Week 4 of training camp got underway with the Philadelphia Eagles, as they got to work on their 12th day of practice, and a little surprise was thrown in there.
The Eagles got some good news with some key starters returning to practice after dealing with injuries. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith, cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean were all back from missing time last week with injuries.
One other Eagles player made a return to the practice field: rookie seventh-round pick safety Cole Wisniewski, as this was his first official practice with the Eagles. Wisniewski was dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him out for the first three weeks. What he did in the practice, though, should be worth taking note of.
Eagles might be showing where rookie Cole Wisniewski stands on roster
NBC Sports Philadelphia Eagles reporter Dave Zangaro shared his latest observations on what he saw in the team's latest practice. Zangaro made an interesting note about Wisniewski's first practice at training camp with the Eagles.
"Rookie Cole Wisniewski was able to get on the field for a first-team rep later in one period. Nice to see him back on the field after a long layoff but he has work to do if he wants to make the roster."
After his selection, many compared Wisniewski to former Eagles safety Reed Blankenship and believed the rookie could replace him. The Eagles took Wisniewski in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Last year at Texas Tech, he had 78 tackles, six pass deflections, two forced fumbles, one sack, and one fumble recovery in 14 games. He started every game at safety for the Red Raiders, whose defense was considered one of the best in the nation.
Marcus Epps and Michael Carter II are currently in a battle for one of the starting safety jobs and have been for the last three weeks. Second-year safety Andrew Mukuba will start in the other safety spot.
Seeing Wisniewski shows the Eagles are willing to give him a shot at the job. The problem is that missing three weeks of training camp could hurt him. It may not be a matter of him trying to win the starting job, as he might need to focus more on making the 53-man roster.
Epps was a healthy scratch from the Eagles' 24-7 preseason opening loss to the Baltimore Ravens. That clearly indicates Epps will make the team and is in the driver's seat to potentially win the starting safety job.
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Wisniewski is a smart, instinctive safety who played at a high level in college, but he might be facing too much of an uphill battle. Still, the Eagles giving him a shot at winning the job is a telling sign of what the next two weeks could look like in training camp.
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