Five Concerns as Eagles Entering Training Camp
The praise has been near unanimous for Howie Roseman's offseason but nothing is perfect and if your inspection digs deep enough, there are a few reasons for hand-wringing before you get to the most obvious question mark: is Jalen Hurts ready to lead a talented roster to a deep playoff run?
Here are five non-Hurts issues that could be a problem for Nick Sirianni's Eagles in 2022:
THE SAFETY SPOT: Jaquiski Tartt was a late Band-AId and a decent insurance policy that should guarantee competency if the former 49ers starter is forced into the lineup next to returning veteran Anthony Harris.
With the organization losing faith in K'Von Wallace the goal seems to be getting Marcus Epps up to speed as the one young option available with some upside.
Epps did play well in a rotational role last season. Extrapolating that into some kind of guarantee seems specious, however. After all, Epps came into the NFL as a sixth-round pick who started as a walk-on at Wyoming and arrived in Philadelphia as a waiver-wire pickup so we aren't talking about Ronnie Lott-like traits to build on.
12 PERSONNEL: Two tight end packages have been a staple in Philadelphia over recent seasons and that was typically a prudent decision once Dallas Goedert arrived to supplement Zach Ertz, coupled with the organization continuing to have trouble finding difference-making receivers.
Goedert has done his part, developing into one of the better two-way TEs in the NFL but Ertz is now in Arizona and the projected TE2 is either 2021 undrafted rookie Jack Stoll or rookie sixth-round pick Grant Calcaterra.
Calcaterra has some upside as a flex TE and Stoll showed some competency as a blocker once Ertz was dealt last season but if you look around the NFL, the Eagles have a top-5 starter at the position and bottom-five level depth.
For the glass-is-half-full crowd, the good news is that the Eagles' WR corps looks the best it has in years so the need to play so much 12 should be dissipated.
NO BELL COW: Stop dreaming about Miles Sanders or Kenny Gainwell being a bell cow back for a couple of reasons, most notably that the idea of the RB1 carrying an offense in the NFL is an endangered one.
Over the last three seasons, the only backs who could have fit that definition at times are Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, Nick Chubb, Dalvin Cook, and Christian McCaffrey.
The bigger issue, though, is the talent level in Philadelphia doesn't reach that rarified air and really it's not close so a RB-by-committee approach is not only a Sirianni preference, it's a necessity.
PUNTING COMPETITION: Sirianni has preached competition since the day he arrived in Philadelphia, yet the Eagles are set to begin training camp with no daily reminder to punter Arryn Siposs that his tailspin late last season was unacceptable.
The thought process from Philadelphia is that Siposs will be competing with the other punters around the league and if one shakes loose that the Eagles believe can be an upgrade, it's a position where you can make a quick change with few hiccups.
To be fair that's true, but it should also be noted that Siposs first got on the Eagles' radar after batting with Detroit Pro Bowl punter Jack Fox on a day-to-day basis in 2020. More so, Siposs' predecessor in Philadelphia, Cam Johnston, took off only after first losing a camp battle with Donnie Jones in 2017.
So, it is at least a little curious why the organization doesn't believe boots on the ground to allow iron to sharpen iron for Siposs is the better alternative when it comes to competition.
PRESSING PAUSE ON THE FUTURE: The Eagles have a few players that they believe have a chance to be high-level starters down the road in right guard Jack Driscoll and defensive tackle Milton Williams but both at least project to take a step back in playing time for the short term to allow veterans who may not be in Philadelphia in 2023 to be on the field.
In the case of Driscoll, he will have to wait his turn if Isaac Seumalo proves to be healthy in his return from Lisfranc surgery while Williams is the fourth in the four-man DT rotation after Jordan Davis was brought in as the No. 13 overall pick.
Davis isn't the issue there, though.
Both Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave are entering contract years and it's likely that one won't be back in 2023 and at least conceivable that both are not.
If the Eagles believe they are true contenders, they should milk every last ounce out of their veteran players. If that's pie in the sky, however, focusing on players who figure to help you for multiple years is the way to go and the Eagles must be honest with themselves at all times as the season marches on.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Sports. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talker Jody McDonald, every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com and JAKIBSports.com. You can reach John at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
