Posted July 27th, 2025 | Comments Off on So Far So GoodThe Eagles have several practices in the books so let’s take a quick look at what we’ve heard so far. Obviously it is early so this doesn’t mean anything definitive. It just gives us check on how things are going.
Jihad Campbell is practicing and has looked good. He wasn’t expected on the field until August so it is great that he’s already out there. Campbell has mostly worked with the 2’s, but has been in with the starters at times. He’s got a legit chance to start beside Zack Baun in Week 1.
***
The Eagles haven’t had the pads on yet so any line talk has to be taken lightly. Tyler Steen has taken all the reps as the starting RG. His teammates have spoken highly of him, which is great to hear. They are judging Steen on what they’ve seen all offseason and so far in camp. The coaches would love Steen to win the RG job, but won’t give it to him. He’s got to earn it.
***
Kelee Ringo is the player the Eagles would love to have starting opposite of Quinyon Mitchell. Ringo is young, big and fast. He’s had some struggles so far, mostly with AJ Brown. There is no shame in getting beaten by a Top 5 WR. Still, you hope to see Ringo making some plays. If he starts, he’ll be facing some really talented receivers this year. You must be able to compete with them. The key for Ringo is not to get down on himself and to keep battling this summer.
***
Moro Ojomo is making plays every day. He has a chance to replace Milton Williams in the rotation. Ojomo is a quick, athletic DT and he’s off to a good start. It is important for him to become a key role player this season.
***
Cooper DeJean is playing corner, nickel and safety. The coaches want him on the field a much as possible. DeJean has looked good this summer.
***
Jalyx Hunt is getting a lot of hype. Is he the next Micah Parsons? Will he have 10 sacks? Will he be a Pro Bowl player? It is exciting to hear all the praise being thrown at Hunt, but I do think we need to pump the brakes a bit. He is a young player. There are going to be ups and downs. The thing that makes me confident in Hunt is that his biggest fan is Vic Fangio. And that means something. Just ask Zack Baun.
***
The Eagles have a couple of backup receivers that are playing well, Danny Gray and Terrace Marshall. The Eagles need better play from the backup receivers. Neither Johnny Wilson or Ainias Smith showed much last season and we haven’t heard much about them so far. Gray and Marshall are more experienced and are likely playing with more urgency since they are running out of chances. It doesn’t matter who stands out. The Eagles just need better play from their backup receivers.
***
Jordan Davis reported to camp at 330, down 26 pounds from last summer. He has flashed in the first few days, which is good to see. Jimmy Bama says he still takes some plays off. That has to stop if Davis is going to live up to his potential.
***
Jalen Hurts is having another strong summer. It will be exciting to see if he can take his game to another level this year. Tanner McKee has looked good as well. Rookie Kyle McCord is up and down. He got people’s attention in the spring. Dorian Thompson-Robinson had some good moments in the last open practice. He has legit ability. DTR just needs a lot of work.
***
We haven’t heard much about the TEs. It will be important for one or two of them behind Dallas Goedert to show something. It will be especially important to see how they do as blockers when the pads go on this week.
***
Mac McWilliams is a player I’m curious about. He’s played both corner and nickel so far in camp. Fangio had some good things to say about him.
McWilliams could become a valuable backup if he’s got the ability to help inside and outside. I’m looking forward to seeing him in a preseason game.
_
Posted July 26th, 2025 | 2 Comments »One of the words that I will use the most when writing about playes this summer is consistency. That’s really the key to being a good NFL player, whether a star, key backup or role player. Consistency.
Every guy in the NFL has some trait that got him into the league. It might be size. Or strength or speed. It could be positional ability. These are the best players in the world. Even the 90th man on the Eagles 90-man roster has legit NFL ability/potential. Good players play well on a consistent basis. You can count on them.
Let’s talk about Kenyon Green, the guard the Eagles got in a trade with the Texans. Green is a former first round pick. He’s got 23 career starts. If you watch his highlights you see a guy with Pro Bowl ability.
The problem is that Green is highly inconsistent. He’s had issues with his pad level. There are times when he gets off-balance and gets beaten easily. He can be sloppy with his hands. Green keeps them too wide at times and almost looks like he is trying to hug the DL across from him. OL need their hands to be close together so they can have impact when they hit the defender. Other times Green is too passive with his hands. He doesn’t strike defenders aggressively and with confidence.
