August 18, 2015
The Eagles are now two-plus weeks into training camp, and some players are beginning to pull away from their competition. Let's update the camp battles we anticipated before camp began.
This was never a legitimate "camp battle," in my opinion, as the Eagles were always going to start Bradford unless he was either injured, or absolutely awful. Bradford, while not at all mobile, has shown a strong accurate arm throughout camp, while Sanchez had a rough outing in the first preseason game against the Colts.
Leader: Bradford is way out ahead of Sanchez.
Many projected Tobin to start at RG at the beginning of camp, and he was the first player to get opportunities to play with the first team offense. However, Tobin hasn't seen time with the ones in two full weeks. Instead, while Chip Kelly noted that the competition isn't dead, Gardner has been running with the ones for over a week now.
Leader: Gardner is the clear favorite to win that job.
TKO. Wolff is missing time again, while Thurmond has gone out and balled. This one is over.
Leader: Thurmond is going to start at safety Week 1, barring injury.
The coaching staff has gone way out of their way to praise Carroll for his work ethic this offseason, and he has consistently played with the first team defense throughout camp. That's not to say that Rowe has been bad. He has shined at times, but has not been as consistent as Carroll, and is still learning the intricacies of the position at the pro level.
Leader: After the team traded Brandon Boykin and then lost JaCorey Shepherd to injury, the Eagles opted to give slot corner reps to Rowe, which is a clear indication that Carroll is the leader to start outside at corner opposite Byron Maxwell.
Ertz was having an impressive camp, before suffering a groin injury that will sideline him until the start of the regular season. Ertz also worked hard all offseason to improve his blocking, which had previously kept him off the field. Celek, meanwhile, has not stood out in any way.
Leader: Had he stayed healthy, I would have projected Ertz to start, but his injury muddies the waters a bit.
Chip Kelly said that all the receivers are going to have roles in the offense, and in this case I believe him. Ultimately, Matthews and Agholor should get the most playing time, as they have the best mix of talent and polish to their game, with the explosive but erratic Huff being the wildcard.
Leader: None. Individual roles still to be determined.
At the onset of camp, I thought that Alonso would be the "every down" guy, with Ryans and Kendricks splitting snaps based on game situation. That has not changed. In fact, all three players were held out of the first preseason game, so we didn't get a glimpse into how they might be used this season.
Leader: The Eagles have not tipped their hand here yet. We'll learn more now that all three players are healthy.
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