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Training Camp, Hall Of Fame and 2024 Preseason: The NFL Is Back! – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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Today marks the first day of the NFL season with an actual game being played.
I was lucky enough to share that day with the Eagle’s open practice. 

Hall Of Fame Game

The Eagles might not have had any relations to this year’s Hall of Fame class, including Steve McMichael and Devin Hester, giving the Bears their second appearance at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in the last six years. But they might soon, with some Eagles greats who have recently retired, like Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce.

Perhaps the Eagles will end their 18-year absence one day, with 17 nominees in the 2024 class. Or once either of these recently retired players hits eligibility five years from now.

And for those who think 62 or 91 might not make the hall one day, here’s a glimpse at their resumes.

  • Fletcher Cox: 6x Pro Bowl / 1x All-Pro / HOF All-2010’s Team / Super Bowl 52 Champ
  • Jason Kelce: 7x Pro Bowl / 6x All-Pro / Eagles-Record 145 Consecutive Starts / Super Bowl 52 Champ

Open Practice!

On the other side of Thursday was the Eagles open practice, and if you’ve been as impatient as I have for football season, then today was a pretty good day.

Nearly 50,000 fans showed up at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday, and almost 75% of the Linc was filled for practice. 

And the offense didn’t disappoint, with Hurts posting the following stat line to end the day.

We’re only five weeks out from the Eagles opening the season against the Packers in Brazil.

And while they still have plenty to make up for last season’s disastrous end, we still have preseason games to get through before we get there.

Preseason

The Eagles will have three preseason games in the coming weeks:

  • @ Baltimore Ravens
  • @ New England Patriots
  • @Minnesota Vikings

For once, the Eagles won’t host the Vikings in the regular season to start their year; instead, it’ll come one week earlier in their final preseason match.

Regardless if the Eagles starters see any real action in the coming weeks, there are plenty of names to look out for, but they might not even see much of the playing field this season.

Jalyx Hunt

After cutting Barnett late last season, the Eagles’ defensive line depth weakened. After acquiring Huff and moving on from Reddick, they would need more insurance in the defensive end position. Enter the Eagles’ third-round pick.

If Vic Fangio is committed to playing those who deserve playing time, we may see more rookies play than we have in the past. While that opens the door for the rookies, it could also limit some of the other playmakers on the roster.

Isaiah Rodgers

The Eagles had Rodgers tucked away on the suspended list for most of last season, and now that the year is beginning, we’re finding out the Eagles have a massive logjam in the secondary.

Multiple rookies, Mitchell and DeJean(injured), as well as plenty of other sophomores and veterans, are vying for a roster spot. 

However, Rodgers is getting reps with the first team, so there are even more questions about who might play in the preseason.

If Rodgers is penciled in as a starter, we won’t see much from a player who hasn’t seen playing time in almost 18 months.

We’ll find out next week which Eagles will get to suit up for their first preseason game, less than a week away.
Football is back!

PHOTO: Philadelphia Eagles/Facebook

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Tyler L’Heureux

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