• 7/28: There was some thought among the beats that Jurgens and Steen might alternate days getting reps with the first-team offense, but it was once again Jurgens with the 1's. It was tough to see interior line play from our vantage point on Day 2, so I won't pretend to have any strong insights from practice (especially without the pads), but Jurgens' second straight day with the 1's for camp is good enough for me to award him the day.

• 7/30: Jurgens got all the first-team reps for the third straight practice. Steen got chewed out for a false start, like he did on Day 1 of practice. In 2021, there was a camp battle for the starting LT job between Jordan Mailata and Andre Dillard. Those guys alternated first-team reps each day, but that has not been the case with Jurgens and Steen. Jurgens is very clearly in the lead to start camp.

• 8/1: First day in pads. Steen was getting coached up by Jeff Stoutland after 1-on-1 reps, while Jurgens largely was not (indicating that Stoutland was satisfied with Jurgens' reps). For the fourth consecutive practice, Jurgens played with the first-team offense. This camp battle is pretty close to being decided already, in my opinion, though I'm sure the Eagles are eager to get a look at Jurgens at RG during a preseason game.

• 8/3: Tyler Steen played LT on the second-team offensive line, with Dennis Kelly moving inside to guard. Steen had a pretty good day out on the edge, making a physical run block on Nolan Smith, and then later pancaking him while in pass protection. But Steen's move to tackle is a strong indication that Jurgens has more or less already won this camp battle, so the Eagles may as well start getting some reps for Steen at tackle in addition to guard to increase his versatility as a backup.

Meanwhile, Jurgens has looked perfectly fine at guard through the first week of camp. The PhillyVoice news desk is ready to call this one.

Starting linebacker opposite Nakobe Dean

The combatants: Free agent acquisition Nicholas Morrow vs. 2022 practice squad guy / special teamer Christian Elliss.

Pre-camp favorite: Morrow

• 7/26: After picking off passes in each of the two media-attended OTAs during the spring, Elliss picked off Marcus Mariota on Day 1 of camp, though it should probably be noted that Mariota threw it right to him. Elliss got first-team reps, which wasn't a given on Day 1 heading into camp, so the Eagles are rewarding his strong play this spring with a legitimate opportunity to compete for a starting job.

• 7/28: Morrow gave up a bunch of completions to Dallas Goedert on Friday, which can really be said of a lot of linebackers. I did think he had close coverage on a number of them. I didn't see Elliss getting any first-team reps today, which I think is a win for Morrow.

• 7/30: Elliss got some first-team reps, like he did on Day 1. Morrow has given up a lot of receptions through the first three practices, and he had a pretty obvious pass interference penalty deep down the field against D'Andre Swift.

• 8/1: Elliss struggled covering Dallas Goedert, though that can be said of every linebacker on the team. He did win some 1-on-1 LB-RB pass protection reps, though they came against roster longshot Kennedy Brooks. It looked like Morrow got home on a blitz during 11-on-11's. We'll award the day to Morrow, but neither player has really stood out through the first four practices. I imagine Howie Roseman has already begun exploring outside options at linebacker.

• 8/3: Rookie first-round pick Nolan Smith got some off-ball linebacker reps, which should be an alarming development for both Morrow and Elliss. We won't award the day to either player here.

• 8/4: For the second straight day, Nolan Smith got reps at off-ball linebacker in addition to his usual spot on the edge. Safety Terrell Edmunds also got some first-team reps at linebacker. Nakobe Dean missed practice with an ankle injury. Neither Elliss nor Morrow stood out. 🤷‍♂️

• 8/6: Morrow's and Elliss' — and maybe also Dean's (?) — collective stock took a hit when the team signed a pair of veteran linebacker in Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham. Dean missed the open practice on Sunday night with his ankle injury, and while Morrow and Elliss had decent practices, it doesn't feel right to award either with a checkmark, given the roster moves at the position.

• 8/8: Elliss is the "green dot" helmet guy with Dean still out. Jack got some first-team reps in favor of Morrow. Let's go ahead and add Jack and Cunningham to the chart above.

