The six biggest roster battles as Eagles training camp gets underway

On a stacked Eagles roster, here are the places where competition will heat up as the summer unfolds.

Darius Cooper (left) and Dontayvion Wicks (right) are but two of a long list of names at wide receiver for the Eagles.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer

Published July 29, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET

The Eagles reported to training camp Tuesday and hit the field Wednesday for their first official workout of the 2026 season.

The Sean Mannion era is here, the A.J. Brown era is over, and Nick Sirianni’s sixth training camp is underway as the Eagles again have a roster capable of making a deep playoff run.

Good teams like theirs mean fewer opportunities to get on the initial 53-man roster, which means there will be plenty of competition in camp. And while most of the starting jobs are spoken for, this Eagles training camp still has its share of intriguing position battles to pay attention to.

Here’s a closer look at six of them:

Safety: Will Marcus Epps hold off the field?

It’s worth starting with safety because it’s one of the few spots on the field where a starter is written in pencil and not pen.

If you’ve been paying any attention to the Eagles since the spring, you know that Cooper DeJean is slated to move from nickel to safety in base defense. But the Eagles, like most NFL defenses, use nickel and dime packages much more often than base. So the spot next to Andrew Mukuba mostly will be manned by someone not named DeJean.

Vic Fangio indicated that Marcus Epps is in the pole position for the job to replace Reed Blankenship, but the 30-year-old will have to earn it. There will be competition from converted nickel Michael Carter II, seventh-round pick Cole Wisniewski, veteran special teamer J.T. Gray, and long shots like Andre’ Sam, Kapena Gushiken, and Maximus Pulley.

Don’t count out another roster addition, too, if Howie Roseman decides the Eagles need to upgrade the safety spot.

Wide receiver: Who gets the final spots?

The top of the depth chart is basically set. Life after Brown means DeVonta Smith is WR1, but the order behind him needs some sorting out.

The Eagles were in 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers) nearly 60% of the time in 2025. There’s a new coordinator in town, and the Packers were slightly below the Eagles in that type of usage, but expect some of the same in 2026.

Who joins Smith on the field in three-receiver sets? In a perfect world, the Eagles would want Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon to get the bulk of those reps, but Hollywood Brown was brought in to be a vertical threat and should force his way onto the field. Those personnel packages will work themselves out.

Smith, Lemon, Wicks, and Brown are locks. It’s beyond them where the real training-camp battling begins.

Will the Eagles keep five receivers or six? Sirianni loves the “dirty work” Darius Cooper and Johnny Wilson do, but is keeping them both redundant? Can Elijah Moore prove he’s worth keeping around? Britain Covey, meanwhile, still wants to show he’s the best kick-returning option in camp.

Quarterback: Will Andy Dalton or Tanner McKee back up Jalen Hurts?

The Eagles have a quarterback controversy. Sort of.

Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee alternated reps with the second-team offense during the offseason program, and it’s unclear which is the preferred backup to Jalen Hurts.

The team also drafted Cole Payton in the fifth round, and it seems pretty unlikely they make room for four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster given the talent elsewhere.

So, what gives?

The Eagles would love to find a trade partner for McKee, who is entering the final year of his contract. But if they can’t, does that put Dalton in jeopardy of being cut (or traded)? Payton is a bit of an unknown, but he has an intriguing athletic profile, and while the Eagles cut a sixth-round draft pick last year (Kyle McCord), they probably would be hesitant to expose Payton to waivers given his traits. Otherwise, maybe he joins Clayton Thorson as a recent fifth-round pick who hits the chopping block.

Swing tackle: Can rookie Markel Bell supplant Fred Johnson?

Considering how much time Lane Johnson missed last season, and Jordan Mailata’s stint on injured reserve in 2024, the swing tackle is a pretty important job.

