Updating Eagles training camp battles ahead of Browns week

Updating Eagles training camp battles ahead of Browns week originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles have made it through 12 training camp practices and one preseason game but there's still some time left for evaluation.

This week, the Eagles will welcome the Cleveland Browns to the NovaCare Complex for two joint practices ahead of Saturday afternoon's preseason game and final cuts aren't until Aug. 26.

But some of these position battles are really heating up.

Here's an update on some of them:

Cornerback

The cornerback battle got a lot more interesting last week when the Eagles acquired Jakorian Bennett in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. The public practice at the Linc was Bennett's second practice with the team and he actually got some first-team reps opposite Quinyon Mitchell late in that session. The Eagles will take a closer look at Bennett over the next couple of weeks.

The trade to bring in Bennett seemed like a clear indictment of the cornerback battle between Kelee Ringo and Adoree' Jackson. The hope entering camp was that one of those guys (preferably Ringo) would run away with that job, but that hasn't happened. Ringo has had ups and downs and had a really rough game against Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and the Bengals in the preseason opener. That's obviously tough duty but Fangio wanted to test Ringo and Ringo didn't pass. Fangio earlier this camp also wasn't very complimentary of Jackson but Jackson has been up first with the starters 7 days out of 12, while Ringo has been up first 5 days. Even though Fangio said Eli Ricks could find his way into this competition, Ricks hasn't gotten any first-team reps.

Entering the second half of training camp and the preseason, this is the most exciting battle to watch because of Bennett. He'll be given a chance to compete and it wouldn't be shocking to see him win this gig. But there's also a chance Ringo or Jackson can hold him off.

Safety

Reed Blankenship is the rock of the Eagles' secondary but the Eagles are replacing C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was traded this offseason. Back in the spring, Vic Fangio said this was a three-way battle between Sydney Brown, Drew Mukuba and Tristin McCollum. At this point, Brown is way in the lead.

(This is where we point out that Cooper DeJean has been playing safety in the base package - before moving to nickel in sub packages - and that seems likely to continue into the season. But the Eagles will be in base around 15-20% of the time so this competition is still very important unless Fangio ever decides to make DeJean a full-time safety.)

Brown has been with the first-team nickel defense to start practice on 11 of 12 days. The only day Mukuba had was Day 2 and then he suffered a shoulder injury on Day 3 that kept him out three days of practice and limited him the next four. Mukuba also missed the preseason opener. This was expected to be a close battle but after missing that time, Mukuba has ground to make up. He has been back in practice recently but is still behind Brown; although Mukuba has taken some first-team reps in the dime package.

While McCollum was included in the conversation by Fangio, he hasn't seen many first-team reps.

Linebacker

The Eagles have too many linebackers but it's a beautiful problem to have. Nakobe Dean is on the Active/PUP list as he recovers from a torn patellar tendon and it seems likely he'll begin the season on the PUP list. So really this comes down to who will start the season next to Zack Baun on Sept. 4.

The candidates for this job are Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Jihaad Campbell and Smael Mondon. While Trotter has taken first-team reps all summer and has played well, it seems inevitable that Campbell will eventually earn this job. The Eagles used a first-round pick on Campbell and he has shown flashes of being a special player in the middle of the Eagles' defense. Even if Campbell might not be the best player for the job in Week 1, the expectation should be that he gets better and better as his rookie year goes on. During practice, Campbell has been athletic and violent and he had a pretty good showing in the first preseason game as well and put on a show at the public practice. Campbell flashed his ability as a blitzer on Sunday night. What happens when Dean is eventually ready to return? Well, the Eagles will figure that out when they get there.

During training camp, Baun has missed some time with a back injury but has been back in a limited fashion recently. Whenever he returns to team drills, it'll be fascinating to see who lines up next to him first. Earlier in camp, that responsibility went to Trotter but it seems possible Campbell could take over and never look back.

