Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Preview: Offensive Position Battles

The Eagles are coming off a Super Bowl berth and looking to make it back for another chance to win the big game.

Though free agency left the team with many familiar faces departing for large paydays, the Eagles managed to add several new faces that will be of interest during training camp.

On offense, it seems that almost every position group is worth watching for one reason or another in camp and 53-man roster spots at those positions seem like they will be tough to come by.

As the Eagles hope to show that iron sharpens iron and the competitions will help develop an even more potent offense, here’s a look at some of the battles that fans should be looking forward to watching in camp and the preseason:

Offensive Line

Starting right guard

The trenches have been the key to the Eagles roster building for quote some time now and that philosophy doesn’t appear likely to change anytime soon. The Eagles traded back a bit in the draft last month but managed to land former Alabama tackle Tyler Steen in the third round in order to add some more talent to the room.

The biggest free agency loss on offense for the Birds was when Pittsburgh signed starting right guard Isaac Seumalo and left a starting spot open on the line. While last year’s second round pick, Cam Jurgens, seemed likely to be the starter at that time, the introduction of Steen, who may find NFL playing time quicker at guard than at the tackle position he played in college, gives the Eagles a bit more competition. The second-year man and the rookie won’t both be able to start, so whichever proves best will be perhaps the biggest question mark for the team’s offense to start the season.

All eyes should be on this pair as they battle to see who will join the starters on the leagues top offensive line unit and who will serve as a top backup.

Depth

Jack Driscoll and one of Steen/Jurgens are essentially secured spots on the roster as primary backups but the Eagles will certainly need more than two depth linemen. With Andre Dillard’s departure for a large payday for the Titans, the depth on the line beyond that pair will be all based upon competition, making the second string offensive line unit once again a key area to watch.

Among the favorites for the remaining spots, fans will want to watch veterans Brett Toth (who originally joined the Eagles briefly in 2019 and spent the entire 2022-23 season with the team) and Sua Opeta, who joined the team as an UDFA following the 2019 draft. The pair have appear in 17 and 25 games respectively over the course of four years but Opeta found himself falling down the depth chart over the past year or two while Toth spent nearly all of last season injured. For these veterans who both joined the Eagles as raw prospects with the size and power that Jeff Stoutland likes to work with, this could be a make or break camp on the rest of their careers.

If either can return to their pretty impressive 2021 forms, they should find their way onto the 53-man, though Toth’s tackle/guard flexibility may give him the leg up.

Veteran Fred Johnson, who’s appeared in 28 games and made eight starts over the past four years, could also work his way onto the 53-man but the Eagles have traditionally been getting at least one UDFA lineman each season that sticks with the team each season, so Chim Okorafor and Trevor Reid, two raw but large and strong prospects, could find themselves in that situation should their development take off.

Running Back

The other major offensive loss for the team was running back Miles Sanders (signed with the Panthers) who operated as the top running back in the committee last season.

Returning back Kenny Gainwell and D’Andre Swift, acquired via trade during the draft, would seem locked in at the top of the depth chart.

Boston Scott, who re-signed with the team to return for his fifth full season in Philadelphia, would seem likely for a spot as would Rashaad Penny, signed in the early days of free agency. That’d leave Trey Sermon, who has received positive reviews from the coaches since he was claimed off waivers just prior to last season, on the outside looking in.

Scott is probably the most likely of the three to make the roster with his familiarity, history of stepping up whenever needed, and certainly his abilities against the Giants twice each season.

Penny has the NFL pedigree that should give him the inside track with an incredible average of 5.7 yards per carry, but in five seasons he has yet to reach 750 rushing yards and he has failed to be healthy for more than 10 games since 2018. With Swift already having his own injury history, that makes Penny’s spot (and his health) something to watch for fans.

Trey Sermon, with a solid camp, could force his way onto the 53-man roster if Scott struggles or Penny can’t remain healthy.

Wide Receiver

Zach Pascal’s departure to Arizona has left a vacancy for the team’s third fourth receiver. Not fully happy with Quez Watkins’ struggles last season, the team could even have a shake-up at third receiver.

With Olamide Zaccheaus joining the team from Atlanta, he and Watkins will have a competition in camp to determine which receiver will be the third on the depth chart. In particular, however, Pascal’s blocking will need to be replaced and whichever is most effective in that area may get the reps.

Beyond those two, the fifth and potentially sixth spot on the roster is likely to come down to the competition between 2022 camp standouts Britain Covey and Devon Allen, longtime Eagle and reliable veteran Greg Ward and Charleston Rambo, the team’s most recently signed player who stood out in the XFL and was college teammates with Jalen Hurts.

Allen and Covey have the raw speed, but have yet to show they can regularly contribute at the NFL level. Ward is familiar with the offense, the QB and has shown to be a reliable receiver when needed with veteran leadership, but lacks size or speed. Rambo has XFL production and QB familiarity, but he was in the XFL because he was unable to crack an NFL roster at his first opportunity.

What players will best be able to utilize the hand they were dealt? Fans will want to keep an eye on the situation.

Tight End

The last major position battle fans will want to pay attention to on the offensive side of the ball is tight end.

Dallas Goedert figures to be the clear-cut starter and Jack Stoll can be penciled in as his backup and an elite blocker for both the screen and run games. The third tight end position appears up for grabs, however.

Grant Calcaterra, selected in the seventh round last year, showed a few flashes last season but was certainly lackluster when Goedert missed some time during the regular season. In 15 games with two starts, he caught just five passes for 81 yards. Only seven of those games saw him play more than 20% of offensive snaps, but the next step will need to be taken in order for him to retain that spot on the roster; he may have spent the entire 2023 season on the 53-man roster, but he more or less backed into it with injuries to his competitors.

This training camp, former college QB Tyree Jackson is back and healthy. Still recovering from an ACL tear during last year’s camp, he was healthy at the end of last season and signed his tender with the team. Since he joined the team in the 2021 offseason, he’s not only been an intriguing option, but has been a top performer in camp. In his only game with real playing time on the offense (the game where he tore his ACL) he caught three of the five passes thrown his way, including for a touchdown over the Dallas Cowboys. If he can just figure out a way to stay healthy, he’s shown the skill to be effective in the passing game and it’s hard to find a better friend to QBs than a former QB.

All that and Dan Arnold, an NFL veteran and former NFL wide receiver, has yet to be mentioned yet. The team signed him away from the Jaguars this offseason with the hopes of solidifying their third tight end role. Of this group, Arnold may be the only one who might be able to take Jack Stoll’s role as the top blocking tight end, but he’s not guaranteed a spot on the roster and the Eagles could choose to move on from Arnold if he can’t standout in training camp enough to secure that third roster spot in order to gain back some additional cap space.

Former Patriots third-round pick Dalton Keene as well as Brady Russell, who spent the 2022-23 college season at an absolutely horrendous Colorado team that wouldn’t let even the best players shine, will also be joining the team in camp this year, though they are more dark horse candidates to step up into the role at this point.

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