20 Days Until Eagles Training Camp, 20 Questions That Demand Answers

The Philadelphia Eagles will have their first day of training camp practice on July 29. This is when the season will officially kick off as Philadelphia looks to win its second Super Bowl in three years.

Can the Eagles do it? First they'll have to answer these 20 questions between the start of training camp and the start of the regular season against the Washington Commanders on September 13.

What will Sean Mannion's offense look like?

Mannion's passing attack is a relative unknown, but we'll get a good glimpse of it in training camp once the pads come on. Based on watching the Packers offense and Eagles minicamp, there's a lot of quick passes and throws across the middle of the field.

Expect some throws to the running backs too, which the Eagles are trying to utilize that aspect of Saquon Barkley's game. This offense will be different than what we've seen in years past.

Can Jalen Hurts succeed in this offense?

This offense plays into a lot of Hurts' perceived weaknesses. What if I told you Hurts is actually good at playaction passing and throws across the middle? You can look at those numbers here.

Hurts will need as many reps as he can get, as the reluctance to throw across the middle habit needs to break. If Hurts can protect the football and be a plus-one in the running game, he should thrive.

Will Saquon Barkley have a bounce-back season?

Barkley wasn't going to have a season like he did in 2024, when he set the single-season rushing record for rushing yards (including postseason) with 2,504. Barkley wasn't elite last season due to a combination of factors.

Barkley can't have the season he had last year, or his future in Philadelphia is in doubt.

Is DeVonta Smith a WR1?

The Eagles believe he is, and Smith has shown on multiple occasions throughout his career he's ready to become one of the elite wideouts in the game. Smith is ready for an overload of tragets, and set for a massive season as the top option in this offense.

Who is going to be the WR2?

This is the most intriguing battle in training camp on the offensive side of the ball.

Dontayvion Wicks is the front runner to win the job, as he has the edge over Makai Lemon. Hollywood Brown can't be counted out of the equation either. Lemon is behind the 8-ball due to an injury this spring, but he'll get plenty of opportunities to catch up.

Is Makai Lemon healthy?

We're going to find out that first camp practice. Will Lemon take the field and how effective will he be?

Hamstring injuries are tricky, but Lemon will have two months to rest it up and get to 100%. The Eagles were wise to be cautious with Lemon this spring.

How good will the WR position be without A.J. Brown?

Hate to break this news to Eagles fans. The Eagles are worse at wide receiver without Brown.

The Eagles traded an elite wide receiver and moved DeVonta Smith to WR1. Fine, but who is going to replace Smith?

The combination of Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, and Makai Lemon make sthe Eagles deeper at wide receiver. They have to prove they're better this summer.

Who will be the QB2?

This was the battle this spring very few saw coming.

Andy Dalton received the majority of the QB2 snaps in the practices open to the media. Tanner McKee struggled in practice getting rid of the football, but Dalton did little to separate himself from McKee.

The QB2 battle will go on as long as McKee is in an Eagles uniform.

Can Eli Stowers find a way to contribute?

Stowers struggled this spring, which was surprising given how good of a route runner he is.

Can he find has way to make an impact in the camp practices? Or with TE1 reps in preseason games?

Stowers is a better player than what he displayed in minicamp. He'll be battling with Johnny Mundt for the TE2 job.

Is the offensive line healthy?

Cam Jurgens is feeling a lot better than at this time last year, which is huge for this offensive line. Lane Johnson is also 100% after a LisFranc sprain kept him out all of the December and the playoffs.

Landon Dickerson is the key. Perhaps the Eagles go easy on Dickerson in camp to make sure he's healthy for Week 1. That plan may be heading that way with Jurgens.

Who will be the No. 3 tackle?

This battle is between Fred Johnson and Markel Bell, as the third-round rookie took reps with the first team while Lane Johnson was absent for voluntary OTAs.

Johnson is the swing tackle for now, but Bell may be further along in his development than even the Eagles thought. Bell will get a long look at right tackle this summer.

Who is the No. 3 guard?

Another interesting battle on the offensive line. The Eagles signed Michael Jordan after minicamp to add depth to the guard position, but they may need more veteran depth there.

Micah Morris, Drew Kendall, Willie Lampkin, and Hollin Pierce have never played a regular season snaps at guard. If the Eagles roll with those four against Jordan, this summer will be interesting.

Is Nolan Smith going to address his speeding arrest?

The Eagles didn't make Smith available to the media this spring, but head coach Nick Sirianni chose to handle that in-house. this is fine, but Smith will have to address that at some point.

The sooner the better for the Eagles. This was an offseason distraction that doesn't need to be escalated.

Will Jalen Carter get his contract extension?

This may be the biggest question heading into camp, as Carter was noticeably not participating in team drills but was present at minicamp. Whether Carter was monitoring his shoulders or not, that could have been his version of a "hold in."

The Eagles want to see more maturity and consistency from Carter before paing him record-setting money. We'll see what happens when camp starts.

If Carter does "hold-in," we'll see how long it could be.

What if Eagles can't reach a deal with Carter?

This is where things get tricky. Do the Eagles budge and pay one of their best players or do both sides continue their impasse?

What if no contract extension comes? Does Carter's representation request a trade? And what could the Eagles get in return?

The Eagles should pay Carter, but there are layers to this.

What should we expect from Uar Bernard?

Not much. Bernard is learning how to play defensive tackle, basically having a training camp similar to what Jordan Mailata experienced in 2018.

He'll be on the third team taking his lumps when the pads come on. Any wins for Bernard will be massive as the Eagles have a lot of faith Bernard can develop into a quality player.

Patience is the key with Bernard.

Are Eagles going to trade for a safety?

The current plan is Marcus Epps to play opposite of Andrew Mukuba in nickel. A few years ago Anthony Harris started at safety on Day 1 of camp -- and he didn't even make the team.

There are no guarantees it will be Epps as the starter come Week 1, but he's getting the chance to win the job. The Eagles may try to upgrade at safety anyway -- but it may take a few weeks into camp.

Is Jihaad Campbell healthy?

Campbell noticeably was absent in minicamp rehabbing from shoulder surgery. We'll see if that's the case when the pads come on.

Campbell is the starter at off-ball linebacker with Zack Baun, but Jeremiah Trotter Jr, showed he's good enough to be an NFL starter. The Eagles are very deep at linebacker.

Who's the punt returner?

The Eagles don't really have one right now.

Britain Covey has been the punt returner, but there's no guarantee he'll even make the roster. The Eagles do have other options. Cooper DeJean would be Michael Clay's preferred choice, but Vic Fangio prefers to have DeJean just playing the slot and safety.

Elijah Moore could assume those duties, and was taking reps in minicamp. That may be his ticket towards making the roster.

The Eagles may take all summer to figure this out.

Who is backing up the starting CBs?

This is another battle that will be worth paying attention to at camp.

Kelee Ringo, Jakorian Bennett, and Jonathan Jones are the contenders for these roles. Jones is the primary backup in the slot and on the outside, based on how minicamp played out.

Ringo may make the team due to his special teams excellence and Bennett could be the odd man out. This summer will showcase a lot with all three players.

Add us as a preferred source on Google