July 14, 2025
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Kyle Mccord throws during the Philadelphia Eagles training camp at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia, Pa. on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
From now until July 22, PhillyVoice will be previewing 2025 Eagles training camp by choosing a topic question for the staff to debate. This series will run from Monday, July 7, through Monday, July 21, as all players are expected to report to the NovaCare Complex by July 22. The first session is July 23.
Quarterbacks usually have the most easily readable reps to take in during camp, and the QB position also carries a very distinct value around here.
McCord, the sixth-round pick out of Syracuse, isn't coming for Tanner McKee's backup job, not in the next year or two at least, and definitely isn't going after Jalen Hurts' job as the starter, but he is lined up right now to be the understudy QB3 and I'm interested to see how he takes to that role.
Acknowledging that OTAs are a very small sample size and an overall protected showing for the offensive players, McCord did turn in some pretty good looking reps with the third team back in the spring, and threaded a couple of passes through some considerably tight windows, too.
So I think it will be fun to see how he follows up from that in camp and then into the preseason when he can get into a live-game situation.
I mean, hey, he's the next project for the Quarterback Factory, and it's not like there's a chance of seeing Hurts in the preseason anyway, so why not take in the tape of the guys developing him behind him?
Pay close attention to the carefully phrased name of this category. It's not most impactful rookie, or most talented rookie. It's most exciting rookie to watch.
The Eagles used a bunch of draft picks on inside linebackers and offensive linemen, neither of which are very fun to observe at camp. Second-round safety Andrew Mukuba was surely considered for this, and so was fourth-round defensive tackle Ty Robinson, but since you can't hit the QBs in camp practices, even Robinson won't really be as exciting to watch until the preseason games.
We also aren't expecting first-round pick Jihaad Campbell to be ready until August, and even then, he'll probably get eased into practice and start off at inside linebacker, not the most exciting position to follow closely at camp.
But the Eagles signed a rookie free agent running back who has 4.3 speed at the NFL Combine – fifth-fastest among running backs – at 5-foot-11, 212 pounds. He averaged just under 6 yards per carry in his last season at Florida after undergoing knee surgery in August that limited him to 10 games.
Johnson Jr. is a power runner known for hitting the hole immediately and welcoming contact, which might not be great for his knees but surely makes for a good watch at training camp and in the preseason. With his blistering speed behind the Eagles' backup o-line – a massive group – Johnson should see some pretty good running lanes and be able to showcase that top-end athleticism.
Could he even make the 53? Sure, usually at least one undrafted rookie does. Saquon Barkley and Will Shipley are locked into roster spots, but nobody has a stranglehold on the No. 3 job. Veteran RB A.J. Dillion, who signed for very low guaranteed money, missed all of last year with a severe neck injury. As we saw with Jordan Howard, stingers can be long-lasting and easily aggravated.
Few other the other RBs vying for jobs – Keilan Robinson, Lew Nichols, Shunderrick Powell – offer the size/speed combo that Johnson has, making him a very enticing undrafted rookie to follow closely at camp, especially if he can catch the ball.
