The season opener is rapidly approaching and the Philadelphia Eagles are now just days away from their first preseason game of 2023. With Training Camp in full swing, the intensity is only picking up. Here’s everything you need to know from Tuesday’s workout.
New Eagles linebackers are making an instant impact
The Eagles made a flurry of linebacker-related moves to kickstart the week. Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham were signed while former draft pick, Davion Taylor, was released.
It hasn’t taken long for Sean Desai to start playing with his new toys.
Nakobe Dean missed practice for a fourth straight day which is anything but encouraging. What is encouraging, however, is the fact that the Eagles have been able to pick up not one, but two proven league talents who should be able to come in and make an instant impact.
Both Jack and Cunningham were thrown straight into the fire on Tuesday. The opening game of preseason is going to be very exciting for those caught up in the positional battles at linebacker, with each player almost destined to see a fair amount of snaps to prove their worth.
From rags to riches
It feels like only yesterday that Eagles fans were crying out for cornerback help. Now, with a pair of elite talents on the boundary, fans are salivating over the young talents developing in the wings.
Eli Ricks had an interception today, while Georgia’s Kelee Ringo continues to receive first-team attention. With the likes of Josh Jobe and Greedy Williams also battling it out for a spot on the depth chart, the Eagles are truly inundated with young talent at the cornerback position. Much like linebacker, it’s going to make for an exciting preseason opener against Baltimore.
WR3 battle heating up in Philadelphia
When it was announced that Olamide Zaccheaus had signed with the Eagles, I was eccentric. The speedy wideout from Atlanta looked destined to compete head-on with Quez Watkins and that’s exactly what we’re seeing in Training Camp.
The two wideouts are currently vying for the starting WR3 (Y) role in the offense. It’s very likely that both players make the 53, but Watkins has a point to prove after feeling slighted by the arrival of Zaccheaus. The former teammate of Marcus Mariota, meanwhile, is out to prove his 2022 campaign wasn’t just a fluke and that he can provide some serious upside to this offense.
Depth chart update?
We mentioned last week that one player that’s stood out so far has been Tanner McKee. Martin Frank reinforced Mike Greger’s observation by noting that McKee appears to be ahead of Ian Book going into the first week of preseason.
Jalen Carter’s role on the defense as a rookie is still uncertain, but garnering first-team reps in camp is certainly a strong sign. Is he going to be DT3 behind Cox/Davis, or potentially displace the Wiley veteran in his rookie year? Only time will tell, but he is getting plenty of opportunities to show what he can do.
As always, make sure you stay locked in to phillysportsnetwork.com for the latest from Eagles Training Camp down at the NovaCare Complex.
Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire
