Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp: The Most Intriguing Position Battles

As we inch closer and closer to the start of Eagles training camp, we start to see one of the best parts of camp, players battling for positions on the depth chart. It happens every year, but I think this year is particularly exciting.

On the offensive side of the ball, the first battles takes place up front.

Jamaal Jackson’s injury in the 2009 season is extending into 2010, creating a battle for the starting spot. Nick Cole filled in last year and is slated as the starter right now. He will have A.Q. Shipley and Mike McGlynn trying to take his spot.

In the backfield, there is a battle for the third running back position which should be fun to watch. I talked about it a little while back. There are some players with different running styles competing for the third spot, so it will be interesting to see which direction the Eagles go in.

With the wide receivers, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Jason Avant are the easy picks for the first three receivers.

At the fourth receiver position, Riley Cooper and Hank Baskett will battle it out. Baskett has already had a tour with the Birds, so that may be an advantage for him, but Cooper is a young talent that will definitely give him a run for his money.

On the defensive side of the ball, there appears to be some good battles at just about every position, including a number of starting positions.

In the secondary there are big questions at both safety and corner. Both positions have one definite starter but a question on the other side.

At safety, Nate Allen is projected to be the starter. There is not as much competition with the loss of Marlin Jackson. The players trying to battle behind Allen haven’t been able to fill the void left by Brian Dawkins. It seems unlikely that anyone will make a charge to start.

At corner, the Eagles have moved Macho Harris back, and he could possibly be the opening day starter. Behind him, Joselio Hanson and Ellis Hobbs will be the favorites to take the spot. There is still a group of other players who will try to make a charge as well.

Ernie Sims and Stewart Bradley look to be sure-fire starters. It looks like Moise Fokou will fill in on the other side. I’m a fan of Akeem Jordan and wouldn’t mind seeing him fit into the mix as well.

The biggest battle I’m interested in is on the defensive line. It remains to be seen who is going to line up opposite Trent Cole this year. Everyone is pulling for Brandon Graham, but nothing is set in stone for him. The Eagles have accumulated a ton of defensive ends, so there will be some serious battles in camp, even beyond the starting spot.

It’s going to be a very interesting training camp to say the least.

What battles are you looking forward to most?