• 8/9: Dean was a limited participant in practice after missing each of the last three practices. He did not participate in 11-on-11's. I thought it was a good day for the linebackers. Cunningham had a nice pass breakup, when he dove from a trail position in front of a slant route by Grant Calcaterra for a pass breakup. I also thought Elliss and Morrow filled holes aggressively against the run for tackles for loss. Jack got first-team reps for the second consecutive day.

• 8/10: This was a short practice (only 50 minutes). The linebackers didn't stand out much, and Goedert has his way in the middle of the field, as usual.

• 8/12 (Eagles at Ravens): Elliss played 10 snaps, and then he was done for the night. I believe that he is in the lead to start opposing Dean.

• 8/14: (Eagles-Browns joint practice): Cunningham deflected a pass that was picked off by Blankenship. He has shown some coverage ability since joining the team a about a week ago.

• 8/15 (Eagles-Browns joint practice): For the second straight day, Cunningham deflected a pass that was picked off by Blankenship.

• 8/17 (Browns at Eagles): Of the two recently added linebackers, Cunningham is better than Jack. Cunningham has made a bunch of plays in practice in coverage, and he showed some nice things against the run Thursday night. I think he's in, and Jack is out. Elliss has been consistently good.

• 8/19: Cunningham and Elliss split first-team reps. This competition is coming is down to those two players.

• 8/20: Jack retired, so that eliminates him (duh). It's pretty much down to Cunningham and Elliss for the remaining starting LB spot, and Cunningham is getting more first-team reps than Elliss.

• 8/22: Cunningham got first-team reps again, and he had a nice tackle for loss. I think he's the starter opposite Dean, barring a big move for a linebacker.

• 8/24 (Colts at Eagles): Cunningham got the night off in the final preseason game. I'm ready to call this battle Cunningham is the starter. (Again, barring a trade.)

Starting safeties

The combatants: Reed Blankenship, the only player of the three listed here who was on the team last year (and he played well), Terrell Edmunds, the free agent acquisition who has by far the most NFL experience of the three, and rookie third-round pick Sydney Brown, who probably has the highest ceiling.

Pre-camp favorites: Blankenship and Edmunds, though all three will probably have a role.

• 7/26: Blankenship had a nice pass breakup while covering Kenny Gainwell on Day 1, and seemed to be in the right place all day during red zone team sessions.

• 7/28: No standouts here today. Brown is still buried with the the third-team defense. K'Von Wallace got first-team reps opposite Blankenship, who is the only safety to primarily play with the starters on both days so far.

• 7/30: Once again, Wallace got first-team reps opposite Blankenship. It's hard to consider Blankenship anything other than the top safety at this point given that he has been the only player to exclusively play with the starters.

• 8/1: The Eagles showed some three-safety sets on defense. Blankenship and Wallace were on the back end, with Edmunds serving as a dime linebacker. That makes sense. Edmunds is listed at 6'1, 216, and could pass for an undersized linebacker. Brown got some second-team looks after mostly playing with the third-team defense the first few days of camp. Blankenship continues to play exclusively with the 1's, and it is becoming pretty clear that the team views him as their top safety. 

Maybe we should add Wallace to the above chart, since he has gotten a fair share of first-team reps? Let's go ahead and do that.

• 8/3: There was a play between the third-team offense/defense in which Ian Book didn't see anything he liked down the field, so he took off running down the left sideline. These are the types of throwaway plays during training camp that don't typically make the practice notes. However, Brown caught my eye on the play with the way that he raced from the opposite side of the field to track down Book. He possesses on-field speed that Edmunds, Blankenship, and Wallace do not.

• 8/4: I thought Brown took an aggressive angle to Kenny Gainwell, which allowed Gainwell to get by him for extra yardage. Brown has great energy and he flies around the field, but there's probably some balance to be achieved between that and simply making the play. 

We're pretty close to calling Blankenship as a starter, and Wallace continues to get first-team reps.

