The 4 Biggest Takeaways From The Eagles Mini-Camp Practices

This year marked the first time the Philadelphia Eagles hosted a Mandatory Mini-Camp in the 2019 NFL Offseason. An important offseason for the Eagles as the organization overhauled the coaching staff and hiring new coordinators on both sides of the ball.

So it was essential to have every in Philadelphia this week for Mini-Camp as Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore and Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio are teaching the players their systems.

What Are The Top Storylines Coming Out of Eagles Mini-Camp

*The Cornerback Position Appears Up For Grabs
-The two players who got the first-team reps as the starting Outside Cornerback across from Darius Slay were not first-round 2024 NFL Draft Pick Quinyon Mitchell or Second-Team 2022 All-Pro Selection James Bradberry.

On Tuesday, Kelee Ringo got the first opportunity and Wednesday saw Isaiah Rodgers getting first-team defensive reps. Meanwhile, Rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean got reps at Inside and Nickel Corner before receiving Outside Corner reps.

Also, James Bradberry spent a short time practicing at Safety before appearing to sustain an injury in an individual drill. The soon-to-be 31-year-old has never been a starting NFL Safety in his eight seasons in the league.

So now we have to wait until late July Training Camp and August Preseason Games to find out who will earn the Starting Outside Cornerback position across from Darius Slay. It appears Ringo, Rodgers, and Mitchell are getting to get the most looks while Bradberry is a huge question mark.

*Who will be the Eagles' Starting Right Guard
-The Philadelphia Offensive Line was one of the best in the NFL for the last several years with Jason Kelce holding down the center position. But now the future Hall Of Famer is retired and Cam Jurgens is moving from starting at Right Guard last year to becoming the starting Center for the 2024 season.

Now the Eagles will be starting their third different Right Guard over the course of three seasons. Tyler Steen is considered the favorite for the job thanks to his experience playing both Guard and Tackle at the college level for Vanderbilt and Alabama.

But two other men could be challenging him for the job. The most intriguing player at Eagles Mini-Camp this week was Mekhi Becton, the 11th overall pick of the New York Jets in the 2020 NFL Draft. After a disappointing four seasons, the Jets released Becton and now he is Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland's latest project.

Becton started at Left Guard for Mini-Camp thanks to Landon Dickerson's excused absence. Becton has never started at Guard in the NFL but he has the opportunity to compete for more than a roster spot during the upcoming Training Camp.

The "dark horse candidate" for the Right Guard position is 26-year-old Matt Hennessy. Starting 22 games with the Atlanta Falcons over the last three seasons, Hennessy is an athletic Interior Lineman who can play both Center and Guard positions.

Matt Hennessy was the primary Right Guard for the second-team offense at Mini-Camp. This is a clear signal that the Eagles want to see the University of Temple Graduate get time at the position he has the least amount of NFL experience playing.

Even though Hennessy at 6'4" and 295 pounds is the smaller man compared to Tyler Steen (6'6" and 321 lbs) along with Mekhi Becton (6'7" and 363 lbs), the veteran could be the best equipped to play Right Guard in the Eagles new offense.

Plus, Philadelphia signed veteran Offensive Lineman Max Scharping this week, who has 33 games started at the Guard position for the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans. So if any guy starts to look below average in Training Camp or Preseason games, the veteran Scharping could steal their roster spot.

*Linebacker is a wide-open competition
The new Eagles Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio was not exaggerating when he spoke to the media about the idea of Zack Baun getting significant reps at Inside Linebacker. We saw Baun getting playing time in multiple defensive formations during Mini-Camp ahead of Eagles' Third Round Pick in the 2022 NFL Draft Nakobe Dean.

Dean sustained multiple injuries during the 2023 NFL season, leaving Philadelphia's Linebacker depth in disarray. In response to underwhelming Linebacker play for the Eagles last season, General Manager Howie Roseman added three experienced Linebackers in Free Agency.

Baun is an intriguing player because he spent most of his four seasons with the New Orleans Saints as a Special Teams Ace and was a part-time contributor as an Outside Linebacker. Now the 27-year-old Linebacker is getting a real opportunity to show what he can do as an every-down starting Linebacker.

The biggest wild card for the Eagles at the Linebacker position is Devin White. The fifth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, White was an important player for the Tampa Defense during their playoff run that led to the Buccaneers winning Super Bowl LV.

But over the last couple of seasons, White's production diminished and he became a less impactful player for the Bucs' Defense. Despite 364 Solo Tackles and 23 Sacks in five seasons in Tampa, White was not offered an opportunity to return to the team that drafted him.

Now the Eagles want to see if this elite athlete with a history of impressive football instincts can refind himself for the Philadelphia Defense. Vic Fangio has a long history of high-level Linebackers he has coached from Sam Mills (Panthers) to Jamie Sharper (Texans) to Patrick Willis (49ers) and Andrew Van Ginkel (Dolphins).

All eyes will be on Dean, White, and Baun at Training Camp to see who separates themselves to become the Eagles' top Linebacker.

*Eagles Offense is 95 Percent New
-The Franchise Quarterback Jalen Hurts had a unique revelation this week when he spoke to the media. He said that "95 Percent" of the Eagles offense is new compared to last year.

This means there is a serious learning curve as Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore installs his system. After three seasons in the Nick Sirianni/Shane Steichen/Brain Johnson Offense, Philadelphia has some serious changes in store for the 2024 season.

There are a couple of major differences between a Kellen Moore Offense and what Nick Sirianni had in place the last three years. One of those differences is the use of Motion Pre-Snap. Moore, a former starting Quarterback at Boise State plus Backup QB for the Cowboys and Lions, has his football education in offenses that pressure the opposing defense and try to manipulate opponents.

Another difference is how Kellen Moore has used his Running Backs in the Passing Game. During his four years as the Cowboys Offensive Coordinator, Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard combined to average 97.75 Targets per season. Over the last three seasons, Nick Sirianni's Eagles' top two Running Backs averaged 75 Total Targets per season.

A third significant difference between Kellen Moore's Offense and the last three years of the Eagles' Offense is the use of the Tight End. Over the last three years, Eagles Tight Ends average 4.3 Touchdowns per season. Moore's Offenses use the Tight End more as a scoring weapon, averaging almost eight touchdown catches per season.

Speaking of scoring on offense, there have been some incredibly gifted Wide Receivers who have played for the Eagles' Franchise over the last seven years.  Here is a ranking of the best Receivers in the Philadelphia history: