The Philadelphia Eagles have finally reported to training camp, ending the longest dead period of the NFL offseason. There are plenty of questions that need to be addressed with the 2024 season beginning, with last season's historic collapse in the past.
This Eagles team isn't last year's version. There's a new role for head coach Nick Sirianni, with a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore and a new defensive coordinator in Vic Fangio. Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox retired as the team is undergoing a youth movement at key positions.
Jalen Hurts also has plenty to prove as well after a season full of giveaways and injuries. Saquon Barkley, Bryce Huff and C.J. Gardner-Johnson have arrived to provide a spark to the team, while Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean continue the youth movement in the secondary that started last year.
The 2024 Eagles have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, and Super Bowl expectations to boot. Can the Eagles erase the memory from last season and get back to being one of the top teams in the NFL?
Here are 10 thoughts on the Eagles with training camp set to begin:
1. Jalen Hurts has to address the Nick Sirianni relationship publicly. Hurts has been mum on his relationship with Sirianni this offseason, having the opportunity to silence the chatter of their relationship on locker cleanout day, spring practices and DeVonta Smith's charity softball game.
This lingered into the start of training camp and it didn't have to, creating a dark cloud on what has otherwise been a very good offseason in the NovaCare Complex. Hurts can end any sort of chatter on his relationship with Sirianni -- whether the criticism is right or wrong -- on Day 1 of training camp.
This should have been addressed months ago.
2. Kellen Moore's new offense is unique to Hurts, but that can be a good thing. During the open minicamp practices, Hurts was throwing more passes over the middle of the field and not taking off after his first read wasn't there.
Hurts attempted just 37.6% of his passes across the middle of the field last season. Of the quarterbacks that attempted 200+ passes, only Kenny Pickett had a lower percentage (34.2%). Pickett is now the backup to Hurts.
This offense will rely on Hurts getting rid of the ball quickly, based on what was seen in minicamp. Hurts is great at extending plays and taking off when necessary, but that may be relegated in an offense where the ball is out of Hurts' hands and off to his playmakers.
If Hurts is healthy, the Eagles offense will be very tough to stop.
3. The Eagles finally have a three-down back in Saquon Barkley. While Barkley isn't the player he once was win his early years with the New York Giants, he's still better than anything the Eagles trotted out at running back last season -- and Philadelphia had a 1,000-yard rusher in D'Andre Swift.
Philadelphia's run game wasn't as productive as some thought. The Eagles were 19th in yards per carry since Week 4 of last season (4.1) and 32nd in yards after contact per rush (2.32). Swift and Boston Scott were out and Barkley earned $12.5 million per year to be the consistent three-down back the franchise hasn't had since LeSean McCoy.
Barkley should thrive behind the Eagles offensive line, averaging better than the players who averaged just 4.1 yards per carry over the last three years. Not to mention Hurts, A.J. Brown, Smith and Dallas Goedert are the best collection of skill players Barkley has been around since he was at Penn State.
4. Mekhi Becton has a legitimate shot to win the right guard spot. There is a battle between Becton and Tyler Steen for the starting right guard spot, with Steen set to open training camp with the first team at right guard. The Eagles will give Steen every opportunity to win the job, but Becton can demonstrate how much of a presence he can be at right guard with the pads on.
Becton acclimated himself much better than expected filling in for Landon Dickerson at left guard in minicamp, giving him the chance to compete for the job this summer. Any slip up from Steen will open the door for Becton.
5. The WR3 on this team is very concerning. Quez Watkins wasn't coming back after the 2023 season, and the Eagles made the decision to wisely pay Brown and Smith -- solidifying the two would remain in Philadelphia for years to come.
There's only one ball, but the third wide receiver still needs to be effective. Parris Campbell is a leader in the clubhouse for that role, but can this team trust him when the pads come on? John Ross is trying to make the roster after not playing a regular-season game in three years. Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson are Day 3 draft picks while Britain Covey has been utilized for returning punts.
