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Every critical Eagles position battle at OTAs worthwhile for fans to monitor
Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Every Philadelphia Eagles media member is sharing with the public their observations on what happened during the second OTA practice opened to the media on Tuesday.

Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio opened things up with his 15-minute press conference at the podium before the workout began. Under the sunny skies, Eagles players participated in multiple workouts as they prepare for minicamp and training camp.

All the Eagles beat reporters were firing off posts on social media regarding the position battles going on around the team that fans are monitoring. After two open media practices, it's becoming a clearer picture of who is in the conversation at certain positions and who isn't.

All Eagles position battles worth being monitored

There are four key positions that are worth mentioning as real position battles at OTAs for now. These will likely be the ones at training camp that receive the most coverage from the press, with more popping up when players get healthy and start practicing.

Third-String QB

This battle is between Dorian Thompson-Robinson and rookie sixth-round pick Kyle McCord and Tanner McKee looks to be in line to back up Jalen Hurts.

Bleeding Green Nation Eagles reporter Brandon Lee Gowton shared that Thompson-Robinson was getting all the third-team reps during seven-on-seven drills, and no fourth team was used. McCord later took third-team reps and made some nice throws. Thompson-Robinson might have the advantage for now with his experience, but the Eagles love their drafted quarterbacks staying on the roster.

Starting Right Guard

This one may not be as much of a competition right now, but Tyler Steen is the frontrunner right now. 94WIP Eagles reporter Eliot Shorr-Parks, along with several other reporters have said that Steen took all the first team reps at right now with no one else taking his place.

Kenyon Green may not be in the mix as he has been rotating in as the second-string left guard. Matt Pryor has been lining up as the backup right guard and the only one who could compete with Steen. It certainly feels like it is Steen's job to lose.

Starting Safety

This one is more interesting, as Cooper DeJean is being mentioned at safety alongside Reed Blankenship, but has not officially taken snaps there. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio mentioned that DeJean could move around between safety and outside cornerback when they are in base. DeJean still appears to be in line to be the slot corner, though.

For the primary responsibilities at safety, Sydney Brown took first-team reps at the first series of seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills. Rookie second-round pick Andrew Mukuba also took first-team snaps during seven-on-seven drills.

Two names to watch out for are Andre Sam, who, Gowton shared, also took first-team reps with Blankenship during seven-on-seven drills. Tristin McCollum is another name to watch as Fangio brought him up as a potential starter at safety without anyone from the media asking about him—a very telling sign.

Starting Cornerback

Back to DeJean, as previously mentioned, he is being considered for the starting slot corner position while also receiving some reps at outside cornerback. If DeJean isn't lining up outside, it appears the position battle for right cornerback is between Kelee Ringo and Adoree' Jackson.

During 11-on-11 drills, it was Ringo getting the first-team reps. When the team participated in seven-on-seven drills, Jackson received the first-team reps. This might be one of the most critical position battles this summer and won't be decided until the end of training camp.


This article first appeared on Inside the Iggles and was syndicated with permission.

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