• 8/6: Wallace continues to get a lot of first-team reps. I don't have an official count or anything, but at this point I would estimate that he has gotten more first-team reps at safety than Edmunds. On Day 7, Wallace was around the ball a lot on running plays, and he had a nice little pop (without going too far) on Grant Calcaterra after a short completion.

• 8/8: The play of the day came via Blankenship, who made a diving interception of Jalen Hurts near the sideline on a pass intended for Quez Watkins. He was able to get his arms under the ball to keep it from hitting the ground while fully extended. I was going to wait until at least one preseason game was in the books to make a more definitive call on Blankenship's status as a certain Week 1 starter (barring injury), but I've seen enough to make a call.

There is still one starting safety spot to be settled. One down, one to go.

• 8/9: Wallace had play today on an RPO in which he bit hard on a fake to the running back. Hurts kept it, and had wide open spaces on Wallace's side of the field. Wallace is a good tackler. He only had two missed tackles the last two seasons vs. 43 tackles, per ProFootballReference.com. However, he has not shown that he can be reliable in coverage in previous seasons, and there have been times that he has been out of position against the run. I think he has been better in coverage this camp than he has in any other camp, but his awareness against the run is maybe still a work in progress.

• 8/10: In practices, Brown has neither made big plays yet nor has he been responsible for negative big plays. I don't know how either is possible with the way that he runs around like his hair is on fire. 

There was one play where the defense was in a 2-deep look, and Brown spotted a post route by Britain Covey coming his way from the opposite side of the field. Brown broke hard on it toward the middle of the field, and was correct that Marcus Mariota was going to Covey. However, Mariota held onto the ball for an extra beat and lofted the ball to the area of the field that Brown had just vacated. Brown was able to somehow hustle back to where the throw was headed and would have had a chance to break it up if it weren't off-target.

He is an athletic beast, but there may be some early growing pains with his aggressiveness.

• 8/12 (Eagles at Ravens): The Eagles confirmed our proclamation that Blankenship will be a Week 1 starter, since he didn't play in this game.

It was fun to watch Brown fly around the field, but I imagine the Eagles are hesitant to give him an important role early because his play style could lead to some big plays for opposing offenses. But his speed and talent are obvious, and the defensive staff will probably pick their spots where he can contribute. Still, I really like what I see with Brown, and I'm going to give him a checkmark for this game.

Wallace also deserves a checkmark for his forced fumble.

• 8/14: (Eagles-Browns joint practice): Brown got a bunch of first-team reps. If this were an ordinary Eagles-only practice it wouldn't necessarily mean a whole lot, but in joint practices it probably does. He appears to be ascending on the depth chart. There was one play in which Brown was blitzing around the left edge, and he got to the quarterback quickly.

• 8/15 (Eagles-Browns joint practice): We already anointed Blankenship a starter a week ago, but we'll give him special recognition here because he was stellar. We mentioned his INT in the linebacker section above. But also, during a goal line session, Blankenship filled a hole with urgency and met Nick Chubb head on, stopping Chubb in his tracks.

And then during the scrimmage portion of practice, Blankenship jumped in front of TE Jordan Akins for another INT, resulting in a raucous celebration by the Eagles on the field and on the sideline.

On one of Blankenship's INTs, Sydney Brown laid out Browns RB Demetric Felton with a vicious block. When a bunch of Browns players ran over to try to fight him, Brown didn't back down at all.

• 8/17 (Browns at Eagles): Wallace played 52 snaps on Thursday night, which is a lot for a player who the team already knows very well and doesn't really need to evaluate. I don't think that bodes well for his chances of starting.

• 8/19: We haven't really considered that Justin Evans could win this starting job, but he got a bunch of first-team reps, which is notable this late in camp. The remaining open starting safety job feels more wide open than the rest.

• 8/20: Edmunds, Brown, and Justin Evans all got first-team reps at safety. If Wallace did as well, I didn't notice that. Evans has actually gotten first-team reps the last few practices, and might be making a late push to start.

