LBs R Us

I remember the first time I walked into a Toys R Us. It was the summer of 1979. My parents were divorced and my dad lived in the Washington DC area. We went to visit him and he told my sister and I about this huge toy store. Growing up in NC in the 70’s, I was used to a toy store having about four aisles and limited choices. We walked into Toys R Us in Springfield, VA and it was like entering heaven. It could have held about 10 of the toy stores that I was used to going to. So many choices…

Vic Fangio might feel the same way when he looks at his LB room. For the first time in a long, long time, the Eagles have good depth at LB. Legit depth. Starting LBs Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean are out with injuries and the Eagles still have a good trio of backers at practice. There were times in some recent years when they didn’t have a good starter, let alone five viable LBs. It really is impressive to see what the scouting staff and coaches have done. The scouts are finding the right players and the coaches are developing them.

Jihad Campbell remains the biggest story of camp. Dave Zangaro had a good note on him.

Jihaad Campbell is fun to watch in practice but the Eagles might need to rein him in just a little bit. Campbell on Thursday threw Ben VanSumeren to the ground on the play where BVS was injured. And Campbell has been feisty all camp. Before Thursday, Campbell tossed Dallas Goedert to the ground and also tried to punch the football out of the hands of Tanner McKee, who wears a red jersey for a reason.

But as Goedert said after practice, you’d rather have to rein in a rookie than have to tell him to ramp up his intensity.

“I’m excited for him,” Goedert said. “I want to be able to pull people back, not push them forward. You don’t want someone where you’ve got to go and be like, ‘You gotta play harder, you gotta do this, you gotta do that.’ You gotta be like, ‘OK, you’re playing a little bit too hard, let’s tone it down a little bit.’ He’s definitely got that in him. He’s been doing a great job.”

Campbell is a gifted athlete with good size and length. He’s also a tough, physical player. That is exactly what you want at ILB. And Goedert is exactly right. You would rather have to calm him down than fire him up. Campbell plays with some attitude. That’s good on defense, especially at LB. That isn’t a position for a polite young man.

Rookie fifth round pick Smael Mondon has quietly had a solid camp. He got BLG’s attention.

Smael Mondon Jr. had a standout performance on Thursday. I wrote his name down three different times for blowing up rushing attempts. Pretty wild that the Eagles have multiple off-ball linebackers playing well.

Mondon was seen as an outstanding athlete and coverage LB in college.

Georgia LB Smael Mondon Jr has been excellent through two days of work.

Physical downhill presence & a smooth athlete in space. His 1-1 reps in coverage today⤵️ pic.twitter.com/eiXRNoeoxf

— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 29, 2025

He’s starting to show his physical side in camp. Mondon would have been a great story in a different summer, but he’s just one of several good LBs. Jeremiah Trotter Jr has stepped his game up from last summer and is playing well. And Dean is rehabbing as hard as he can. Another note from Zangaro.

Before practice, Nakobe Dean went through another taxing workout. He pulled a sled, did some ladder drills and was able to cut, all without a knee brace on his leg. Dean is still on PUP and might miss the beginning of the season but he’s headed in the right direction.

Encouraging to hear Dean is looking good and grinding through his rehab.

Beyond all of these guys, even UDFA Lance Dixon has had some good moments.

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The sixth O-lineman this summer seems to be Matt Pryor. He got some snaps at RT in place of Lane Johnson (who was getting some plays off). Pryor has mostly lined up at RG in camp. He’s played LG and LT in the past. Pryor has starting experience and knows what Jeff Stoutland is looking for. If Tyler Steen holds onto the RG spot, Pryor could be the top backup at T or G.

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WR Johnny Wilson continues to struggle. Jimmy Bama had this observation.

 Johnny Wilson had a couple of opportunities to make plays on the football, but couldn’t. On one play, a fade pass came his way, and Kelee Ringo had close coverage. Wilson never really came close to making the catch. Later, Wilson was in the back of the end zone, and Tanner McKee fired it high where the 6’6 receiver would have a chance to get it over the smaller DBs. But again, no dice. He neither caught the ball nor got both feet in.

Wilson is a good blocker, and certainly those were tough plays to make, but at some point he probably needs to make a few of them to justify a spot on the roster, right?

The guy who has made those types of plays so far throughout camp has been 6’4 Elijah Cooks. Can Cooks block? Because he’s a better pass catcher than Wilson.

(I’ll also note here that Cooks had a chance to make a highlight reel play for the fourth straight practice, but he was unable to haul in the contested catch near the sideline, and was also shaken up on the play.)

It is good to hear that Cooks is doing well. You’d rather Wilson play well since he’s younger, but the bottom line is that the Eagles need a backup receiver to play well and push for a spot.

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There are mixed feelings on the CBs. Some think Kelee Ringo hasn’t improved much from last year. Others see a guy who is inconsistent, but still having some impressive plays. I think the joint practices with the Browns will be important for him. We need to see how Ringo does against other receivers and a different offense.

Eli Ricks is another guy with mixed reviews. Some say he is improved from last year and pushing for a roster spot. Others are less impressed and don’t see him showing much progress from 2024.

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Rookie Drew Kendall finally got some reps with the starting OL. Cam Jurgens is still recovering from a back injury and is practicing judiciously. Brett Toth has mostly taken his place. That would be fine, but he’s been erratic with his snaps and that hurts the offense. Kendall is an experienced snapper so I’m glad to see him getting mixed in.

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