Eagles' Position Battles to Watch Ahead of 2023 NFL Season
It's been a fairly eventful offseason for the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost some key players from last season's NFC championship-winning squad and made moves to try to replace them. The team won't know if it made the right moves until the 2023 campaign arrives.
Before then, the Eagles will need to get their depth chart straightened out. They have plenty of time to do so, considering training camp won't begin until July.
At that point, Philadelphia should have some interesting internal battles taking place. Some players will be trying to win starting jobs, while others will aim to earn spots on the 53-man roster by the start of the season.
Here's a look at several Eagles position battles to keep an eye on ahead of the 2023 season.
No. 3 Wide Receiver
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Quez Watkins is the favorite to be the third starting wide receiver alongside A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, the duo locked into the top two spots on the depth chart.
Watkins, a 24-year-old with three years of NFL experience, will need to prove he can be more productive than he was last season, though. In 17 games, he notched 33 receptions for 354 yards and three touchdowns. He had 43 catches for 647 yards and one TD in 17 games in 2021.
The biggest threat to Watkins' starting spot will be Olamide Zaccheaus. The 25-year-old, who signed with Philadelphia in April, spent his first four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He's coming off a career year in which he recorded 40 catches for 533 yards and three touchdowns over 17 games.
It's hard to imagine somebody other than Watkins or Zaccheaus being the No. 3 wideout. But Britain Covey, Tyrie Cleveland and Greg Ward will all get their shot. There are also undrafted rookies Joseph Ngata and Jadon Haselwood, who could be surprise camp standouts.
Right Guard
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The Eagles are guaranteed to have a new starting right guard in 2023, as Isaac Seumalo signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It will likely be a two-man competition between Cam Jurgens and Tyler Steen.
Jurgens should enter the competition as the front-runner because he has NFL experience (albeit not much). The 23-year-old was selected by Philadelphia in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Nebraska, and then he spent his rookie season as the backup center behind Jason Kelce.
The Eagles took Steen in the third round of this year's draft out of Alabama. The 22-year-old was a second-team All-SEC selection last season, although he spent his college career playing at tackle.
Either of these two players could end up at right guard in Week 1. But Jurgens seems likely to get the first opportunity to secure the job.
Starting Safeties
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Philadelphia lost both of its starting safeties via free agency this offseason. C.J. Gardner-Johnson signed with the Detroit Lions, while Marcus Epps signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. However, the Eagles filled those roster spots via free agency and the draft.
Terrell Edmunds signed with Philadelphia as a free agent and Sydney Brown, a former Illinois standout, was selected in the third round of the 2023 draft. The duo could become the Eagles' new starting safeties.
But there's also Reed Blankenship, who impressed quite a bit during his 2022 rookie campaign. The 24-year-old is coming off a debut season in which he recorded 34 tackles and one interception in 10 games, four of which were starts.
Perhaps Blankenship wins a starting job over the rookie Brown. Regardless, all three of these safeties should have sizable roles on Philadelphia's defense, even though only two will be starters.
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