In case you're unfamiliar with Evans, he was a Bucs second-round pick (50th overall) in 2017 out of Texas A&M. He had a productive rookie season in 2017 (in the stat sheet, at least), when he had 66 tackles, 3 INTs, and 6 pass breakups. However, his career has since been derailed by injuries.

• In 2017, he was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury, and he missed the last 2 games of the regular season.

• In 2018, he missed six games with a toe injury, once again landing on injured reserve to finish the season.

• In 2019, he missed the entirety of the season with an Achilles injury.

• In 2020, he started training camp on the PUP list, and was waived in December with a failed physical designation.

• In 2021, he wasn't on an NFL roster.

• In 2022, he signed with the Saints and played in 15 games, starting four. He missed the last two games with a shoulder injury.

The Eagles had interest in trading for Evans during training camp last year, but they instead ended up dealing for his then-teammate Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. He has had a trying NFL journey so far, but he also has ability and some experience. Let's add him to the chart above.

• 8/22: Once again, Evans, Edmunds, and Brown all got some first-team reps. Brown had a play in which he saw a chance for an INT on a pass to Mo Alie-Cox, so he broke hard to try to pick it off. Instead, he ran square into Alie-Cox at the same time that the ball arrived, and Alie-Cox went down hard. Brown didn't get the pick, but he got a PBU.

• 8/24 (Colts at Eagles): All the safeties except for Blankenship played in the final preseason game. Wallace got the unenviable task of playing deep into the fourth quarter, a bad sign for him.

Slot receiver

The combatants: The incumbent Quez Watkins, who has great speed but was unreliable at times in 2022 vs. Olamide Zaccheaus, a trusty-but-unsplashy No. 2 for Atlanta last season who made the plays that came his way.

Pre-camp favorite: Watkins

• 7/26: Neither Watkins nor Zaccheaus racked up a bunch of catches on Day 1. Watkins did get open a few times but the ball didn't go his way.

• 7/28: Zaccheaus looked good as a runner in the open field after a catch, and he made a really nice snag on throw that was well behind him.

• 7/30: Watkins was arguably the biggest standout on the team on Day 3, making several difficult contested catches in traffic. We know that Quez can fly and that he is a threat deep down the field that opposing defenses have to respect, but he made plays in some of the deficient areas of his game on Day 3.

• 8/1: Watkins and Zaccheaus were both quiet after Watkins' big day on 7/30.

• 8/3: Once again, Watkins and Zaccheaus were quiet, so I won't award the day to either player. Zaccheaus has been especially quiet through the first week of camp, though it should be noted that he is mostly playing on the second-team offense, which has struggled to move the ball through the air with a struggling Marcus Mariota and a second-team offensive line that has been overmatched against a great group of defensive linemen.

• 8/4: Watkins had a highlight reel catch, out-jumping Avonte Maddox for a contested catch TD on a post-corner route during red zone 1-on-1's.

• 8/6: Zaccheaus caught a TD pass in red zone 11-on-11's on a nice play by Mariota to extend the play. That's about all there is to update here. I suppose that's enough to award the day to Zaccheaus.

• 8/8: Watkins had a number of catches, including a nice contested catch over Josh Jobe. Watkins has the advantage of playing with Hurts, while Zaccheaus has mainly played with Mariota, but Watkins has still made far more plays. I'm pretty close to calling this camp battle for Watkins.

• 8/9: Zaccheaus got first-team reps while DeVonta Smith was out for personal reasons, but once again Watkins was more active.

• 8/10: I liked what I saw from Zaccheaus. He had a diving catch near the sideline in 7-on-7's, and was able to keep his feet in bounds. He also had a long TD on a busted coverage.

• 8/12 (Eagles at Ravens): Neither Watkins nor Zaccheaus played, but Zaccheaus was healthy, while Watkins missed the game due to injury.

• 8/14: (Eagles-Browns joint practice): Watkins missed practice with a hamstring injury. Zaccheaus didn't do much in team drills, but had a great route during 1-on-1's in which he dusted a Browns CB in press at the LOS, and then got wide open on an in-breaking route.