It's worth noting that the fifth-round rookie Mondon has had a really good training camp too. The Georgia product has been a pleasant surprise and had the Eagles not taken Campbell in the first round, we'd be talking about him a lot more. The same holds true for UDFA Lance Dixon from Toledo.

Edge rusher

The Eagles have made it clear that Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt are their starting edge rushers and even though they're both young, hopes are high for that duo.

After that? The Eagles this offseason signed Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche to one-year deals. Based on the contract and the consistency of his career (injuries not withstanding), many expected Ojulari to end up as the third option. But it has been Uche who has stood out more this summer and he has been rewarded with more first-team reps when Smith and Hunt have missed time. If the Eagles went into the season today, Uche would be the Eagles' third edge rusher. Meanwhile, Ojulari has had a very quiet summer.

The other veteran who has made some splash plays this summer is Ogbo Okoronkwo. If the 30-year-old makes the roster, he'd be the oldest defensive player on the team. Sixth-round rookie Antwaun Powell-Ryland was extremely productive in college at Virginia Tech but has been very quiet in his first training camp and might not make the roster. There's also Patrick Johnson and Ochaun Mathis, who have had decent moments. Johnson is a candidate to make the team as a special teams player.

The depth at this position is somewhat concerning. And while the Eagles seemed bullish on Jihaad Campbell's ability to rush off the edge when they drafted him, they will need him to play linebacker; and Vic Fangio made it seem like Campbell is a long way away from contributing in that area. So this could be a position where the Eagles still look to add later in the summer or even during the season.

Right guard

Through 12 training camp practices, Tyler Steen has taken every single first-team rep at right guard. And then he played one series against the Bengals at right guard and had another good outing. So it seems pretty obvious that the has won the right guard spot.

Steen got hurt on Day 3 of training camp in 2024 and was replaced by Mekhi Becton, who never gave the job back. This year, it becomes more obvious with each passing day that Steen will be the right guard. The only variable is the knee injury to Landon Dickerson. While the hope is for Dickerson to be ready for Week 1 after having minor surgery on his meniscus, if Dickerson does miss time, one option would be to move Steen to left guard and play Matt Pryor at right guard.

Third quarterback

The Eagles are going to have an interesting decision to make around final cuts. Because they drafted Kyle McCord in the sixth round and obviously want to develop him, but McCord has simply been out-performed by third-year quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. DTR was acquired in the Kenny Pickett trade with the Browns in March. Even though he struggled during his two years in Cleveland, DTR has experience and that has shown up this summer.

He's done a nice job," head coach Nick Sirianni said. You can tell he's played football before. He does a nice job going to the right place with the football consistently. I think he does a good job of extending plays."

During OTAs, McCord looked like he was ahead of Thompson-Robison but the opposite has been true this summer.

Wide receiver

The Eagles' top three receivers are locked in: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson. This battle is for the last two (or maybe three spots) at receiver on the roster.

The frontrunner for one of those spots is second-year receiver Johnny Wilson. The 6-foot-6 receiver got off to a slow start in training camp but has turned it around and made some nice plays in the first preseason game. Beyond that, the Eagles - Sirianni specifically - really seem to value Wilson's contributions in the blocking game. Wilson isn't a lock just yet but he's pushing closer to that territory.

The best story of training camp has now become UDFA Darius Cooper from Tarleton State. Cooper (5-11, 210) has been flashing in training camp and then went out and had a great game against the Bengals in the preseason opener. If Cooper shows an ability on special teams, he has a real chance. The best story before the first preseason game was third-year receiver Elijah Cooks, who came to Philly from Jacksonville. Cooks was having a great camp but injured his shoulder against the Bengals.

There's also second-year draft pick Ainias Smith, who has seen a bunch of first-team reps when Brown or DeVonta Smith have missed practice. And with Ainias Smith's potential to return punts, he has a shot at the roster too. Terrace Marshall missed time with an injury and has ground to make up. Avery Williams was expected to have a shot to make the team as a return specialist but he hasn't returned punts that much and has barely shown up on offense. The rest of the receivers in camp are fighting for practice squad spots.