Perhaps the Eagles make a trade to improve this situation. We'll see what they have in the early portion of camp.
6. Concerns about the pass rush are legitimate. The Eagles traded Haason Reddick this offseason as he sought a new contract (and Reddick had every right to seek one), bringing in Huff to replicate Reddick's production while restructuring Josh Sweat's contract.
Huff and Sweat are the two starters, but the success of this pass rush -- and the effectiveness of those two -- come down to Nolan Smith. The second-year edge rusher had a good camp last summer as a rookie, but didn't see the field until late in the year. In the wild card playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Smith had four tackles and a quarterback hit in 16 snaps.
The Eagles admitted they should have played Smith more, and will do so this year. Brandon Graham is also back for his final season at 35, but this team is missing the standout pass rusher in Reddick -- which could be a problem.
Perhaps Huff can be that player. There are still some unknowns whether this team can get to the quarterback on a consistent basis, and if there's enough depth on the pass rush.
7. Linebacker will be another question for the 2024 Eagles. Philadelphia had to revamp the linebacker position again after last season's disaster. Gone are Zach Cunningham and Nicholas Morrow. In are Devin White and Oren Burks.
The biggest question is Nakobe Dean, who has been off the field more than on it. When Dean is on the field, he hasn't been very good. The Eagles would like Dean to solidify a starting job and erase some of those linebacker concerns.
White is liked more by the fans than the football people who have seen him play. Perhaps a change of scenery helps, but there's a reason to be more cautious than curious regarding White's play on the field. He'll get every opportunity to start, but White can also answer some questions if he's half the player he was during the Super Bowl run four years ago.
Moves during training camp will be telling what the Eagles think at linebacker, if they make any.
8. The Eagles deserve all the praise they can get for revamping the cornerback position. Philadelphia started the youth moment last season by selecting Kelee Ringo in the fourth round, and he turned out to be a good find when he played at the end of the year. Eli Ricks made the team as a pleasant surprise last preseason and was worth developing. The Eagles signed Isaiah Rodgers last summer as well, as he showed in minicamp he didn't lose a step after sitting out a year due to suspension.
With Darius Slay and James Bradberry in their 30s, the Eagles were proactive in the youth moment at cornerback. Quinyon Mitchell was fortunate to be there at No. 22 in the draft and has a good shot at starting in Week 1. Expect Mitchell to significantly contribute at some point this year. The Eagles also traded up for Cooper DeJean in the second round, as he has a good shot to open the year as the starting slot cornerback.
Mitchell, DeJean, Ringo and Rodgers are four young cornerbacks who the Eagles can build around. They should be roster locks -- along with Slay, of course.
9. The game of chicken with James Bradberry is coming to a head. Bradberry either has to win a starting job, or his fate in Philadelphia will be sealed -- right? What if Bradberry's future is already sealed and the Eagles are just waiting to see if they can get any sort of compensation for him?
Teams have to be aware Bradberry is on the chopping block, whether the Eagles try him out at safety or not (that was the plan in minicamp). Bradberry has the talent to win a starting cornerback job, but do the Eagles want to stunt the development of the young cornerbacks by keeping them off the field? There's also the chance Bradberry can win a starting safety job opposite of Gardner-Johnson, but Reed Blankenship and DeJean can also play that position.
The Eagles are going to have to make a decision on Bradberry soon. Whether that decision is made early in camp or on cutdown day is something to monitor.
10. There is pressure on Sirianni to win. One-and-done in the playoffs will certainly cost Sirianni his job based on the talent this team has. Winning a playoff game and losing in the next round will be more difficult, but the decision would be easier if the Eagles were to get blown out in that round.
Sirianni may be safe if the Eagles make the NFC Championship game, but getting to that stage is immense pressure for any coach. No one should envy Sirianni's job, especially in his new role (he's no longer running his offense).
Anything goes severely wrong in 2024 and the Eagles are likely looking for a new head coach. Sirianni needs to not just win, but go deep in the playoffs.