• 8/15: (Eagles-Browns joint practice): Watkins was out again with his hamstring injury. Zaccheaus had a nice block down the field, but he didn't do anything particularly notable as a receiver.

• 8/17 (Browns at Eagles): Watkins didn't play with a hamstring injury, and Zaccheaus injured his shoulder during the game.

• 8/19: Zaccheaus practiced, Watkins remains out. Zaccheaus hasn't capitalized much on Watkins' absence. 

• 8/20: Zaccheaus made the play of the day, as he was able to make a catch just outside the hashes while diving and simultaneous being interfered with by Edmunds. That catch got a rise out of the players on the sideline, with shouts of "O.Z.!!!" Watkins once again did not practice.

• 8/22: Zaccheaus did not make any obvious standout plays, and Watkins remained out.

• 8/24 (Colts at Eagles): Neither Zaccheaus nor Watkins played.

No. 3 quarterback

The combatants: Rookie sixth-round pick Tanner McKee vs. 2022 waiver claim Ian Book.

Pre-camp favorite: McKee

• 7/26: We saw more of McKee on Day 1 than we saw of Book, indicating that McKee is already ahead of Book in the pecking order. McKee threw some wobblers, but he also flashed, making a smart, pinpoint throw to Jadon Haselwood in the back of the end zone during a developmental period for the young players.

• 7/28: I don't think McKee did anything special, but Book had some ugly reps.

• 7/30: Reps are limited for the guys competing for the third quarterback spot, but McKee had a couple of nice throws to undrafted rookies Jadon Haselwood and Joseph Ngata.

• 8/1: McKee caught my eye on a crisp, quick hitter to Tyree Jackson on a slant route that allowed Jackson to pick up yards after the catch. Book could have had a TD pass to Jackson in the red zone, but the ball was a little off-target, making the catch more difficult for Jackson, who could not keep his feet in bounds. It's a clean sweep so far for McKee, in my opinion, and yet there still probably isn't a huge gap overall between these two quarterbacks.

• 8/3: Nothing noteworthy from either player on Day 5.

• 8/4: Again, there's just not a lot to say here with limited reps for each guy. Prepare to see a lot of McKee and Book in the preseason games.

• 8/6: A bad snap hit Book in the lower leg, after which Book lost his balance and fell down. The visual of it made it look like the snap knocked him over, lol. McKee has done a few nice things, but I can't recall him airing one yet in team drills yet. Let some rip, kid. We'll award the day to McKee, who did not have a play in which it looked like a bad snap knocked him over. #Analysis.

• 8/8: Nothing much to say. I'd almost like to just fast forward this camp battle to the preseason games.

• 8/9: McKee can throw a slant. He hit newly signed Johnny King on a quick slant for a score. It came out on time and with some zip. But again, McKee's next pass over 20 yards will be his first, I think. Book is vying to become the most sacked quarterback per practice rep in Eagles training camp history.

• 8/10: Short practice. The 3's didn't get many reps.

• 8/12 (Eagles at Ravens): It's over. McKee looked like a stud in his first preseason appearance for the Eagles, while Book basically ran around like chicken with no head. McKee is going to make this team, and Book is not.

Punter

The combatants: Incumbent Arryn Siposs, who has punted well enough in the regular season, but who has had disastrous games in the playoffs, vs. Ty Zentner, the undrafted rookie free agent.

Pre-camp favorite: Siposs

• 7/26: I didn't break out the stopwatch to time their punts for hangtime, but it looked pretty clearly like Siposs out-booted Zentner on Day 1.

• 7/28: Siposs and Zentner punted off to the side, but did not punt in team drills. I think it's fair to limit their competition just to team drills, so neither gets a check mark today.

• 7/30: No team punting sessions on Day 3.

• 8/1: Siposs and Zentner had a long-field blast off session, and a "pin them deep" session.

I timed the blast off session for hangtime:

Neither of those hang time averages are good. Donnie Jones used to consistently hover around the 5 second range, with some bombs having upwards of 5.5 seconds of hangtime. Siposs was worse than Zentner during this session, as two of his punts were clearly bad.

