Five lesser questions that matter for the Eagles | David Murphy

The most interesting parts of training camp are often the battles further down on the depth chart. Heading into Monday's opening session, here are five of the more muddled questions that will need to be answered before Week 1 arrives for the Eagles:

1. What kind of role will Ron Brooks be capable of playing?

The cornerback has been a bit of a ghost since he suffered a ruptured quad tendon midway through last season. He was mostly a bystander in minicamp; the expectation was he'd be ready by training camp, with coach Doug Pederson saying he still considered him the No. 1 option in the slot. Whether he expects that Brooks will still be manning that position in Week 1 is unknown. That a 29-year-old veteran with eight career starts who hasn't played since October still counts as a significant factor in the Eagles' defensive backfield is just another example of how perilously thin they are at corner. At the very least, a healthy Brooks would give us some reason to completely suspend disbelief in the unit: he played at least 60 percent of the snaps in five games last year, including a trio of wins in which the defense allowed just 27 combined points. That's not a suggestion of causation, just a note that the Eagles viewed him as a guy who could hold down a significant role in an NFL secondary.Without Brooks, who took a pay cut this season to remain with the team, the Eagles would likely be counting on second-year man Jalen Mills and rookie third-rounder Rasul Douglas to round out a trio fronted by journeyman Patrick Robinson. Even with him, they are only a couple of bad breaks away from having to scrounge just to staff the position. Brooks will be a guy to monitor early to see how he is moving.

2. How will the dominoes fall behind Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham at linebacker?

The hand injury Hicks suffered on his honeymoon isn't supposed to be serious, but it is a reminder that the Eagles have some questions to answer on their depth chart at linebacker. Last summer, the Eagles ended up bringing in veteran Stephen Tulloch to back up Hicks, but needed him for only 69 snaps. That role was initially projected to go to Joe Walker, a seventh-round pick out of Oregon whom the coaching staff spent a lot of time talking up before he suffered a torn ACL in the preseason. Like Brooks, Walker's legs will be something to watch throughout camp. He'll be operating in the thick of a bit of an unconventional crowd, which makes this among the more difficult positions to forecast. The Eagles spent a fifth-round pick on Nate Gerry, but he played safety in college and will have to work to maintain a playing weight above 230 pounds. Kamu Grugier-Hill played a central role on Dave Fipp's dominant special teams unit, as did Najee Goode. The Eagles kept just four linebackers out of camp last year, but ended up carrying six for most of the second half of the season.

The character whose fate will most determine how the Eagles proceed is likely to be Mychal Kendricks. Does it make sense to use a roster spot on a guy who played just 27 percent of the snaps on defense and 28 percent on special teams? Perhaps they answered that question when they allowed $4.35 million of his salary to become guaranteed this spring, but a trade is still possible. If the Eagles decide they want to keep both Gerry and Walker, such a move might even be likely.

3. Do the Eagles really need to keep six receivers?

Expect this to be a question they mull throughout the final weeks of camp, with fifth-round pick Shelton Gibson jockeying for one of the final spots on the roster.

There are a number of variables involved, starting with the club's thinking on Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor, the latter of whom spent a decent amount of time in the slot during mini-camp while Matthews was injured. Matthews has a three-year track record of solid production, but the fact that he will become a free agent at the end of the season is a variable the team must consider. A trade for anything of value is awfully hard to pull off this late in the game, and Matthews is certainly in a position to contribute. Cutting Agholor would cost more against the cap than it would save.

With one of those players projected to be fourth on the depth chart, and with a trio of tight ends the Eagles plan on using, and with running backs Donnel Pumphrey and Darren Sproles expected to be utilized in the passing game, what kind of role could the Nos. 5 and 6 receivers possibly play? Gibson didn't flash much at minicamp, so his spot on the team is far from assured, though fellow rookie Mack Hollins looks like a guy they'll want to keep.

4. Are the Eagles simply throwing Taylor Hart a bone, or do they think he has the potential to stick at offensive tackle?

Even when Hart was playing on the defensive line, he looked like a guy built like a prototypcial left tackle. It's really hard to tell anything about the offensive line in non-contact drills, but Hart at least looked as if he had a little bit of feel for the footwork and balance he'll need to make his 6-foot-6 frame play. The Eagles already have one project at the position in former tight end Dillon Gordon, but with Halapoulivaati Vaitai as their top backup and the ability of Allen Barbre to play tackle, the Eagles could finagle the depth chart so that Gordon and Hart remain on the roster at the expense of Matt Tobin.

5. Doesn't something have to give on the interior of the offensive line?

Ever since the draft, the Eagles have talked as if any question about Jason Kelce's future with the team will not be answered until the off-season. An interior that features him, Brandon Brooks and Isaac Seumalo would leave Stefen Wisniewski and Barbre as backups. The Eagles don't have much invested in newcomer Chance Warmack, but there are a number of different combinations they could play even before you consider the possibility of one of the veterans shaking loose.