Eagles Position Battles to Watch In Training Camp

For a team that advanced to the NFC Championship game last year, the Eagles did not rest on their laurels and sit idly by as free agency and the draft passed.  Instead, they took the opportunity to reload their roster with young talent, creating possibly the deepest squad the team has had in years.

This increased depth, though, will undoubtedly lead to a number of interesting and exciting position battles come training camp. 

On the defensive side of the ball, the defensive line was one of the strongest in the NFL last year, registering 48 sacks, good enough for 3^rd in the league.  The line returns intact from last year, with starters Juqua Parker, Mike Patterson, Brodrick Bunkley, and Trent Cole lining up for yet another year together. 

Backups Victor Abiamiri, Trevor Laws, Chris Clemons, and Darren Howard are back and expected again to contribute heavily.  But added to the mix are second year man Bryan Smith, and defensive tackle-turned-fullback-turned-defensive tackle-again Dan Klecko, and off-season acquisition Amon Gordon. 

Neither Klecko nor Smith had much of an opportunity to compete last year, and Gordon is the newest member of the line, so you can expect each man to come in with a chip on his shoulder in an effort to earn playing time.

The defensive line consists of only four positions, and one has to wonder how many spots the team will allocate toward it.  The odds are they will end up keeping nine or ten, which leaves up to two players left out, helping to create an intense competition during training camp.

Another area of the defense that bears watching is in the secondary.  With Brian Dawkins’ departure, there is now a hole to fill in the safety position.

It’s almost a given that Quintin Mikell will be the starter at strong safety, which leaves a spot open in the free safety role.  During the off-season, the Eagles signed Sean Jones, Rashard Baker, and Byron Parker, and then drafted rookie Victor “Macho” Harris out of Virginia Tech. 

Again, there are only two safety positions, and the team may end up keeping only four players to fill them.  With Mikell the starter at strong safety, and most likely second-year man Quintin Demps the starter at free safety, you have four men competing for two backup roster spots.

Since the team used a relatively high second-day draft pick on Harris, you can assume he’ll make the team, which leaves Jones, Baker, and Parker competing for the final spot. 

Early signs point to Jones winning that final position, as he is the most accomplished of the three, having had a few excellent seasons in Cleveland, where he ranked third among NFL safeties with 14 interceptions since 2006.  Either way, it is without a doubt a position to keep an eye out on in the leadup to the season.

The last spot on the roster to watch for in training camp is the one position that Philadelphia fans are always talking about: wide receiver.  As it stands right now, the Eagles have 11 wide receivers on their roster, but realistically, they won’t keep more than five or six.

Pencil in Desean Jackson and Kevin Curtis as the starters.  First round pick Jeremy Maclin is another guarantee to make the roster.  That leaves two or three spots left, with the most likely candidates coming from Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, and Reggie Brown.

If the Eagles keep only five wide outs, it would seem that Reggie Brown becomes the odd man out.  A second-round draft pick in ’05, Brown has been somewhat of a disappointment during his four-year career, ultimately having been a healthy scratch in last year’s NFC Championship game.

The Eagles love Avant’s toughness and willingness to go over the middle, and Baskett is the team’s tallest receiver, making him more of a threat in the red zone, something the team desperately lacked last year.

Do the Eagles keep six receivers this year?  They did last year, but WR Greg Lewis, the sixth wideout on last year’s team who was traded to the Patriots in the offseason, also contributed on special teams, something that Reggie Brown is not well-equipped to do.  Should the Eagles keep only five, however, it should create for an interesting battle in the months to come, with Avant, Baskett, and Brown all battling for that last roster spot.

The Eagles are loaded with depth all around, something that every team strives for each year.  The end result will be a number of intense battles throughout mini-camp and training camp.