Tag: eagles

Linebacker (both spots)

The combatants: Devin White, Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean, Jeremiah Trotter, Jr.

Pre-camp favorites: White and Baun

White is an undersized linebacker at 6’0, 237, but his best trait as a pro has perhaps been his ability as a blitzer, as he has 23 career sacks. It will be interesting to see if Vic Fangio can get the most of White’s unique abilities. I have him penciled in as a Week 1 starter, but we’ll wait for the beginning of training camp to confirm that.

Baun was something of an edge rusher / off-ball linebacker hybrid during his time in New Orleans. It was expected that he would be playing more on the edge, but he consistently lined up at first-team off-ball linebacker opposite White during spring practices.

Dean missed some of OTAs as he continued to recover from the foot injury suffered during the 2023 season. When he was able to participate more extensively during a June minicamp, Dean played on the second-team defense behind White and Baun. Was that a demotion, or were the Eagles easing him back in after returning from his injury? We’ll get a better answer to that when training camp begins.

And finally, there’s Trotter, a fifth-round rookie who is unlikely to start, but we’ll include him here since it’s not as if the Eagles have star players ahead of him.

Linebacker	7/24	7/25	7/27	7/29	7/30
Devin White	✔️	–	–	✔️	–
Zack Baun	✔️	–	–	–	–
Nakobe Dean	–	✔️	✔️	✔️	–
Jeremiah Trotter, Jr.	–	–	–	–	–

• 7/24: White and Baun began the day as the two first-team linebackers, with Dean subbing in on occasion for Baun. White is clearly the LB1 in the team’s eyes to begin camp.

Baun had a nice PBU on a pass intended for Grant Calcaterra. He looked better than expected in coverage during spring practices, and that carried over into Day 1 of the summer.

• 7/25: Dean had an active day. He was flying around quite a bit, and was vocal. I thought he showed confidence today.

• 7/27: Once again, Dean was active, and is being sent on a lot of blitzes, which was a strength of his at Georgia.

• 7/29: White showed off his speed when he raced to the flat to limit a pass to Will Shipley to a short gain. He got there in a flash.

Dean had a sack today, and has consistently made plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage when blitzing.

Baun hasn’t really stood out the first four practices, positively or negatively. He remains with the first-team defense.

• 7/30: No standouts today, but it’s worth noting that after five practices White is very clearly the LB1. We may be close to making a call there.

• 8/1: Dean has looked good as a blitzer, but he has struggled in coverage. If he can’t cover Kenny Gainwell in practice, how is he going to fare against guys like Christian McCaffrey?

• 8/4: A lot to cover here today. To begin, stock up 📈 for Baun. Nick Sirianni went out of his way to praise Baun’s play during his pre-practice press conference, unprompted.

“Another new addition to our team that I think brings an element of toughness with the way he plays with his motor, with the way he strikes blocks is Zach Baun,” Sirianni said. “It shows not only on the defensive side, but it also shows during special teams. Like this guy is a tough, tough dude that plays with great detail and great passion for this game with physicality.”

I also like what I have seen so far from Trotter. He’s smart and instinctive, and he too brings some physicality when he hits. It appeared that RB Lew Nichols had a hole to run through, but Trotter filled it quickly and gave Nichols a pretty nice pop. He also had a sack on a blitz. Trotter hasn’t made any big plays in coverage, but he hasn’t stood out in a bad way either. He got some first-team reps today.

Meanwhile, Dean has struggled in coverage. PFF had him down for 13 completions on 14 targets for 120 yards last season, and he has not looked comfortable this summer. The question heading into camp was whether Dean could wrestle his old starting job back from Baun, but now it’s looking more like he’ll do well just to fend off Trotter from jumping him in the pecking order.

• 8/5: Baun made a really nice play on a screen to Saquon Barkley. Baun read it beautifully and wrapped up Barkley for a big loss as soon as Barkley made the catch. Baun also had a negative play when he was fooled on a play action bootleg that led to a TD pass in the flat.

Dean bulldozed Will Shipley into Kenny Pickett on a blitz. Both Shipley and Pickett went to the ground. Dean isn’t a good coverage linebacker, but he can bring some thunder as a blitzer.

• 8/6: White had a pass breakup in the end zone today on a pass intended for Joseph Ngata. White talked with the media on Monday, and was prideful of his coverage ability. He noted that early in his career with the Buccaneers in the NFC South, he had to cover Christian McCaffrey (then with the Panthers), and Alvin Kamara (Saints) twice each per season.

• 8/7: Baun had a nice pass breakup when he punch a ball out of Joseph Ngata’s grasp, and he also had a “sack.”

• 8/9 (Eagles at Ravens): Trotter had a good showing both on defense and on special teams. He very likely won’t start initially, but he might carve out a role as a rookie.

Dean made a couple plays as well. He had a good blitz that we didn’t get to see because the telecast was showing Dave Spadaro interviewing Cam Jurgens. Dean also separated a receiver from the football in coverage.

White and Baun started and got two series each.

There was something positive for each contending linebacker.

• 8/11: Saquon Barkley dominated in RB-LB 1-on-1 drills a few practices ago, but today Baun got the best of him twice.

• 8/13 (Eagles/Patriots joint practice): The biggest play of the day came via Trotter, who jumped a route over the middle, plucked the ball out of the air, and had open field ahead of him. 

Baun also had an INT during a red zone session. Pats TE Austin Hooper had the ball in his hands for a hot second, but Dean got his hand in and jarred it loose. The ball popped up and Baun dove for the pick. Good day for Dean, who also had sacks on consecutive plays.

Third wide receiver

The combatants: Parris Campbell, Britain Covey, John Ross, Ainias Smith, and Johnny Wilson

Pre-camp favorite: Campbell

Covey and Smith best fit the profile of the classic slot receiver, in that they’re both smaller, shifty guys. However, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are both weapons out of the slot in addition to the outside, so it’s not imperative that the WR3 fits the classic slot receiver profile. When the Eagles signed a big receiver in Julio Jones last season, for example, he quickly became the WR3, even if that didn’t exactly pan out.

Campbell is a speedster (4.31 40 once upon a time) who does not play like a speedster (career 9.3 yards per catch). He got the most first-team reps among this group of players during spring practices, so that’s why we’re calling him the favorite. Ross is another speedster (4.22 at the Combine) who busted with the Bengals.

The wildcard is Wilson, a 6’6, 233-pound freak of nature whose hands need to improve in the NFL.

There’s also a decent chance the Eagles will add a player to this mix at some point during camp.

WR3	7/24	7/25	7/27	7/29	7/30
Parris Campbell	✔️	–	–	–	–
Britain Covey	–	–	✔️	–	✔️
John Ross	–	–	–	–	–
Ainias Smith	–	–	–	–	–
Johnny Wilson	–	🚨	–	–	–

• 7/24: Campbell got first-team reps as the WR3. Actually, he may have gotten every WR3 rep with the 1’s, and he had a nice handful of catches. Nothing splashy, but he made the plays that came his way.

• 7/25: Ross got first-team reps today, but was quiet. Wilson had a bad drop. He’s huge and has some speed, but his hands were a concern coming out of Florida State.

• 7/27: Covey was the most active receiver on the day, making catches all over the field, including a deep ball down the left sideline from Kenny Pickett that beat Mitchell.

• 7/29: Ross got open deep down the field on a post route, but Hurts missed him. Nobody from this group stood out on Monday. I remain confident that the Eagles will make another move at receiver.

• 7/30: Covey is getting open and making more receptions than any of these other guys.

• 8/1: Wilson worked out this summer with Hurts, who praised Wilson for his work ethic unprompted during a press conference. Wilson has also gotten some first-team reps the last two practices.

It’s also pretty clear by now that Ainias Smith won’t be winning this job.

• 8/4: Wilson continues to get first-team reps, and Covey continues to make catches in bulk. 

Campbell now has a groin injury as his hold on the WR3 job slips away.

• 8/5: Wilson got some more first-team reps today, and he made a great contested concentration catch in the end zone over Kelee Ringo. Hurts threw into a crowd and trusted that Wilson would come away with the ball, which he did.

• 8/6: Campbell missed his third straight practice with a groin injury.

Ross has been nearly invisible. I think we can eliminate him from this competition.

• 8/7: Covey had a nice grab down the field in between two defenders, who both hit him as he gathered the pass. Nice concentration catch. He continues to make plays, and is pushing for an opportunity to contribute beyond special teams.

• 8/9 (Eagles at Ravens): The Eagles gave Wilson a lot of snaps to show what he could do. He had 1 catch on 3 targets for 7 yards. He had a chance to bring in a difficult grab on a high throw, but could not.

Covey had 4 catches on 4 targets for 25 yards, but his long reception was just 7 yards.

• 8/11: Campbell has been out for more than a week now, and he didn’t really do anything before he got hurt. We can probably eliminate him soon.

On a fun 1-on-1 rep in front of the entire team to close practice, Wilson went 1-on-1 against Quinyon Mitchell, who tried to be physical with Wilson at the line of scrimmage. Wilson was able to beat Mitchell’s press coverage and went deep. Will Grier floated a ball to give Wilson a chance to go up get it, but Wilson didn’t even need the added loft as he was able to get a step on Mitchell and made the catch down the field to end the day. The offense then mobbed Wilson. 

• 8/13 (Eagles/Patriots joint practice): Covey made a few catches. Wilson and Campbell were quiet.

No. 2 quarterback

The combatants: Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee

Pre-camp favorite: Pickett

This offseason, the Eagles traded the equivalent of a fourth-round pick for Pickett, who was a Steelers first-round pick (20th overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft. He started 12 games both in 2022 and 2023, with a 7-5 record in each season.

