Eagles Players Who Can Climb Depth Chart with Impressive Camp

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Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

The Philadelphia Eagles have a multitude of questions to answer during training camp.

First-year head coach Nick Sirianni inherited an imperfect roster from the 4-11-1 squad that floundered in Doug Pederson’s final season. 

The Eagles have a promising young quarterback in Jalen Hurts, but they need to figure out who will protect him at left tackle. 

Andre Dillard’s young career has been ravaged by injuries and he will be tested by Jordan Mailata at left tackle throughout camp.

Defensively, the Eagles have holes at linebacker and in the secondary, which were two of their worst positional units in 2020. 

Philadelphia has an abundance of pass-rushers up front, but the defense as a whole can’t be effective if the second and third tiers of defense are picked apart on a weekly basis. 

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Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Mailata started 10 games in 2020, but he is not guaranteed to have the left tackle job in 2021 with Dillard working his way back from injury. 

Dillard may come into training camp with the inside track to start on the left side of the offensive line because he was a first-round selection in 2019.

Philadelphia may be under a bit of pressure to find a way to get a top selection who has struggled with injuries on to the field.

However, that may not be the best approach with Hurts expected to enter his first year as a full-time starting quarterback.

Philadelphia needs a reliable and healthy left tackle, and that is where Mailata fits into the team’s plans. 

If Mailata outplays Dillard in head-to-head competition, he could vault over the first-round selection and further the case for the Washington State product to be deemed a first-round bust. 

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Kirk Irwin/Associated Press

Davion Taylor is another recent draft pick who has not produced at the level the Eagles thought he would.

The 2020 third-round pick made 10 tackles in the 12 games in which he was active in his rookie season.

That total is far from good enough for a team that struggled mightily at linebacker at the end of the Pederson era. 

Alex Singleton and T.J. Edwards should be two of the three starters at linebacker in 2020. Genard Avery could be viewed as the favorite for the third spot. 

Since the Eagles are still lacking linebacker depth, Taylor has a chance to impress the new coaching staff and put his poor rookie campaign behind him. 

Taylor and fellow second-year player Shaun Bradley will have more eyes on them as the Eagles try to figure out their depth at the position.

Taylor will be under a closer microscope because of his status as a third-round pick. He has the athleticism to adapt to the position at the NFL level, and if he shows that, he has a chance to be a potential surprise during camp. 

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Rich Schultz/Associated Press

The Eagles need anyone to step into the defensive backfield roles and thrive. 

Philadelphia allowed over 250 passing yards in seven games last season, and it was torched for 20 or more points by all but one of its opponents. 

The Eagles have some depth at safety thanks to the addition of Anthony Harris, but Rodney McLeod is working back from an ACL tear and they need some young players to step up there. 

K’Von Wallace has the perfect opportunity in camp to impress the staff and earn more snaps no matter if McLeod is deemed healthy or effective enough in 2021.

The Clemson product saw limited time on the defensive side of the ball in 2020. He made three starts, but only had 21 tackles. 

At Clemson, Wallace had two 50-tackle seasons and improved his defensive totals in each of his four seasons. 

He should need less time to adjust to the NFL in his second season, and that could help his development, as could the presence of a few veterans at the position. 

Wallace will face competition from Marcus Epps at free safety, but the job is not locked down and McLeod may not be at 100 percent right away since he tore his ACL at the end of the 2020 season. 

If Wallace showcases improvement, as he did at Clemson, he could help the Eagles form a deep unit in the secondary, which is much needed against some of the passing attacks in the NFC East.

      

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.