Philadelphia Eagles: Training Camp Position Battles

The Philadelphia Eagles have taken their first steps towards making another run at the Lombardi Trophy, which has avoided them throughout their history in the NFL.

On Sunday, rookies and selected veterans made the trek up to Lehigh University to begin training camp as well as a new season. The rest of the team will report Wednesday, with full team practices beginning Thursday morning.

For the most part, this should be a drama-free camp for the "Birds," who I am sure will like the change of pace after a few tumultuous years up in Lehigh. 

The team could very well have rebuilt itself this offseason without having to go through a few years of bumps and bruises, just one season after playing (and losing) in yet another NFC Championship game.

The team has a solid mix of young guys with great potential and steady veterans, which makes for some interesting positional battles in camp.

Here are a few battles that fans should really watch:

"Sheldon & Hobbs"

Many believe that as long as cornerback Sheldon Brown shows up on time to camp and is a professional, this is his job to lose.

These people should be warned not to jump to rash conclusions. Ellis Hobbs started on championship-caliber defenses in New England and handled himself well.

I’m not taking anything away from Brown, as he has put together an impressive career in Philly, but this is not an open-and-shut case.

If Brown is here and plays up to his norm, he probably has a slight edge over Hobbs due to familiarity with the defense and the fact that he is the longest-tenured defensive starter on a unit that needs leadership after Brian Dawkins's departure.

However, do not be surprised if the Eagles cut ties with Brown before the season begins and decide they can win with Hobbs and Asante Samuel as their starting corners.

Replacing a Legend

For years, Brian Dawkins led the Philadelphia defense from his safety position.

That changes this year. With Dawkins in Denver, second-year man Quentin Demps will most likely take on the veterans Sean Jeans and Rashad Baker.

On the team’s unofficial depth chart, Demps is listed as the starter with Baker behind him. Jones is listed as second-string at the strong safety position, even though he can play both spots.

Demps has potential, but after his showing in the NFC title game last year, he has plenty to prove. In my opinion, I believe a veteran will end up winning the "starter" tag, and I believe it will be Jones.

However, I see some platooning at the free safety position this year. The only question is can these guys hack it? The one guarantee is that they cannot complete fill No. 20's shoes.

Who Helps Cole?

Trent Cole is your right defensive end—no question.

Perhaps the most intriguing preseason battle could be the fight to see who will patrol the left side of the defensive line.

Juqua Parker is the incumbent starter and probably has a slight edge over Victor Abiamiri, the third-year man out of Notre Dame. Abiamiri's biggest problem is his durability, including the fact that he will miss the first week or so of training camp after injuring himself while lifting.

Just like at the safety spot, I give the initial nod to Parker. But do not be surprised if, at some point during the season, Abiamiri is getting just as much time as Parker.

Also keep an eye on how new defensive coordinator Sean McDermott uses both Chris Clemons and Darren Howard, who seemed to have a resurgence last year, racking up double-digit sack numbers.

Alternate Road for Route 36?

I do not see this as much of a battle.

If LeSean McCoy can grasp just a decent portion of the playbook and continue to develop his pass-blocking skills, there is no way Lorenzo Booker beats him out for the backup running back position.

This position could end up making or breaking the Eagles this season, depending on the health of Brian Westbrook. Even if he is in good health, Westbrook is not the same player he was five years ago and will need spells throughout the course of a game.

McCoy could be a major asset.

Reggie the Odd Man Out?

One thing is for certain when it comes to the Eagles receiving corps in 2009: No Greg Lewis!

However, there will be interesting decisions made about this group.

Going into camp, two spots are sure things: Kevin Curtis and DeSean Jackson will be your starters on the outside. After those two, the Eagles have two offensive positions left, with the possibility of keeping two more receivers for special teams.

As long as Jeremy Maclin gets into camp soon and understands his role, I see him as being the third wideout on the depth chart. I give Jason Avant a slight edge over Hank Baskett for the fourth spot because he runs terrific routes and has exceptional hands. However, I see both players getting time on offense.

Expect to see Baskett in red-zone situations as well as working on kick coverage, where he played well at times last season.

That leaves one roster spot for two wide receivers to battle over. My surprise of the camp is that the Eagles will say goodbye to Reggie Brown, who has been a major disappointment up to this point, and the team will go with the rookie Brandon Gibson out of Washington.

I could be wrong, but I feel that the Eagles have had enough of the Reggie Brown games. He shows up when he wants to, cries when it does not go his way, and is not a strong special teams player, which he will need to be as the sixth wide receiver.

Gibson is young and most likely willing to make the team in any capacity, including special teams. Therefore, Gibson gets my nod as the sixth wideout.

Tight Ends Improving

Although there will be no uncertainty as to who is the No. 1 tight end on the team, expect Cornelius Ingram, a rookie out of Florida, to get significant playing time this season. Andy Reid loves to use double tight-end sets, and he now has the personnel to run plays out of that formation.

Both tight ends struggle with their blocking and will need to work on that. But Brent Celek showed what he could do last year in the playoffs, and if it wasn't for a knee injury, Ingram would have been off the board in the first round this year.

Final Outlook

Even though the side stories will be limited at this year’s training camp, expect the position battles to gather plenty of attention. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the beginning of another football season.