Eagles Mandatory Minicamp Primer: Roster Battles, Rising Rookies and Players To Watch

The Eagles two-day mandatory minicamp begins today at the Jefferson Health Training Complex

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Spring officially ends for the Philadelphia Eagles this week.

The Eagles will have a two-day mandatory minicamp before breaking for the summer. This is the only time everyone on the 90-man roster must be present prior to training camp, as Nick Sirianni will have sessions that last just over an hour before a six-week break.

How the Eagles look in the aftermath of A.J. Brown trade won't be determined during these two practices, especially with Makai Lemon out with a hamstring injury. Jihaad Campbell also isn't expected to participate in these mandatory practices, as he's still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

As the Eagles begin their two-day mandatory minicamp, here's what to watch for at the Jefferson Health Training Complex over the next two days. Fans won't get to see any practices until the open practice at Lincoln Financial Field in August, and there's only one of them.

Minicamp schedule

The Eagles decided to have only two mandatory minicamp practices this year, a sthey can have a maximum for three per the CBA. This has been a common practice in the Nick Sirianni era, not using the maximum of 10 minicamp practices available.

Last year, the Eagles only had one mandatory minicamp practice coming off a Super Bowl win. With a new offense under Sean Mannion and different pass catchers, there is a reason to maximize the opportunity to get in extra organized workouts.

Again, don't expect much in shells and shorts. The Eagles may run about 5-to-10% of what they are their offense will look like, as these practices are more of practicing live reps of what they are learning in the film room. Quarterback stats and practice stats don't matter either.

Here is the schedule for the first practice:

Tuesday, June 9

12:30 p.m. -- Nick Sirianni press conference

1:00 p.m. -- Practice begins

2:30 p.m. -- Select player press conferences

 

Wednesday, June 10

12:30 p.m. -- Nick Sirianni press conference

1:00 p.m. -- Practice begins

2:30 p.m. -- Select player press conferences

Roster battles to watch

The Eagles don't have any major roster battles this offseason, yet there are some notable ones to keep an eye on. The majority of them involve what's going on behind the starters, even though there is a starting job up for grabs.

With the entire team present for minicamp, there's a significantly deeper look on how these battles come to fruition.

Safety: This is the most intriguing battle in minicamp, as the Eagles are willing to give Marcus Epps the opportunity to win the job this summer. The Eagles like Epps, who has an edge over Michael Carter II and J.T. Gray for the job. Cooper DeJean will also line up in safety in base defense, but the Eagles run that less than 15% of the time. There could always be improvements at safety, but Epps gets the firts crack at the job.

QB2: This is Tanner McKee's job, until it isn't. The Eagles aren't going to keep four quarterbacks on the roster, and Andy Dalton has been taking the majority of the QB2 reps in the open practice sessions to the media. With the full contingent this week, let's see if McKee takes the majority of the QB2 snaps and if Dalton takes the QB3. McKee could be traded this summer, but he's the QB2 for right now.

No. 3 tackle: Is Fred Johnson the swing tackle, or will it be Markel Bell? During the open sessions to the media, Bell was the first-team right tackle with Lane Johnson absent for the voluntary practices. With Johnson back, let's see who lines up with the second team at right tackle. If it's Bell, this summer will be more interesting.

No. 3 guard: Who is the No. 3 guard on the Eagles? The player who steps in if Landon Dickerson or Tyler Steen goes down. Micah Morris lined up with the secodn team at right guard in the open OTA practices while Willie Lampkin was at left guard. Neither player has taken a regular seaosn snap in the NFL. Let's see if the Eagles add veteran talent this summer.

Rookie stock up/down

The Eagles certainly have an intriguing rookie class, one which has some undrafted free agents that could make the 53-man roster. As minicamp begins, here's where some rookies stack up.

Stock up: Markel Bell, Cole Payton, Uar Bernard, Kapena Gushiken, Rocco Underwood

Bell is already taking first team reps at right tackle with Lane Johnson missing some of the voluntary minicamp practices, indicating he may be further along in his development than initially thought.

Payton may be QB3 if the Eagles trade Tanner McKee, which didn't seem possible when he was drafted. Bernard basically has a roster spot waiting for him and he gotten praise on his development while Gushiken already has a nickname from Vic Fangio -- which is a good sign towards him being in the roster plans.

The Eagles didn't sign a long snapper, so Underwood has the job right now.

Stock down: Makai Lemon, Jaeden Roberts, Deontae Lawson

Lemon is battling for the WR2 job with Dontayvion Wicks, but he'll be out of mandatory minicamp witha hamstring injury. Lemon is expected to be back by the start of training camp, but a rookie first-round pick missing these practices is critical. Lemon will get the opportunity to win the job when the pads come on, assuming he's ready to go.

Roberts and Lawson weren't expected to do much and are buried on the depth chart. The reason they are notable UDFAs is because they went to Alabama.

Who won't be participating

Lemon is out with a hamstring injury and is expected to be back by the start of training camp. Jihaad Campbell is also recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. will take first team reps at off-ball linebacker.

Who else is injured will be determined in the practices, and Nick Sirianni will mention who's present for practice and who isn't. The Eagles have had good attendance for these minicamps in the past.