Rounding Up Eagles’ Rumors, Buzz Amid 2022 Training Camp

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AP Photo/Christopher Szagola

The 2022 Philadelphia Eagles season is officially underway with the first training camp practice to be held on Wednesday, July 27.

The Eagles had a great offseason on paper. Between signing Haason Reddick, trading for A.J. Brown and still winding up with multiple first-round picks in next year’s draft thanks to a deal with the Saints, Howie Roseman has earned his paycheck.

Now it all has to come together on the field.

Of course, the dawn of training camp doesn’t mean the buzz and rumors of the offseason are over. There are still plenty of storylines to follow as the team begins practicing. Here’s a look at the latest surrounding Philly.

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It isn’t uncommon for there to be at least one surprise trade during training camp. As teams look at what they have they could decide that a well-known player has become expendable.

Elliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP recently made the case that Javon Hargrave could be that kind of player for the Eagles.

The writer outlines some credible reasons the Eagles could consider Hargrave a trade candidate. They didn’t extend his contract this offseason (he’s in the final year of his current deal), the team would save $12.8 million against the cap and the switch to a 3-4 base defense could impact his effectiveness.

It’s an interesting argument, but one that would be a mistake if the Eagles followed through with it.

The Eagles boast one of the best defensive lines in football on paper. If Jordan Davis can live up to the hype as the team’s first-round pick they will have a three-man rotation of Davis, Hargrave and Fletcher Cox that will be nearly impossible to move.

When it comes to pass-rush win rate and double-team rate, (h/t ESPN’s Seth Walder) only Aaron Donald is better than Hargrave and only Chris Jones compares.

There may be a case to trade Hargrave while the return would be high and they could save money, but he’s too important to the team’s hopes in 2022 to let him go.

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AP Photo/Christopher Szagola

After sporting one of the worst linebacker units in the league last season the Eagles made two additions that should fix things.

First they signed Kyzir White to a one-year deal in free agency. Then they drafted Nakobe Dean out of Georgia.

If the Eagles are going to line up in more 3-4 looks and continue to play nickel, they really need two inside linebackers on the field at any given time. What the depth chart will look like there is going to be interesting.

White is an athlete with good coverage skills. T.J. Edwards is the leading tackler of all returning defenders for the Eagles with 130 combined tackles last season.

Then there’s third-round pick Nakobe Dean. The Georgia defender had one of the more surprising drops in the draft, but that doesn’t seem to be affecting his chances of being a difference-maker.

Bo Wulf of The Athletic said in his training camp preview of the defense that he doesn’t, “think it would be a surprise if he ends up playing the most snaps of any linebacker this season.”

Wulf noted that Dean has learned both middle and weakside linebacker positions this spring.

Now he has to prove he’s the best linebacker with pads on.

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Brandon Graham has been synonymous with Philadelphia Eagles football for more than a decade.

The pass-rusher got off to a slow start in his career but he had a nine-year stretch in which he played all but one game in the regular season. He has been on the roster since 2010 and has mostly been a vision of durability and consistency.

That changed in 2021 when a ruptured Achilles tendon ended his season after just two games.

Coming off a major injury, it’s fair to wonder how much longer the 34-year-old plans on playing. According to him, retirement isn’t being considered, though.

In an appearance on the Morning Show on 94.1 WIP, Graham was quick to answer no when asked if 2022 was his final season. He elaborated (h/t Shamus Clancy of PhillyVoice):

“I plan on being here. I’mma work it out though. But this year I’m going to take care of what’s in front of me and I’m going to go hard this year and I’m going to have fun with the team. You don’t have too many opportunities like this when you got great players.”

That’s a quote that should have fans even more hyped for the season. Graham sounds ready to go after his injury last season and he’s excited by what the Eagles have on the roster.

That bodes well for what this season holds.