Five Eagles Who Need to Step Up
It’s T-minus two weeks to the NFL Draft so much of the focus for every team in the league is the new players who will be entering their programs whenever the all-clear is sounded from the COVID-19 pandemic.
While draft picks are high-profile at the moment, the guts of any winning organization are built on the foundation of developmental programs. After all, the goal of any coaching staff is maximizing the strengths of the players at its disposal while masking as many deficiencies as possible.
To succeed, everyone has to improve from the most talented to the 53rd man on the roster.
Here are five Eagles already in the NovaCare Complex who need to take the next step in their careers during the 2020 season:
OT Jordan Mailata - With Halapoulivaati Vaitai about to be cashing big checks in Detroit, the Eagles have an opening at swing tackle and it’s time for a long-term project to pay dividends.
Mailata was always viewed in a three-year window in trying to make the unprecedented jump from Australian rugby player to NFL offensive tackle, and this is his third year.
At 6-foot-8 with freakish athleticism, the Eagles started him off at left tackle during his rookie campaign and then began cross-training last season before a balky back shut Mailata down.
After training camp this time around, it will be time for offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland to hand in the report card and the hope is Mailata can be the first man off the bench behind Lane Johnson and Andre Dillard.
OL Nate Herbig - We will stick on the offensive line where the Eagles would like to have a Stefen Wisniewski-like interior backup who can play all three positions seamlessly.
That’s easier said than done and usually it’s only veterans like Wiz who are counted on to do things like that.
For Philadelphia, however, the only current member of the roster with those types of traits is 2019 undrafted rookie Nate Herbig, who started working at center during Jason Kelce’s maintenance days in training camp last season.
A team source told SI.com that it was Herbig’s willingness and effectiveness in tackling that role that got him on the 53-man roster.
DE Genard Avery - Avery didn’t do much as a midseason trade pickup last season but his role is expected to expand this season unless the Eagles are able to bring in a Yannick Ngakoue-level player.
An undersized DE, the Eagles liked Avery’s natural pass-rushing ability in the 2018 draft and gave up a fourth-round pick to get him. The goal is to be a situational pass-rusher that supplements the trio of Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat.
QB Nate Sudfeld - It’s probably Sudfeld’s last chance to seize the backup job to Carson Wentz and it might play out a lot like last year. If the Eagles and Doug Pederson aren’t comfortable, Josh McCown may be getting a phone call in August.
S Marcus Epps - The Eagles have made their decisions on the back end, re-signing Rodney McLeod, bringing back Jalen Mills and moving him from cornerback to safety, and signing Philadelphia native Will Parks in free agency.
Don’t sleep on Epps, however, a 2019 sixth-round draft choice picked up off waivers from Minnesota last season. The book on him is that he’s a very instinctive player in coverage and the supergroup of McLeod-Mills-Parks isn’t exactly Ronnie Lott, Earl Thomas and Ed Reed so having a young player with upside is important.
John McMullen covers the Eagles for SI.com. You can listen to John every day on SIRIUSXM's Tony Bruno Show and on 97.3 ESPN in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
