Eagles training camp storylines that we haven't discussed often enough
Remember how bummed out we were in June when the only Philadelphia Eagles news we received revolved around whether or not this team likes each other? Raise your hand if you got sick of talking about the relationship dynamic between a certain quarterback and his head coach. Yep That's what we thought.
We bring that up not to unearth dead fables, nor do we do it to help bad memories resurface. That was honestly a long-winded way to tell you how happy we are to have so much to discuss now. Think about it. You could go on about this team for hours before arriving at discussions about Jalen Hurts.
Something tells us we'll have plenty of time to discuss QB1 this season. Perhaps you have heard. His much-discussed streak ended during the final training camp practice open to the media.
Darius Slay said he baited QB1 into making the throw. Jalen says he told 'Big Play', it was "about time" he grabbed one. It was all fun and games. Meanwhile camp has reminded us of a few things, like A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are pretty damn good.
Roster battles and the depth chart have dominated discussions as of late (as we expected), so much so that there are a few storylines that we should probably revisit more than we have. Here are three of about ten or so that qualify.
Sydney Brown hasn't participated in a single training camp practice.
Sometimes, we spend so much time discussing these guys like they're gladiators, and we forget to understand that they're human. Sydney Brown tore his ACL during the regular-season finale versus the New York Giants last January, and somehow, we thought he'd be ready for action before the regular season began.
Maybe we overreacted when we saw him running around without a boot on. Yeah, that was silly. We do realize this is an ACL injury, right? It's probably best not to rush him back onto the field.
As it stands now, he has missed all of training camp. There is still time for him to be activated from the PUP (physically unable to perform) list before Week 1. If that happens, his absence will open the door for someone else.
If he remains on the PUP entering the regular season, he’ll miss the first four games. A bye in Week 5 would mean the earliest we'd see him would be a Week 6 home game versus the Cleveland Browns.
Forget Tanner McKee for a second. How concerned are we about Kenny Pickett if Jalen Hurts misses time?
Tanner McKee has outplayed Kenny Pickett for the most part, especially during the first two preseason games. That has been so much of a story that we haven't paid attention to a few things, one being the Eagles seemingly have no intention of demoting Pickett.
A Steelers insider told us "that's the Kenny we know" when we brought up his preseason performance. That isn't what you want to hear. This is Jalen's team, but honestly, we had all pray that he never gets hurt this season.
Pickett is all kinds of bad, and it seemingly wouldn't matter if he was out there with the starters.
Every rookie and second-team player (who can participate) has gotten better.
Again, Sydney Brown is injured. So is Tyler Steen, but the latter went down competing for a starting job while battling an ankle injury. Well... He battled for that starting job until a few weeks ago before being supplanted by Mekhi Becton for a starting job.
Everyone else from the 2023 Eagles draft class has seemingly gotten better: Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith. Kelee Ringo, Tanner McKee, and Moro Ojomo. Truthfully, that's all that you can ask for.
The 2024 class is another exciting bunch. Cooper DeJean was recently elevated from the NFI (Non-Football Injury list). He is jus getting his feet wet. Everyone else has improved steadily through the offseason on through the preseason. Again, that's all you can ask for.
Make the most of those opportunities fellas! Write the names down if you haven't already.
Quinyon Mitchell, Jalyx Hunts, Will Shipley, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Trevor Keegan, Johnny Wilson (who is now injured), and Dylan McMahon. There's a lot to be excited about here, and many of these guys will contribute in year one.
Ainias Smith got off to a rough start, but even he has improved. Credit the coaching staff for drawing a play up for him to boost his confidence. We'll see how things go from here on out. So far, he looks good.