The Eagles brought back Fred Johnson in free agency because they know how important the backup tackle position is. They then used a third-round pick on Markel Bell, the 6-foot-9 tackle out of Miami. It was a bit surprising the Eagles waited until the 68th pick to select a tackle, but they like Bell a lot, and the big man has plenty of upside.

Which tackle will be first up if Lane Johnson or Mailata misses time? It was Bell who got the first nod filling in for Lane Johnson during OTAs, but Bell missed the final minicamp workout of the spring due to an undisclosed injury.

Who will emerge from camp as the preferred option?

Edge rusher: Will A.J. Epenesa show his worth?

This group is pretty similar to wide receiver. The Eagles are set at the top. It’s Jonathan Greenard, Jalyx Hunt, and Nolan Smith Jr. Sure, there’s some interest in which of Hunt or Smith gets more snaps, but the top three edge rushers will see plenty of the field.

Behind them is where it gets interesting. Arnold Ebiketie signed a deal that could be worth around $7 million and is the clear No. 4 as camp begins.

Will the Eagles keep five or six here? They kept five last year and six the year prior in Fangio’s first season.

The Eagles made an interesting signing at the end of the offseason program in June, agreeing to a one-year deal with A.J. Epenesa.

Epenesa’s sack total fell from six in 2024 to just 2½ last season, but he had a better pressure rate (10.6%) in a reduced role with the Bills. He is the biggest edge rusher in the building by 2 inches at 6-6, a size that could be useful in helping set the edge against the run.

Epenesa will be in competition with seventh-round pick Keyshawn James-Newby, an undersized but speedy edge, as well as Jose Ramirez. The Eagles also have Joshua Weru, an International Pathway Player, in camp.

Cornerback: Can the Eagles find a trade partner for a bottom-of-the-depth-chart corner?

The Eagles could have the best cornerback trio in the NFL this season in Quinyon Mitchell, DeJean (nickel), and Riq Woolen, but behind them at corner are jobs up for grabs.

Veteran free-agent signing Jonathan Jones probably is a lock to take a roster spot given his 10 years of experience and inside-out versatility. Who claims the remaining spots will be determined in part by how many corners the Eagles decide to keep. They kept six last year, but could a player at a different position — like reserving a roster spot for defensive tackle Uar Bernard to not expose him to waivers — force them to go with five?

That would leave one spot for Kelee Ringo, Jakorian Bennett, and Mac McWilliams.

Ringo probably would be the preferred candidate there given his special-teams talent. The Eagles could also keep six and have spots for two of them.

It’s also possible that Roseman finds himself looking to offload one of them via trade in August.

Honorable mention

Fullback: Is it 1996? The Eagles may have a fullback competition in camp between Carson Steele and Cameron Latu. Latu is listed as a tight end, but he’s more of an H back who blocks well and plays special teams.

Interior offensive line: Who would be first in line to back up Landon Dickerson or Tyler Steen? Right now, it’s probably Drew Kendall, who also is the backup center. After that, veteran guard Michael Jordan will try to edge out a group that includes sixth-round pick Micah Morris. Keep an eye on Myles Hinton, too. The second-year lineman took some reps at guard after entering the league as a tackle. The back end of the offensive-line group will be a fun battle to track.

Tight end: Dallas Goedert and second-round pick Eli Stowers are locks. Johnny Mundt’s blocking skills should lock him up a spot, too. With that in mind, it’s hard to imagine Grant Calcaterra, intriguing UDFA Dae’Quan Wright, or Stone Smartt earning a job, especially given the aforementioned skills that Latu brings to the table.

Eagles’ newcomers ’26

Whether a 2026 draft choice, a veteran addition, or a rookie free-agent hopeful, we’re telling you more about each player’s potential role this season. We rolled out two players per day in a mostly unscientific order that balanced offense and defense, bigger names with mysteries, and locks with longer shots to be chosen for the 53-man roster.

Jeff Neiburg

I cover the Eagles and also contribute to The Inquirer's coverage of college basketball, particularly the Villanova Wildcats.

Join The Conversation

Community Guidelines