August 21, 2026
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
Eagles RG Tyler Steen could be primed for a breakout season.
The Philadelphia Eagles are one game and 14 practices — including a pair of joint practices with the New England Patriots — into their 2026 training camp. Some camp battles have already been decided, some under-the-radar players have emerged, and some players have not yet played to expectations. Let's point out some players on an upward trajectory, and a few who have disappointed.
Note: We did a stock up / stock down temperature check after five practices. To keep it fresh, we won't repeat any of the names from those lists.
📈 RG Tyler Steen: In his first season as a starter in 2025 Steen was fine. He was good in pass pro, just OK in the run game. He has built on that this summer. To me he looks stronger and more confident, and has held his own going toe-to-toe every day against Jalen Carter. When he faces other DTs around the league during the regular season it's going to seem easy by comparison.
📈 iOL Willie Lampkin: During joint practices, a Patriots beat writer that I'm friendly with asked about Lampkin because he was amazed by how much he was winning despite his extremely small size for his position. Lampkin is listed at 5'11, but he probably isn't even that tall, and in some ways his lack of height gives him advantages in terms of leverage.
It's fine and good to be able to get up under opposing defensive tackles and win the "low man" game, but that's all meaningless if you don't have enough power to anchor against them in pass pro, or move them in the run game. Lampkin is like a mini rhino out there. It's also worth noting that Lane Johnson, casually chatting with a handful of reporters after practice on Thursday, said that Lampkin has been consistent from Day 1. Some guys flash a day here, a day there. But Lampkin has been consistently good throughout camp.
📈 iOL Drew Kendall: Kendall's mission at the start of camp was to prove that the Eagles could trust him as the first guy off the bench at all three interior line spots. In my opinion, he has done that, and more. He has improved in pass pro, as a run defender, and he has shown a level of aggressiveness that I hadn't previously seen. I think he's a future starter.
📈 LB Jeremiah Trotter: Trotter has gotten better every year. He isn't the biggest or fastest linebacker, but he just knows how to play the position. He is physical, and he is always around the ball. A player he reminded me of when he came out of college was T.J. Edwards, and if/when he gets a chance to start in the NFL, I believe he'll be that level of player.
📈 EDGE Nolan Smith: Smith got cited for driving 135 MPH this offseason, he showed up to spring practices overweight, and he was still wearing a brace on his arm when training camp began. So, you know, there were concerns. But over the last week+, he has turned it on, playing tough run defense, getting in the backfield as a pass rusher, and sniffing out deception in the play-action game.
📉 EDGE Jonathan Greenard: One of the things I was hoping to see from Greenard heading into camp was how well he had recovered from a 2025 shoulder injury that required surgery. But after suffering a pectoral injury while lifting ahead of training camp, Greenard may not be ready to play when the regular season begins. There are now two injuries he has to prove he has overcome, and they're both in the same neighborhood on his body. Whenever he plays he will not have had the ideal ramp up to live game action that everyone else has.
📉 LG Landon Dickerson: I had concerns about how Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson would look after they did not play to their standard in 2025 because of injuries. Jurgens has put some of those concerns to bed for me, as he has looked more like the 2024 version of himself than the 2025 version. Dickerson has looked more like the 2025 version, in my opinion.
📉 OL Myles Hinton: After a rookie season during which he never got onto the 53-man roster, Hinton got a little more put on his plate when the team tried him at guard in addition to his more familiar position at tackle. He has not looked good at either spot.
📉 WR Johnny Wilson: In my opinion, the Eagles would love to see Wilson do anything to prove he deserves a spot on the roster, because there are some in the organization who are enamored with his 6'6, 230-pound frame, and his physical blocking. He adds a size element that the rest of the Eagles' receivers simply do not possess. Otherwise, their biggest receiver on the roster (at least among the guys who will be on the 53-man roster) is Dontayvion Wicks, at 6'1. But Wilson just hasn't given his supporters much of an argument.
📉 K Jake Elliott: Elliott started camp 25 of 26, with 22 straight makes. So, he was off to a good start! Of course, we should note that he rarely stretches out his kicks beyond, like, 52 yards. A lot of those are layups. But on the first day of Eagles-Patriots joint practices up in Foxboro on Wednesday, he missed two of five kicks. Maybe it's a little harsh to put Elliott on the stock down list when ultimately he's still 28 of 31 throughout the summer, buuuuut those kicks are in as ideal of kicking situations as you can ask for, and to me, they raised an eyebrow.
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