Biggest Takeaways From Day 1 Of Eagles Minicamp: Andy Dalton Getting Nod As QB2

Day 1 of mandatory minicamp for the Philadelphia Eagles is in the books.

With a 90-man roster present, there were a few revelations that took place. This included one of the most interesting developments that has surfaced from the spring involving the QB2 position -- included in the observations here.

Even with a full roster, the QB2 battle wages on along with some other takeaways that were highly noticeable during Day 1 of practice. Fortunately, the Eagles get another day of doing this before they break for the summer.

Andy Dalton is the QB2

Dalton got the majority of the QB2 reps in both of the open practices open to the media during the voluntary OTA sessions. The Eagles said Dalton and McKee were splitting the QB2 reps, yet did nothing to back up that statement on the field.

Guess who was the QB2 when mandatory minicamp started? Dalton.

Is Dalton the actual QB2 of this team? Or are the Eagles getting an extended look at him? Having Dalton has the QB2 doesn't make sense when McKee is on the roster, unless the Eagles do plan on trading McKee this summer.

McKee should be the unquestioned QB2 right? The Eagles have developed McKee for that role, but what if his performance last year wasn't what the Eagles expected? McKee didn't play well in the Week 18 game against the Washington Commanders, so perhaps that forced to Eagles to seek a potential upgrade.

Of course, not having McKee as the QB2 also potentially hurts his trade value. If McKee can't beat out Andy Dalton, why would any other team what him for high draft compensation?

Dalton didn't play well in Day 1 of practice. He threw three interceptions in the session, making the decision to have Dalton as QB2 all the more head scratching. McKee didn't perform well either, for anyone wondering.

Defense is ahead of the offense

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone given how minicamp practices operate. The defense is usually ahead of the offense at this time of year, because they have an established defensive coordinator in Vic Fangio and the system hasn't underwent a radical overhaul.

The Eagles offense is different under Sean Mannion, and it's shown in the minicamp practices. The quarterbacks are willing to go underneath more, but there's also hesitation from the quarterbacks to get rid of the football on time by Hurts and McKee.

As for the Eagles cornerbacks? They have looked strong all spring, especially on Day 1 of minicamp. Tariq Woolen locked up Smith on a crossing route in the session and has challenged Smith throughout the spring. Smith did get to Woolen on a go route, but Hurts wasn't able to connect with him.

This offense is a work in progress, and it's shown throughout the spring. The defense also deserves credit too -- this unit is very, very goof.

The Fred Johnson-Markel Bell battle

Bell was getting the first team reps at right tackle with Lane Johnson not present for the two voluntary minicamp practices open to the media, creating a storyline regarding who the No. 3 tackle is behind Johnson and Jordan Mailata.

When the second team came out, Dalton was the headliner at quarterback. Fred Johnson was the second team right tackle while Bell was backing up Mailata on the left side.

That could change on Day 2 as the Eagles want a different look, but Bell is on his natural side (he's still learning to play right tackle). The Eagles also have implied Johnson is the No. 3 tackle.

This is how the second team offensive line looked: Bell, Myles Hinton, Jake Majors, John Ojukwu, Johnson.

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