I also charted where each punter landed the ball during a coffin corner session.

I thought both punters were very good during this session, and I'd give the edge to Siposs. Overall, the two bad Siposs punts in the blast-off session are bothersome, so I'll officially award the day to Zentner.

• 8/3: No team punting sessions on Day 5.

• 8/4: No team punting sessions on Day 6.

• 8/6: Siposs and Zentner had a long-field blast off punting session, and they each had a directional punt. First, the open field session:

The only punt above that could even be considered average was Siposs' 47-yard punt with 4.71 hangtime. Otherwise, the majority of those punts above were (a) short punts in the context of open field punting and (b) returnable due to inadequate hangtime. As a reminder, a good hangtime is something closer to five seconds.

Each punter also had a punt with the line of scrimmage at the Eagles' 40 in which they were trying to hit directional low liners toward the left sideline. Siposs' directional punt found the ground and rolled out of bounds at the 16. Meh. Zentner's was fielded at the 25 and returned. Yuck.

If we're awarding this practice to one punter or another, I guess it's Siposs, but only because Zentner hasn't been able to capitalize on an opportunity to win the job.

• 8/8: No team punting sessions on Day 8.

• 8/9: I missed Siposs' first two punts. Sorry, I have failed you all. I did see Zentner's. He had hangtimes of 4.82 and 4.90 (perfectly acceptable), and while I couldn't get an exact distance on those punts from my vantage point, they looked decent enough. Siposs later had a great punt of close to 60 yards that rested inside the 5-yard line. Big improvement from both punters from their most recent punting sessions on 8/6.

• 8/10: No team punting sessions on Day 10.

• 8/12 (Eagles at Ravens): Siposs had an decent enough punt in a "pin deep" situation that was fair caught at the Ravens 11 yard line. Meh, that's fine. He also had a 42 yard punt in an open field punting situation that was not fielded. 42 yards is not good enough, and a better returner might have made something of it.

Zentner had a pin deep punt as well that he landed at the 6. If was fielded by James Proche, who fumbled during his return. We won't know if that punt would have checked up if Proche just let it go, as he should have done. It's also worth noting that Jake Elliott missed a field goal while Zentner was holding. It was a high snap from Rick Lovato, but I thought Zentner did a good job fielding it and getting it down for Elliott.

I think I would award the game to Zentner, but certainly not by a margin that will make much of a dent in Siposs' lead.

• 8/14: (Eagles-Browns joint practice): Each team had an "open field" blast off session for hangtime and distance. I couldn't see distances very well from my vantage point, but, uh, it was clear that Siposs and Zentner weren't hitting bombs. 

Siposs hangtimes: 

1. 4.35
2. 4.66 (punt was especially short)
3. 4.38 (bad, high snap from Rick Lovato that Siposs was able to snare and get a rugby style punt off)
4. 4.51

Zentner hangtimes:

1. 4.18
2. 3.80 (this punt was especially short in addition to bad hangtime) 🤢
3. 4.56

Not good enough by either punter, but Zentner's punts were particularly ineffective.

• 8/15 (Eagles-Browns joint practice): No team punting sessions on Day 12.

• 8/17 (Browns at Eagles): Zentner played the whole game, and Siposs did not play at all. Zentner had 5 punts, all of which were in open field, blast-off situations, and he averaged a paltry 39.8 yards per punt. Zentner is not going to make the team, however, I cannot yet award this camp battle to Siposs, because he hasn't really done enough to win it. The Eagles could/should still look to bring in an outside punter.

• 8/19: The Eagles cut Zentner before practice. Siposs hit a shankopotumous during practice. Again, while the Siposs - Zentner competition is over, the Siposs - "other punters around the league" battle begins.

• 8/20: No team punting sessions on Day 14.

• 8/22: No team punting sessions on Day 15.

• 8/24 (Colts at Eagles): Siposs had a punt in an "open field" situation that only traveled 30 yards in the air. Not good enough.