Eagles' Biggest Weaknesses Ahead of 2023 NFL Training Camp

The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the most complete rosters in football, but no roster is perfect. They are a great example of the fact that no one is perfect in the NFL.

League rules are designed to promote parity, and some roster turnover is unavoidable. The Eagles learned that first-hand. After building an NFC champion last season, they lost a considerable amount of talent while having to play cap gymnastics just to keep some of their key players.

The result is a roster that is nearly complete but will still go into camp with some perceived weaknesses.

Consider these spots where someone is going to have to step up or outside help might be considered in the form of a late free-agent addition or trade. With training camp approaching at the end of next month, these are the biggest weaknesses on the roster.

Right Guard

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Eagles G/T Tyler Steen

The fact that right guard makes this list with the options the Eagles have is a sign of how good the roster is. Philadelphia has one of the best offensive lines in football, and it will bring back four of the starters on that unit.

However, the team lost Isaac Seumalo in free agency, so right guard has become one of the few weaknesses in the entire offense.

The good news is that the Eagles have promising young linemen who can fill in the role. Cam Jurgens was drafted as the heir apparent at center when Jason Kelce decides to retire.

All of the 23-year-old's collegiate snaps took place at center, and he only gave up one sack there while playing for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, per PFF.

His rookie season was essentially a redshirt year with just one sack surrendered.

Now, Jurgens will have to kick over to right guard where he'll be competing with Tyler Steen, who was a third-round pick out of Alabama this season where nearly all of his snaps came at left tackle.

Obviously, both guys have some draft pedigree and could wind up being great in their first season starting. But in an offense with veterans and proven players all over the field, it stands out as a weakness.

Safety

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Reed Blankenship

The Eagles are loaded up front on defense. They retained their veteran cornerback duo, but all of that spending leaves them with some bargain options on the back end that stand out as a weakness until proved otherwise.

Marcus Epps and C.J. Gardner-Johnson both found new homes in free agency, creating a bit of a vacuum in the secondary. The latter was only with the team for a season, but he made his presence felt with a career-high six interceptions.

The two men set for the safety spots are Reed Blankenship and Terrell Edmunds.

Blankenship, 24, exceeded expectations as an undrafted free-agent rookie last season. He ended up playing 45 percent of the defensive snaps in the 10 games he played in. He had 34 tackles and an interception but only saw 11 targets.

The jump from part-time safety to full-time starter comes with questions.

Edmunds, 26, comes with less questions. He was a starter all five seasons he was with the Steelers, but he did surrender a passer rating of 116.2 on 33 targets last season. He's a decent starter right now but has to prove he can play at the elite level the Eagles will expect.

Linebacker Depth

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Eagles linebacker Davion Taylor

While general manager Howie Roseman did a commendable job making up for most of the losses the team experienced in free agency this year, he had his work cut out at linebacker. Both Kyzir White and T.J. Edwards left after playing large roles last season.

They'll depend on Nakobe Dean to step into a starting role after his rookie season, and they have signed Nicholas Morrow from the Chicago Bears. After that, the depth chart gets dicey quickly.

The rush linebacker position played by Haason Reddick is obviously fine, and rookie Nolan Smith should fill in just fine when the 28-year-old needs a breather.

However, an injury or lackluster play from Dean or Morrow is going to see a player with little experience or pedigree to step up.

Shaun Bradley has been on the roster since 2020 but has been a full-time special-teamer to this point. Christian Eliss represents the best option who could end up playing a big role. He's entering his third year and was impressive in OTAs.

Davion Taylor was released and placed on the practice squad last season. Perhaps he'll get a bigger opportunity. He did start six games in 2021. For now, though, it's a bit scary to think about Dean or Morrow going down.