July 29, 2026

Eagles 2026 training camp battle tracker

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Bill Streicher/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Eagles WR Makai Lemon is trying to earn a starting role during his rookie season.

At the start of Eagles training camp, there are a half dozen battles to be won or lost over the next month or so. Here we'll keep track of each of those battles and add analysis after each practice.

✔️ = Good day
🚀 = Great day
🚨 = Alarming day
❌ = No longer a contender
✅ = Camp battle won

WR2

The combatants: Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, Johnny Wilson, Darius Cooper, Elijah Moore

Pre-camp favorite: Lemon

Pre-camp analysis: DeVonta Smith will be the WR1 after being something of a WR1b alongside former WR1a A.J. Brown. Who will get the most playing time opposite Smith will be decided in camp. The Eagles added Lemon, Wicks, and Hollywood Brown this offseason to help offset the eventual trade of A.J. Brown.

• Makai Lemon, the team's first-round pick, was a tough, polished slot receiver and chain mover at USC.

• Dontayvion Wicks is a dirty work type of player with upside as a route runner and toughness as a blocker. The Eagles traded for him.

• Marquise Brown has elite speed, and although he has a low career yards per catch average, the Eagles intend to use him as a player who can threaten opposing defenses deep down the field. The Eagles signed him in free agency.

These three players have different skill sets and will be used situationally to some degree. However, if one is clearly outshining the rest, then, I mean, that guy is going to play more than the others.

We'll also keep an eye on Johnny Wilson, Darius Cooper, and Elijah Moore, who could all earn various other roles.

Starting RG	7/29	7/30	8/1	8/3	8/4
Makai Lemon	-
Dontayvion Wicks	-
Hollywood Brown	-

• 7/29: Darius Cooper had the play of the day, when he ran past Cooper DeJean down the seam and made a diving catch from Jalen Hurts.

Lemon, Wicks, and Brown were mostly quiet, though it's worth noting that Lemon was often in motion pre-snap, which perhaps is an indication that Sean Mannion is trying to scheme up ways to get him open for easy receptions.

Starting safety in sub-packages opposite Andrew Mukuba

The combatants: Marcus Epps, Michael Carter, Cole Wisniewski

Pre-camp favorite: Epps

Pre-camp analysis: Andrew Mukuba will start at one spot. Cooper DeJean will play safety opposite Mukuba on the semi-rare occasions the team is in its base defense. But who will start at safety when the Eagles are in nickel, when DeJean moves into the slot? 🤷‍♂️

With the roster as is, Epps and Carter are the top two options, but neither is ideal, in my opinion, and they could also be competing against outside options in addition to each other.

Safety	7/29	7/30	8/1	8/3	8/4
Marcus Epps	-
Michael Carter	-
Cole Wisniewski	-

• 7/29: There was nothing notable that I saw from the safeties. However, Wisniewski missed the entire spring with an undisclosed injury, and he was a full participant on Day 1.

QB2

The combatants: Tanner McKee, Andy Dalton

Pre-camp favorite: McKee

Pre-camp analysis: McKee is better than Dalton at this stage of these players' careers and it's silly that this is even a camp battle, but they split reps with the second-team offense in spring practices and Nick Sirianni did not commit to McKee as his QB2. So, I guess this is a camp battle to watch.

It's also possible that either McKee or Dalton could be traded. McKee would of course cost a lot more than Dalton.

Safety	7/29	7/30	8/1	8/3	8/4
Tanner McKee	-
Andy Dalton	-

• 7/29: McKee and Dalton both got second-team reps, though McKee was up first. Neither player had a particularly good or bad day.

Starting EDGE

The combatants: Jonathan Greenard, Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith

Pre-camp favorite: Greenard and Hunt

Pre-camp analysis: The Eagles have three starting-caliber edge defenders in Greenard, Hunt, and Smith, but none of them are necessarily star players.

Last season, Jaelan Phillips outpaced Smith and Hunt on snap counts after the team acquired him at the trade deadline. My sense is that Greenard will do the same in 2026. It would be a pretty big disappointment if he didn't after the team traded a pair of third-round picks for him before inking him to a four-year deal worth $98 million.

Smith and Hunt will both play a lot of snaps as long as they stay healthy, but one guy will start, and one, you know, won't. But this "camp battle" has bigger long-term ramifications, as both Smith and Hunt are under contract through 2027. There's a decent possibility that one of them will get a contract extension, and the other could be traded.

We'll also keep an eye on who will be the fourth edge rusher, with Arnold Ebiketie being the favorite to land that role.

EDGE	7/29	7/30	8/1	8/3	8/4
Jonathan Greenard	🚨
Jalyx Hunt	🚀
Nolan Smith	-

• 7/29: Greenard started camp on the PUP list after straining a pectoral muscle while lifting. That's not ideal, obviously. With Greenard out, Hunt and Smith got first-team reps.

Hunt had a great day. On one rep he had a 1-on-1 vs. Mailata, who was on an island. Hunt got Mailata leaning outside before jumping back inside with a free path to Hurts, and he got the "sack." On the next play Hunt then beat Mailata to the outside for another "sack," although that one was more of a coverage sack. Hunt also had a tackle for loss on Tank Bigsby, and he just generally he set the edge well against the run.

Ebiketie also had a sack, beating rookie Markel Bell around the corner.

TE2

The combatants: Johnny Mundt, Eli Stowers

Pre-camp favorite: Mundt

Pre-camp analysis: Dallas Goedert will be the Eagles' starting tight end again in 2026. But in the scheme that Sean Mannion is installing there should be plenty of opportunity for backup tight ends to get playing time.

Mundt and Stowers really couldn't be any more different as tight ends. Mundt is a blocking specialist, while Stowers is a converted quarterback and an elite athlete who was rarely asked to block in college, at least compared to your typical rookie tight end prospect.

Like with the receivers above, the backup tight ends could be deployed situationally, but again, if one looks like they will be more useful that the other, then that guy will get more playing time.