’s frustrating, they are better than the Flyers.
- Flyer: I just don’t know much about hockey. I watch the Flyers playoffs and yell at the referees through the TV when the fans in attendance get angry, but I don’t really know what I’m yelling about.
- Phillies: I love being able to cheer on the Phils at night while I work at home, but covering a 162-game marathon at the ballpark every day sounds awful.
That was a longer answer than I expected when I first read the question. But I also guess I’m grateful for the job I have. 🙏
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