Getty Eagles GM Howie Roseman chats with head coach Nick Sirianni prior to a game in 2021.
Don’t think for a second the Philadelphia Eagles are done tweaking the roster. General manager Howie Roseman has made bold trades at the end of the last two training camps, bolstering weaknesses and turning them into strengths, ahead of Week 1. He’ll continue to evaluate the younger players while keeping the door open for opportunities to improve.
Roseman would never be foolish enough to name-drop any potential trade targets, but the savvy front-office executive did put it out there that a move could be on the horizon. Safety Budda Baker and linebacker Patrick Queen continue to generate buzz as guys who could take the Eagles’ defense to the next level. For now, they are rumors without substance. Still, it was interesting to hear how Roseman described their depth at the linebacker spot.
“We’ve got a lot of young players at that position,” Roseman told reporters. “We’re excited to see those guys, evaluate them on a daily basis, and again, like anything, we’ll keep our options open. We’re never going to close the door on an opportunity to improve our team, so we’ll constantly be looking at that position and every position.”
Christian Elliss — on the 2nd-team defense — with an INT in 7-on-7.
Picking up where he left off in minicamp.
The #Eagles 1st team LB are Dean and Morrow.
Nakobe Dean is entrenched as one of the starters, with Nicholas Morrow and Christian Elliss in a battle for the other spot. Both players received first-team reps at the first practice of training camp. And Elliss appeared to be the winner on Day 1.
However, don’t count out a splashy move if the Eagles break camp with an uneasy feeling just as they did last year when they pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade for C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
“It’s tough, it’s tough on your body, and a lot of trades come through, too,” Darius Slay said on his “Big Play Slay” podcast. “So that’s when we got one of the best safeties in the game at that time last year, we got Chauncey [Gardner-Johnson] in a trade right before [Week 1] … it’s going to be wild, man, so this is going to be really the most exciting part of the season.”
9) In Philadelphia, Nakobe Dean is set to play an every-down role 🟢 with who we assume will be Nicholas Morrow.
However, this recent note from The Athletic regarding the Eagles LB2 suggests Christian Elliss could be a darkhorse to start if he continues his strong play in camp:
Welcome Back, Dennis Kelly
The Eagles officially inked Dennis Kelly to a one-year deal on July 25. Originally a fifth-round pick in 2012, Kelly brings a ton of experience and versatility to arguably the best offensive line in football. The 6-foot-8, 321-pounder has played in 130 games (54 starts) while seeing snaps at four different positions: right tackle, left tackle, right guard, left guard. More importantly, Kelly has built-in chemistry with Eagles studs Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson.
“Man, that was like a flashback,” Kelce said upon hearing Kelly was back. “Dennis is awesome … he was a fan favorite in the locker room before he left, one of those guys that people have still kept in touch with, so he’s ended up having a very long career. I guess he’s part of the Core Five, maybe.”
“Felt like it’s 2013 again,” Johnson said, “You don’t play this long, or have this long of a career unless you have a lot of ability and what you can offer to a team.”
Howie Roseman on bringing back Dennis Kelly. #Eagles
Everyone Aced the Conditioning Test
The first real test came on July 25 when players reported to training camp and underwent their conditioning tests. Different teams do it in different ways but the industry standard relies on old-school gassers, or making players run short distances until their legs feel like Jell-O. If a player doesn’t pass the conditioning test, he doesn’t get to practice. And you keep running it every day until you do.
The #Eagles believe that WR Jalen Reagor’s physical and mental health is not where it needs to be due to the loss of a close childhood friend of Reagor’s, per @Jeff_McLane
Reagor has not had a sharp offseason and failed the team’s conditioning test.
Head coach Nick Sirianni revealed that everyone on the roster aced the test. He was happy to see how seriously his players took care of their bodies in the offseason.
“Guys came back in phenomenal shape,” Sirianni told reporters. “It was really exciting yesterday through the intermittent rain that was happening, kind of had to adjust our schedules, but that’s what we do. You have to adjust to different things. It was great watching the guys run yesterday and just seeing how much they worked at bringing their bodies back in shape.”