Updating Eagles training camp battles after 7 practices

Updating Eagles training camp battles after 7 practices originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles are well into training camp so it's time to update some of their biggest position battles of the summer.

So far, the Eagles have had seven practices and two of them have been in full pads. They will practice three more times before their first preseason game on Thursday night.

Here's an update on some of those key battles:

Safety

The Eagles bring back Reed Blankenship from the Super Bowl team but traded away C.J. Gardner-Johnson, so they have to replace him. Back in the spring, Vic Fangio called this a three-man competition between Sydney Brown, Drew Mukuba and Tristin McCollum. A wrinkle in all of this is that we have seen Cooper DeJean get first-team safety reps next to Blankenship when the Eagles are in their base package and then he moves to nickel in sub packages. This is a way to keep the 22-year-old star on the field for every play.

So aside from when DeJean is out there, Brown has been the first safety up with the first team for six of seven days. On Day 2, Mukuba got the first crack at the job but then he got hurt on Day 3 of camp and hasn't yet returned to team drills. There's no doubt that the injury has put the rookie behind a little bit but he was a limited participant on Day 7 and is working his way back. We'll see how quickly he gets thrown back with the first team when he's a full-go.

Aside from Brown and Mukuba, a couple other players have gotten first-team reps: McCollum and Andre' Sam. But this really feels like a two-man race between Brown and Mukuba. And Brown - partially because of the injury to Mukuba - is ahead right now. But there's a long way to go and it looks like the rookie will be back in team drills soon.

Cornerback

This is a two-man race between Kelee Ringo and Adoree' Jackson and it's a battle that is really just beginning. Of the seven days of training camp, Jackson has been the first guy up on four days and Ringo has been up first on three days. After the first few practices of the summer, it felt like Jackson was starting to gain some steam but Ringo has started to turn around his training camp over the last week.

Overall, Jackson has gotten more run with the first team and has made a few plays. Ringo has had more of an up-and-down training camp. He has made some plays but has given up some as well. You'd think the Eagles would prefer to have Ringo take control of this job because he seems to have more upside than the 29-year-old Jackson but that hasn't happened yet.

Vic Fangio had some blunt words about Jackson last week, saying, It's time to show who he is or who he isn't."

Linebacker

As training camp began, the Eagles put Nakobe Dean on the Active/PUP list and he's still on it with a good chance to miss the beginning of the season. Dean has been working hard in rehab and has been around the team but isn't back on the practice field yet with his teammates.

The Eagles began training camp with Zack Baun and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. as their top linebackers. But Baun suffered a back contusion and has not participated in the last three days of practice. In Baun's absence, the top linebackers have been Trotter Jr. and first-rounder Jihaad Campbell, but fifth-rounder Smael Mondon has also gotten some first-team reps and has performed well.

Trotter Jr. isn't going down to Campbell without a fight. He has had a really nice training camp and has gotten more first-team reps than anyone at the position. He's so far ahead of where he was as a rookie. But it almost feels inevitable that Campbell will eventually overtake Trotter as the top option to start the season next to Baun. Campbell is just super athletic and moves so well. He has also shown a ton of aggression in the first seven practices that has been fun to watch. If nothing else, this linebacker battle has shown that the Eagles actually have some really impressive depth at the position.

Edge rusher

Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt opened camp as the starting edge rushers until Smith suffered a concussion that has kept him out the last three days. They are fully expected to be the starters in 2025. In Smith's absence, we've seen both Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari get first-team reps. The Eagles really need one of those veterans to give them some production this year. Overall, Uche has had a better training camp so far. Ojulari was very quiet the first six days but finally got first-team reps on Day 7 and had his best practice of the summer on Friday.

After those four, it has been a really quiet rookie training camp for seventh-round pick Antwaun Powell-Ryland, so I'm looking forward to seeing him in game action. The other name to watch at this spot is veteran newcomer Ogbo Okoronkwo, who has flashed.

One other note: We saw Jihaad Campbell get some reps at edge rusher one day, so that could be a possibility down the line, especially when Nakobe Dean is healthy.

Right guard

In 2024, Tyler Steen sprained his ankle on the third day of training camp and was replaced by Mekhi Becton, who never gave the job back. But Becton is with the Chargers now and Steen has taken every first-team rep at right guard through seven practices. He has had his ups and downs and at times has struggled against third-year DT Moro Ojomo, who has been one of the biggest storylines of the summer. Of course, whenever that happens, you naturally wonder how much of that storyline should be Ojomo's play vs. the play of Steen trying to stop him. But for Steen, the good news is that it seems like a vote of confidence that he's getting all of these reps.

If there is a battle for the right guard spot, it's beneath the surface. Veteran Matt Pryor began training camp as the second-team right guard. But the last few days, we have seen Pryor and Darian Kinnard flip-flop between right guard and right tackle. And second-year OL Trevor Keegan has also gotten a handful of right guard reps with the twos. The other name to keep an eye on is Kenyon Green. He began training camp on the injured list and came back as the third-team left guard but has since been elevated to second-team left guard. If he ever flips to the right side of the line, we'll take note.

Third quarterback

The veteran Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the rookie Kyle McCord have both been getting third-team reps in training camp. The interesting thing is the way the Eagles are handling this competition. Those two split time in the same practice periods instead of one getting a full complement of plays and then the other. Overall, DTR has had a better camp so far. His experience in the NFL seems to be paying off. Of course, the Eagles drafted McCord in the sixth round and they're going to give him every chance to win the job.

It's worth noting that both of these quarterbacks have been pretty solid. There have been plenty of years where the third-string quarterback really struggles and it almost ruins the reps for the entire third-team offense and defense. Not the case this year. Both DTR and McCord have been solid.

Wide receiver

The Eagles' top three receivers are obviously A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson. That leaves a bunch of guys fighting for two or three remaining spots. On the first day of practice, well before the pads came on, Terrace Marshall Jr. started out strong. But since then, he cooled and then suffered a knee injury. One of the players we were excited to watch this summer was former 49ers third-round pick Danny Gray, but he suffered a finger injury on Day 3 and has since been waived/injured.

The receiver who has really shined is Elijah Cooks. The 6-4, 215-pound receiver played a couple years in Jacksonville and has been making some highlight-reel catches this summer. Cooks said his goal is to make one play a day and he's been doing that.

While Ainias Smith hasn't made many plays in 11-on-11s, he has been able to shake Cooper DeJean in 1-on-1s and Smith is routinely getting the most first-team reps aside from those top three. We've been able to see that a little more clearly with DeVonta Smith's back tightness that has kept him out the last four days. Johnny Wilson has a few catches under his belt but has missed some plays too and hasn't taken a big step in Year 2 - at least not yet.