Entering training camp as the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles still have plenty of position battles and guys to watch as the preseason progresses. Here’s what I’m most interested in.
Positional Battles:
Not many starting positions are up for grabs as the majority of the starters that were on the field for Super Bowl 52 are back this year, but here’s a few I’m interested in.
Offense:
- 5th WR: In my mind, Alshon Jeffrey, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins and newly acquired Mike Wallace are all locks to make the team. Alshon is probably their most talented, Agholor shined in the slot last year, Hollins is a special teams ace and flashed potential at WR at times last year and Mike Wallace will presumably be taking over the deep threat void left by Torrey Smith (Wallace is probably an upgrade there). So who is the 5th guy? Shelton Gibson, Markus Wheaton and Greg Ward are probably the front runners here. Note the team just added Kamar Aiken as well. Wheaton and Aiken have experience, but have somewhat fallen off the map. Gibson, by all accounts, had a disappointing camp last season, yet the team still kept him on the roster, so maybe that bodes well for him. Ward is probably a longer shot to make the roster. At the end of the day, it’s not bad to be squabbling over a 5th WR, at the very least it seems like they have capable guys. I wouldn’t be surprised if they decided to keep 6.
- 4th RB: Jay Ajayi will be the #1 guy going into the year, with Corey Clement and Darren Sproles taking some of his load as well as providing 3rd down matchup problems. That leaves a potential 4th spot open. The team brought in Matt Jones to compete in the offseason. He had some success with the Redskins previously, but was vastly inconsistent. The team used a 4th round draft pick on Donnel Pomphrey last year., however, he underperformed during preseason last year before being put on season ending IR. He lacked an NFL body last year and I don’t know if the team will carry a “Darren Sproles” type guy when they are already using a roster spot on…Darren Sproles. Wendell Smallwood is also still kicking around fighting for a spot. He showed flashes two years ago but remains unable to stay healthy. Then there is undrafted rookie Josh Adams, who is a longshot, but remember people said the same thing about Corey Clement last year and he was the only Eagle to catch for over 100 yards in the Super Bowl. Should be a fun battle to watch throughout preseason.
Defense:
- DL: The D-Line was the strength of the team last year and in all likelihood will be again this year. However, there has been some turnover, Vinny Curry, as well as a fairly major injury, Timmy Jernigan, so some spots have opened up. Assuming Brandon Graham is ready for the opener, which he may not be, the Eagles still have plenty of depth at end. Even if BG can’t go, the team still has 3 guys, Derek Barnett, Chris Long and Michael Bennett, that are fully capable of getting after the quarterback. The team also used a 4th round pick on Josh Sweat this year, so figure he’ll be on the roster as a project, which will pretty much lock up the end spot. The interior linemen is where the fun begins. Fletcher Cox is the stud in middle, but with Jernigan out for who knows how long, probably at least a 4-6 weeks, the team is going to need someone else to step up. The Eagles rotate their defensive linemen so much anyway, that the position will be some kind of combination of Haloti Ngata, Michael Bennett and Destiny Vaeao. Elijah Qualls and Steven Means should be competing for that last spot. It’s a definite battle to watch, because unlike other positions, all the backups on the dline, on this team specifically, will be in the rotation to some degree. Barnett and BG could also slide in, apparently BG made the biggest defensive play in team history from an interior line spot.
- Corner: Both starters, Jalen Mills and Ron Darby are back this year. However, I’m most interested at seeing Sidney Jones. He was a top 10 talent in last years draft before tearing his achilles at a pre-draft workout. Will he be able to take hold of one of those top 2 spots? Will they use him in the slot, where they lost Patrick Robinson? Maybe Howie makes a trade to get one of these guys out of here.Too much depth and talent at CB is certainly not a problem in today’s NFL. Rasual Douglas had a solid rookie year as a backup, notching a couple INT’s, but he will probably stick to the outside (or backup safety also?). So that slot corner role becomes a 3 way battle between Jones, De’Vante Bausby and Avonte Maddox. The Eagles seem like they like all these guys, so watching who lines up with the one’s on the first night of preseason as well as games two and three should tell us a lot. All will probably make the team, so the battle here is really for playing time.
Players to Watch:
- Carson Wentz:I guess I couldn’t make an Eagles preseason preview without mentioning some guy named Carson Wentz. By all accounts, he has looked mobile and appears to show hardly, if any signs of his torn up knee. Lots of debate has been going on about whether or not he will play week 1. My money says he will. I’m actually more interested to see if they throw him out there for week 3 of preseason. At some point he will need to get confidence in taking a hit with that knee in a game scenario and not practice. My preference would be to let him gain that confidence in a preseason game instead of the regular season, but I understand if they don’t. If worst comes to worst and the team has to sit Wentz the first couple weeks, I heard they have a decent backup.
- Jason Peters, Jordan Hicks and Darren Sproles: The bodyguard was having another All-Pro type year before his season ending injury in week 7. I wonder how a 34 year old will bounce back. He has been an animal in the run game, but I wonder if the injury will affect his mobility and athleticism, which are what make him so lethal. I think Jordan Hicks is one of the most underrated linebackers in the league. Obviously, that comes with the caveat of, when healthy. He is a ball hawk. He jumps off the screen almost every time you watch him play. He is simply always around the ball. Hicks now sits in a contract year, coming off a second major injury in the NFL. If he can prove he can stay healthy, this defense can go to another level this year. Finally, Darren Sproles. We all know he’s not the focal point of an offense, but you absolutely have to account for the man when he is on the field. I dream of ways they can use him and Clement on third down together. Good luck trying to cover these guys. If he is back to full speed, or somewhere close, he will be a major upgrade to the return games as well, which lacked explosiveness last year.
- Derek Barnett: Coming off a rookie year where he got better as the season went on and culminating in two stellar games, I want to see what he’s added to his game in year two. Barnett has already recovered the most important fumble in team history and forced another huge one in an NFC Championship game, yet it seems like the team hardly scratched the surface on his ability. His high motor and aggressive nature make him a fun player to watch. I haven’t seen any coverage of him thus far, but am interested to see if he’s put on any weight. He looked like he had a rookie body, but if he put on some muscle and can add a semi-bull rush to his pass rush repertoire then he could become a problem for opposing offenses sooner rather than later.
- Corey Clement: I enjoy watching running backs maybe more than any other position in football. I’m interested to see if the team calls his number more this year, especially with the absence of LeGarrette Blount.
- Sindey Jones: Already spoke about him, but he has to be one of the top guys I’m watching this summer.
- Dallas (Philly) Goedert: Those who have been at camp have said Goedart has had a great start to camp as a rookie. If he is the receiving threat we all believe he could be, then the offensive possabilities of this team go through the roof. With one of the best offensive lines in the game, talented and capable receivers, matchup problems at RB, the best things opposing teams could say about the Eagles tight end group last year was, they only had one stud. Imagine if they have 2. They put up 38 points in the NFC Championship Game against the best defense in football. Imagine what could be next.
- Tre Sullivan: It is true that Malcolm Jenkins is one of the best safeties in the league and that Rodney McLeod is at worst, an average starter. However, after that, they don’t have much depth. Corey Graham is the other backup, but I’m waiting to see if Tre can bring something to the table. Not to jinx the safeties, but at some point one of the starting two will miss a game.
- Jake Elliott: Yeah I want to see if our kicker, who can hit 50+ yarders with ease, can find a way to hit his extra points. Guy missed too many last year and it easily could have bit them in the butt during the Super Bowl.
- Doug Pederson: Doug has quickly become a legend in town. I’m most curious to see if other coaches catch up to his creative and unique play calling. I love when offensive coaches are labeled as aggressive because most of the time they aren’t. However, when you call a direct snap to your third RB, who pitches it to your third TE, who throws a TD to your backup QB on 4th and goal from the 1 with less than thirty seconds left in the first half of the SUPER BOWL, you have been rightfully labeled aggressive. Dad jeans, bad jokes and visors, can’t wait to see how Doug handles the success the team had last year.
Well, that’s just some of the many things to watch for in camp. I’m sure in two weeks I’ll have updates about how most of the position battles are going, but for now, everyone go get some ice cream.
By Peter Gumas
1204 Sports 