Early Skinny On Two Eagles' Offensive Spots With Uncertainty

PHILADELPHIA - There’s not many moving parts when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense, at least on the field.

The big changeup is at offensive coordinator where Kellen Moore has replaced Brian Johnson, and gotten more autonomy to steer the ship than Johnson and even his predecessor Shane Steichen, a close friend of head coach Nick Sirianni.

Nine of 11 starting spots are set for the Eagles' offense with the only real changes for the top-10 unit being Cam Jurgen’s move from right guard into center to replace retired All-Pro Jason Kelce, and the uber-talented Saquon Barkley sliding in for D’Andre Swift at running back.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts, receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, tight end Dallas Goedert left tackle Jordan Mailata, left guard Landon Dickerson, and right tackle Lane Johnson remain constants and are all considered Pro Bowl-level talents at their respective positions.

Moore has a lot to work with but must figure out the RG position that Jurgens has vacated and the third WR role which has been problematic in recent seasons with uninspiring production from players like Quez Watkins, Zach Pascal, Julio Jones, and Olamide Zaccheaus.

Here’s the early skinny on those two competitions:

Right Guard:

Pace Car: Tyler Steen

Contenders: Matt Hennessy, Trevor Keegan

Wild Card: Mekhi Becton

-The Eagles’ plan to replace Kelce has been Jurgens being the heir apparent since the latter was drafted in the second round of the 2022 draft. Steen, a right tackle at Vanderbilt before finishing up his college career at left tackle for Alabama, was selected in the third round last year to be projected inside to guard because his arm length generally becomes problematic outside.

A potential training camp battle for the RG job between Jurgens and Steen last summer never materialized. The former took every first-team rep until head coach Nick Sirianni admitted the obvious.

Jurgens played well but was nicked up on two occasions with veteran backup Sua Opeta filling in before Steen was given his opportunity on Nov. 5 against the Dallas Cowboys. The results were not great, particularly in pass protection, and the Eagles pressed rewind back to the limited Opeta, now in Tampa Bay, before Jurgens made it back to the lineup.

Steen looked more comfortable at OT when given opportunities there in the summer which shouldn’t come as any great surprise. The jury is still out on whether he can transition to the phone booth of the interior and be consistent enough to be a full-time starter.

Hennessy, a 2020 third-round pick in Atlanta, is the easiest projection because he’s done it at the pro level, mainly at center but also at left guard, and he’s a natural interior player.

The problem with the Temple product is back-to-back knee injuries that cost him much of the 2022 season and all of the 2023 campaign. The Eagles tried this kind of reclamation project last year with the oft-injured Justin Evans at safety and the early returns were good as Evans emerged from a camp competition as a starter before the injuries cropped up again and limited him to four games.

Keegan was a captain for the national champions at Michigan and a long-time starter at LG for the dominating Wolverines’ offensive line. He’s regarded as tough and cerebral, a valued combination for Jeff Stoutland.

Becton, meanwhile, needs to start his reclamation project at tackle before thinking about sliding inside but the longer it takes one of the other candidates to lock things down could create a let’s-look-at-Becton sentiment even with his massive size complicating throwing lanes for Jalen Hurts.

WR3:

Pace Car: Parris Campbell

Contenders: Ainias Smith, DeVante Parker

Wild Card: Britain Covey

-It’s hard to count on a fifth-round pick to contribute but Smith should have every opportunity because Campbell has done little in five seasons to make many believe the light is coming on even with a better supporting cast.

Smith has experience as a runner, receiver, and returner at Texas A&M and is explosive with the ball in his hands. The question will be with his route-running and whether or not Smith is more than a manufactured-touch player at the NFL level.

Parker, meanwhile, is 31 and has a 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame without the short-area quickness to handle slot work consistently. Parker is more of a contested-catch player at this stage of his career and he will be trying to fend off sixth-round rookie Johnny Wilson and a host of other young, big-bodied receivers as a backup outside the numbers.

Covey has proven excellent as a punt returner and Hurts lobbied for him to get more work in the slot last season when the struggles started to intensify but size is an issue. Generously listed at 5-8, 172 pounds, Covey is limited by that reality and the Eagles will always be looking for more from a physical standpoint.

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