The Philadelphia Eagles hosted another Mandatory Minicamp practice that was open to the media on Wednesday. Here is all you need to know from another day down at the NovaCare Complex:
Shippin up to…Philly?
Of all the Eagles’ rookies this offseason, Will Shipley might be the one to have flown deepest under the radar. A fourth-round selection out of Clemson, Shipley ran a blazing 4.39 second 40-yard dash and wowed scouts at his pro day with a 38.5-inch vertical jump and 10’2 broad jump.
To say he’s carried that over into Minicamp would be accurate.
Shipley is not going to be the first-choice running back in Philadelphia, not with Saquon Barkley around. But the role of a change-of-pace rusher who has upside as a pass-catcher is there for the taking, and that’s definitely what he’s gunning for.
Shipley caught 31 passes for a career-best 244 yards and 2 scores last year as a Tiger, and if he can bring those agile traits to the City of Brotherly Love, he could be a valuable release valve of the backfield.
The Eagles have a rampant Cornerback competition
With every practice that passes, the competition for cornerback spots intensifies. Kelee Ringo, Quinyon Mitchell, Isaiah Rodgers, and Cooper DeJean were all given first-team reps at different points this afternoon. The scary part is that we’re still yet to hear a relatively average word about any of the young corners entrenched in this battle!
The Eagles have an embarrassment of riches at the cornerback position and it’s going to be very exciting to see how it all pans out over the coming months. With Isaiah Rodgers continuing to shine and the two prized rookies well in the mix, Vic Fangio is going to have the best kind of headache when it comes to building out the core of this defense.
Although it’s still early days, the long-term future seems very bright for the secondary in Philadelphia.
Interesting side note: Quinyon Mitchell drew some looks at dime linebacker this afternoon. With a real lack of depth at the position, it’s definitely possible that we see Vic Fangio trial out his young DB’s closer to the middle of the field, especially Cooper DeJean, who feels like a snug fit for a slot/safety role in the future.
Zack Baun was another player who took some reps for the Eagles defense today:
Nakobe Dean getting back into the swing of things
Nakobe Dean has been working his way back into the defense after picking up a foot injury at the end of the 2023 season. The Eagles didn’t really make any significant investments at the linebacker position this offseason outside of Devin White, but Dean is now in his third year and this is very much a ‘prove-it’ scenario for the former Bulldog. It’s great to see him back on the practice field and hopefully he can build towards a strong Summer.
AP Photo/Chris Szagola
