Philadelphia Eagles camp paints a clearer picture of their offensive line

After two days of padded practice, the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster is shaping.

Now, it feels like training camp. With the third Monday of August came a welcomed sight. The Philadelphia Eagles threw the pads on, but even with the excitement that brought in, there was some cause for worry. Five very familiar faces wound up watching the festivities from the sidelines (Jason Peters, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Derek Barnett, Duke Riley, and Javon Hargrave).

Now, you’ve watched enough NFL football to know that winning in the trenches is important, so the names Peters, Hargrave, and Barnett really stand out. They’re all expected to start for this team. ‘The Bodyguard’ was mentioned as being ‘day-to-day’, but Hargrave and Barnett are expected to be out for a while. Don’t look now, but Philly is employing the ‘next-man-up’ mantra already. There’s a bright side though. Some of the younger guys are getting a lot of work in.

Did Day 2 give us an idea of what the Philadelphia Eagles’ second team on the offensive line looks like?

Tuesday came, and as Day 2 of padded practices began, we saw ‘JJAW’ in pads, but he didn’t practice. Riley was back at work, and like Monday, ‘J.P.’ was a spectator. Philly also gave DeSean Jackson, Jason Kelce, and Malik Jackson the day off. Though notable, each of those absences has given some young guys chances to shine. It’s also given us a chance to see what this line offensive looks like without its stars.

Hey, all Summer we’ve talked about depth. Now, we may be able to see what happens if there is no Kelce, Brooks, or Peters. We’ve long known that Isaac Seumalo was one of this team’s most versatile linemen. We’ve also known that there are a lot of bodies and fewer answers about who qualifies in that Eagles’ second string. Might we have gotten a chance to see who this team believes the most in based on who they trotted out to ill in for the legends?

On Monday, seeing Jackson, Jalen Reagor, and Greg Ward line up with the first team caused a stir, as did seeing Avonte Maddox line up opposite Darius Slay at cornerback. All of that’s interesting, but it isn’t too terribly surprising. Neither was what the offensive line looked like without both Peters and Kelce. (Andre Dillard at left tackle, Matt Pryor at right guard, Seumalo at the center, Nate Herbig at right guard, and Lane Johnson at right tackle).

Again, none of that should surprise you. That’s probably what we would have guessed, but it does validate some of our imaginary depth charts. It also makes the mind wander. Who are the next-men-up behind Johnson and Dillard? Are we talking Prince Tega-Wanogho or Jack Driscoll or are we talking about Jordan Mailata, Casey Tucker, or Julian Good-Jones?  Again, we all have our guesses, but it will be fun to watch how things progress throughout camp.