Some people assumed Green might be this year’s Mekhi Becton, a former first round pick who got his career turned around by Stoutland University. We’d all love to see that happen. There is a big difference, though. Becton played on a dysfunctional team. He played LT and RT. The Eagles brought him in to be a backup OT and then gave him a shot at RG.
Green is coming to Philly from Houston, where the team won 10 games each of the two past seasons. DeMeco Ryans is a good head coach and they had a solid overall staff. Green’s problems were about his performance, not position switches and a chaotic overall situation. Green just didn’t play well on a consistent basis. The talent is there, the consistency isn’t.
Jeff Stoutland is a great OL coach so he might be able to get Green turned around. Just don’t count on it. Stoutland has to get Green to play better from a technical standpoint. He’s also got to rebuild his confidence. An OL who isn’t confident is going to struggle. If Stoutland can push the right buttons, Green could end up as a good addition. Green is dealing with a minor injury and hasn’t practiced yet so we’re still in wait and see mode on how this will work out.
There are other Eagles who face the same challenge of being more consistent. Several WRs fit this category. Jahan Dotson was a first round pick by Washington, but disappointed there. He didn’t do a lot early on last year. Dotson came alive later in the season and playoffs and showed the ability that got him picked so high. If he can be more consistent this year, the passing game can be even better.
Danny Gray and Terrace Marshall were Day 2 picks in recent years. Neither panned out with the teams who drafted them. Gray had a good showing in the spring. He’s got 4.33 speed and could be a good role player for an offense that likes to throw deep. Marshall is more of a possession receiver. He’s got 67 career catches, but only 1 TD. Marshall looked good in the spring and has flashed so far in camp. If these guys can keep this up, the Eagles could actually have some depth at receiver.
TE is wide open after Dallas Goedert. Grant Calcaterra has flashed big potential at times.
He’s also been maddeningly frustrating, mostly with his blocking. No one expects Calcaterra to look like Lane Johnson, but he’s got to at least be competitive on a regular basis. You don’t have to win every battle. Just lose slowly. Calcaterra looked like a turnstile way too often last year.
Kylen Granson and Harrison Bryant have both played really well at times in their careers. Granson is the athletic TE who can move around and make things happen. Bryant is more traditional. He can block and catch, but isn’t a special athlete. The Eagles are hoping that one of them (or both) will have a good summer and win a job. We know DG isn’t likely to stay healthy all year. No one is comfortable counting on Calcaterra. There is a need for another TE to show something.
Josh Uche has 20.5 career sacks. 11.5 of them came in 2022. One great year, four up and down seasons. That’s about as inconsistent as you can get. Uche can be a disruptive pass rusher. He’s one of the few guys who has given Lane Johnson problems. Uche must be more consistent this year if he’s going to secure a regular role on the Eagles defense and keep his career going.
Vic Fangio has had some success with undersized pass rushers. Heck, just look at what he did with Nolan Smith last year. If Uche really buys in and listens, this could be a key year for him. The further we get from 2022, the less relevant that great season becomes.
There are two young DBs who need to be consistent to maximize their talent. Kelee Ringo has a great combination of size and speed. His numbers make him look like the ideal CB. Watch him play and he’s too up and down. Ringo got off to a slow start in camp. Hopefully he’ll work his way through the struggles and start to play consistently well. If not, he’ll remain a backup and STer.
Sydney Brown has been a backup and STer. A major injury limited his growth in 2024. As Fangio has pointed out a few times, Brown didn’t start practicing until October and things are limited by that part of the season. Brown is a good athlete and physical player.
Brown has the talent to be a good starting safety. He’s got to play more under control. Brown loves to fly around the field and attack. That’s great on STs. It isn’t as great at safety. That’s a position that requires more thought and discipline. You must be able to diagnose plays and get to the right spot. If you’re out of control, the offense will burn you. If Brown can play under control more consistently, he has a chance to win a starting job, or even force Fangio to use 3-safety sets more often.
We know not all of these guys will pan out as hoped. That’s just the reality of pro football. Let’s just hope a few of them do so the Eagles have the kind of quality depth you need to contend for a title.
_