Eagles' Projected Winners of Key Position Battles

Sure, the Philadelphia Eagles lost their preseason opener on Friday night, falling 24-21 to the New York Jets. But early in the game—the part of exhibition contests that matter the most—there were a lot of positives for the team.

Philadelphia led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. Jalen Hurts went 6-for-6 for 80 yards, connecting with tight end Dallas Goedert on a 22-yard touchdown pass on the game's opening drive. And that was with the Eagles not even playing all of their projected starters.

It was an encouraging start, but Philadelphia doesn't open the 2022 regular season until Sept. 11, when it travels to take on the Detroit Lions. There are still two more preseason games on the schedule, and there will be plenty more practices being held in camp.

But as August progresses, the Eagles will need to cut down their roster, eventually to 53 players. And there are still competitions taking place between players for either starting jobs or spots on the team.

Here's a look at where several key position battles in Philadelphia's training camp currently stand, along with projected winners for each.

Right Guard

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Philadelphia Eagles' Isaac Seumalo in action during practice at NFL football team's training camp, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Entering training camp, there were several candidates to be the Eagles' starting right guard in 2022. Isaac Seumalo appeared to be the front-runner, even though he's been limited to 12 games over the previous two seasons, but Jack Driscoll and rookie Cam Jurgens seemed to be in the mix.

Over the past few weeks, though, Seumalo has distanced himself from his competitors. And as long as he remains healthy, the 28-year-old should be part of Philadelphia's starting offensive line when the regular season begins.

"Isaac looks really good," Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen recently said, per Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Isaac's a really, really smart football player. He understands protections, the run game, the different looks, the different fronts. He sees it before it happens, and he's a physical player and he’s playing good football right now."

According to Zangaro, Driscoll hasn't even gotten any time at right guard, as he's been preparing to be the second-string right tackle behind Lane Johnson. Sua Opeta got some reps at right guard, but that was "more about limiting Seumalo’s work load as he returned from injury."

So, this battle (which didn't really turn out to be much of a competition at all) is clearly over. Seumalo has proved he's ready to take back a starting spot upon his return.

Projection: Isaac Seumalo starts at right guard

Middle Linebacker

Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 29: Philadelphia Eagles middle linebacker T.J. Edwards (57) participates in training camp on July 29, 2022 at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia PA. (Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Philadelphia has two candidates to be its starting middle linebacker: T.J. Edwards and Nakobe Dean. And although the latter brings a ton of excitement for the future as a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, don't count out the former being No. 1 on the depth chart when the regular season arrives.

Edwards, who is entering his fourth NFL season, is coming off a 2021 campaign in which he set career highs in starts (14) and tackles (130) while playing in 16 games and recording one interception and one sack.

And the 26-year-old has impressed the Eagles coaching staff in training camp, too.

"He’s already an extremely fast processor, extremely smart, he’s moving really well, he’s playing physical," linebackers coach Nick Rallis said, per Zangaro. "You guys know T.J. We’re just taking it to the next level. We want to take every aspect of his game up another notch.”

Dean has a bright future and could become a solid contributor for Philadelphia's defense this year.

However, it seems likely the 21-year-old will be a second-string player to start, especially with Edwards proving he's still clearly worthy of being a starter to open 2022 and maybe even more.

Projection: T.J. Edwards starts at middle linebacker

Backup Wide Receivers

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Reagor in action during practice at NFL football training camp, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

The Eagles' receiving depth chart appears set at the top. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are the top two wide receivers, while Quez Watkins has proved he should be the third starter. That's a solid trio that will likely help Hurts have success this season.

It's important to have depth at receiver, though. And while Philadelphia has quite a few WRs on its roster beyond Brown, Smith and Watkins, it isn't yet clear who will make the team and who will be the primary backups.

Among the Eagles receivers battling for playing time (and a roster spot) are Zach Pascal, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, John Hightower and others. Pascal appears to be safe, considering he was a free-agent acquisition, and he had a team-high 41 receiving yards on two catches in the preseason opener.

Reagor, a 2020 first-round draft pick, has struggled over his first two NFL seasons. But according to Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice, he is having the "most consistent camp of his career so far" and is likely to make the team, unless he gets traded.

It's possible Philadelphia will only carry five wide receivers. And if that's the case, Pascal and Reagor should be the final two to make the roster.

Projection: Zach Pascal and Jalen Reagor will be the Nos. 4 and 5 wide receivers