McKee is a second-year player who has not yet appeared in a regular season game, but who played well in 2023 training camp, the 2023 preseason games, and 2024 spring practices.

QB2	7/24	7/25	7/27	7/29	7/30
Kenny Pickett	–	–	✔️	–	–
Tanner McKee	–	–	–	–	–

• 7/24: Pickett made a nice throw to Grant Calcaterra, had some misses otherwise. McKee did not have a noteworthy day, good or bad.

• 7/25: Pickett sailed a throw way over the head of Uzomah, but he also completed a bunch of passes in the middle of the field. Once again, McKee did not have a noteworthy day, good or bad. I’d like to see him get more reps than he is getting so far.

• 7/27: McKee just isn’t getting very many reps, which is disappointing and confusing. We may have to wait until the preseason games to get a long look at him. Pickett had a good day.

• 7/29: Nothing significant to report on either QB on Monday.

• 7/30: Tanner McKee got some second-team reps.

• 8/1: More second-team reps for McKee, which feels like he is being given a chance to unseat Pickett as the QB2.

• 8/4: McKee got some second-team reps for the third straight practice. The pressure is on Pickett to pick up his game. On one rep today, Pickett threw a ball away to the sideline, but there wasn’t an eligible receiver in the area. He had time to throw it away where a receiver was, but… he just didn’t. Weird. Easy grounding call, in my opinion.

• 8/5: Pickett and McKee are pretty close to splitting second-team reps at this point. Pickett threw behind Gainwell in the flat today. In fairness, Gainwell got both hands on it, but Pickett made the catch a lot more difficult than it had to be, and it bounced off Gainwell’s hands for an incompletion. McKee threw an INT today, but it wasn’t his fault as it was an on-target pass that deflected off of Shipley’s hands into the air.

That’s a real competition that should be decided in the preseason games.

• 8/6: Pickett made some nice passes today, which weren’t always brought in by his receivers. It’s worth noting that Pickett and McKee don’t have much to work with on the second- and third-team offenses at receiver. Neither quarterback has really had a “statement” day in the battle for the No. 2 quarterback job, but the lack of depth at wide receiver is at least partly why.

• 8/7: McKee delivered a nice throw to the back of the end zone to Austin Watkins. Pickett had a few nice throws in the middle of the field. Friday will be the first really good test for both of these guys in the preseason game against the Ravens.

• 8/9 (Eagles at Ravens): Pickett started and dinked-and-dunked his way through the first half. He was 14/22 for 89 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT.

McKee went 6/16 for 39 yards, but didn’t get much help from his receivers. Neither quarterback separated from the other in their battle for the QB2 job.

• 8/11: McKee got some second team reps, which isn’t new, but noteworthy that he’s still getting some after the first preseason game.

• 8/13 (Eagles/Patriots joint practice): This battle is probably going to be decided Thursday night in the game.

Kick/punt returner

The combatants: Britain Covey, Cooper DeJean, Will Shipley, Ainias Smith, Isaiah Rodgers

Pre-camp favorite: Covey (PR), Rodgers (KR)

Covey will return punts as long as he makes the team.

The kick returner battle will be interesting to watch since the NFL has a bunch of new kick return rules.

KR/PR	7/24	7/25	7/27	7/29	7/30
Britain Covey	✔️	–	–	–	✔️
Cooper DeJean	🚨	–	–	–	–
Will Shipley	–	–	–	–	–
Ainias Smith	🚨	–	–	–	–
Isaiah Rodgers	–	–	–	–	–

• 7/24: Smith struggled fielding punts during spring practices, and he had another on Day 1 of training camp. With DeJean on the shelf and Smith consistently struggling to field the ball, Covey’s roster spot is looking more and more secure (not that I thought it should have ever been in question).

• 7/25: A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith fielded kick returns today. Weird. There’s no way they’ll be doing that in real games, right? The only way I can see that making sense is if opposing teams primarily try knuckleball squib kicks, and simply fielding them becomes a bigger priority than returning them. Covey and Ross also got some kick return reps.

• 7/27: Nothing noteworthy to report.

• 7/29: The punt returners were (in order of reps), Covey, Smith, Rodgers, and Ross. No surprises there. I imagine DeJean will be second in the pecking order when he returns.

• 7/30: Covey said during his post-practice media availability that he will be a part of the kick returner group this season (in addition to punt returns).

• 8/1: There’s nothing new to report here, but we’re probably getting close to calling Covey’s spot as the punt returner, which he’ll definitely be as long as he makes the team.

• 8/4: Nothing noteworthy to report today.

• 8/5: We got to see some kickoff return reps. Most teams are going to be putting two returners back to return kicks. The hierarchy seemed to be:

1. Isaiah Rodgers and Kenny Gainwell
2. Will Shipley and John Ross
3. Britain Covey and Ainias Smith

I suppose we’ll add Gainwell to the chart above.

Also, I’ve seen enough. It’s pretty clear that Covey is going to make the team, and a long as he makes the team he is going to be the punt returner.