Right Guard Safety Nets Grow for Eagles

PHILADELPHIA - If anything the Eagles' situation at right guard got a little murkier this spring if Tyler Steen can't seize the position.

A second-year player who spent his entire college career at either right or left tackle with Vanderbilt and Alabama, Steen, 23, remains the penciled-in starter for Week 1.

Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland seemed to be on the verge of confirming exactly that before catching himself.

“Right now he’s on the track to be. …I really like what he’s doing. I really like his stuff,” Stoutland said. “I know this is individual stuff, but we demand quickness, effort, straining, and I’ve seen definite improvement in his strength and his power and his quickness, his ability to play with low hips.

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“I thought he played high last year. I think he’s put a lot of time in the weight room with our people here because I can see it.”

All that said, Steen remains a projection with one career start against Dallas season in which he was ineffectual in pass protection. If the evaluation is incorrect or even pushed back, a contingency is needed.

Coming into the spring that seemed to be veteran Matt Hennessy. Coming out of offseason work, the curve balls of Mekhi Becton and Max Scharping have been added.

The fact that the Eagles were willing to look at the 6-foot-7, 363-pound Becton, 25, inside at guard, albeit LG as the replacement for the excused Landon Dickerson, would indicate he’s in play to get on the field.

“Mekhi’s a huge guy, a lot of potential,” All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson said. “He’s probably had one of the best offseasons here. He’s played some guard at times and has done really well well. Just a big, strong, powerful dude.

“I think he’s going to help us a lot this year whether he plays tackle or guard, but a guy that big that can move that well, we definitely need him out there.”

One cautionary note to that came from Becton himself who noted moving to the right side is more difficult for him than sliding between left tackle and LG.

Becton did have fun playing at guard in minicamp, though.

“It’s fun. It’s been great,” Becton said. “It’s definitely a different adjustment for me. I never played it before, but it’s fun. The action is right there than at tackle. Tackle they get a chance to build their speed up and stuff like that, but guard it’s all hand work and you have to be ready to fight right then and there.”

Scharping, 27, was signed on June 3 as a six-year veteran with 33 career starts on the interior, ostensibly an indication GM Howie Roseman wasn’t necessarily comfortable with the depth which could be related to a Hennessy, 26, attempt to return to his prior form after two injury-plagued seasons.

The fingers will remain crossed for Steen in training camp.

“He’s been good,” Johnson said of Steen. “He’s night and day stronger than what he was last year. He’s put in the work. We have a lot of bodies and as you know OTAs are limited contact, so everything’s looking good, footwork, but we obviously won’t tell until training camp and we get the pads on.”

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