May 26, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
Jalyx Hunt has a chance to pull away from Nolan Smith in the edge defender pecking order.
Philadelphia Eagles OTAs begin on Tuesday, so now feels like an appropriate time to take an early look at some of the camp battles we'll have to look forward to both during spring practices and throughout training camp.
In previous years, there were more obvious camp battles than there appear to be this offseason. For example, last offseason, there were clear camp battles at RG, CB, S, LB, and swing tackle. This year, there's a little more nuance to the roles that are up for grabs, as opposed to more cut and dried ones, like, say, Tyler Steen vs. Mekhi Becton.
The Eagles added all three of the above receivers 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.
• 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.
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. As such, this is going to be a competition worth keeping a close eye on.
The Eagles have three starting-caliber edge defenders in Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and Jonathan Greenard.
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.
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. Smith didn't help his cause when he was cited for speeding in excess of 135 MPH.
The Eagles' holes at safety are well-covered ground.
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, Marcus Epps and Michael Carter are the top two options, but neither is ideal, in my opinion. (We covered the safety position in greater detail over the weekend.)
In 2019, the Eagles selected Clayton Thorson with a fifth-round pick. He absolutely stunk in training camp and the preseason games, and was cut.
In 2025, the Eagles selected Kyle McCord with a sixth-round pick. He had a decent spring, but did not at all look the part of an NFL quarterback in training camp or the preseason games, and like Thorson, was cut.
Cole Payton is a little bit of a different type of quarterback prospect, in that he has far more enticing physical and athletic traits than Thorson or McCord did, and should have a longer leash on the understanding that his development could take longer, but also that the upside is higher.
Still, Payton can't just be awful during camp and expect to win a roster spot. He's going to have to show something.
If he does, then it'll be hard for the Eagles to keep four quarterbacks on the active roster, especially when roster spots could be used on other developmental prospects like Uar Bernard, Keyshawn James-Newby, Micah Morris, Markel Bell, etc. If Payton proves to be roster worthy, that could mean a trade of Dalton, who could provide value as a QB2 to other teams around the league (that is if the Eagles don't get an offer they can't turn down for Tanner McKee).
The Eagles only have one interior offensive lineman with any NFL game experience at all. That would be Drew Kendall, with 89 career snaps played. My understanding is that the Eagles like Kendall, but even he is inexperienced.
The rest of the Eagles' backup interior offensive linemen — all the guys named above — have never played a snap. Literally zero combined snaps. So it will be interesting to see if any of them look the part, or if the Eagles will need to add a veteran interior lineman.
The Eagles have two question marks at the specialist spots. One is long snapper Rocco Underwood, an undrafted rookie free agent who currently doesn't have any competition on the roster, but is competing against long snappers either on the street or on other rosters.
And then there's Jake Elliott, who is almost certain to be kicking for the Eagles this season after they guaranteed $5 million of his salary this season in exchange for a $1 million pay cut. Elliott also doesn't presently have any competition. But if he is just really bad in camp (I don't see that happening, for the record), the Eagles will have to consider whether they can risk losing games because of their kicker, even if it might mean wasting $5 million.
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