The Eagles returned to training camp on Wednesday in order to prepare for the beginning of the 2024 NFL Season. Here’s the biggest storylines emerging from Week One.

Article by Hayden Sudall, Junior Sports Analyst

PHILADELPHIA - With the departure of future Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce, a large role has been opened up for year three  center Cam Jurgens. This change has led to some struggles for the Eagles offensive line as the new snap cadence has caused some penalties. Left Tackle Jordan Mailata went on to say the offensive line’s penalties were “unacceptable” leading to an after practice run for the lineman.   

Growing pains

“I think as a core unit, if one messes up, we all mess up because we have to have that same mentality of holding each other accountable,” Mailata said.  

While the new center has big shoes to fill, Jurgens understands that he will never be the next Jason Kelce. 

“I’m never worried about trying to live up to a legacy… I’m going to worry about what I can do, and not how I can be the best replacement,” Jurgens said. Being scouted by Jason Kelce himself, Jurgens seems to be a perfect fit for the position. He believes the center has intangibles to make him perfect for the starting role.

“The strength-to-weight ratio that he has is phenomenal… [he’s] extremely explosive, smart,” Kelce said when asked about what stood out in the 24-year-old lineman. Jurgens started all 18 games in college as center for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, where he earned a spot as one of the top centers in the Big Ten conference. His accolades include Nebraska Offensive Lineman of the Year (2021) and Third-Team All-Big Ten (2021).

During Jurgens' 689 snaps he has yet to allow a sack or cause a penalty during the regular season. Now as he takes the reins from Kelce, Eagles fans can rest assured that besides a few growing pains the incoming center has all the qualifications to succeed at the highest level.

Clash of the CBs

After the collapse at the end of the 2023-24 season, Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman had some work to do to ensure success in the following year. Now it seems there may be too many defensive backs as the position is loaded with talent. A competition seems to be in order to weed out the weakness in the DB room and Vic Fangio is all for it. 

“You’ve gotta give them all fairly equal opportunities… when you have battles going on and it’s time to make a decision, the players make the decision for you.” 

Eagles new Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio is far from inexperienced, serving  8 different teams, for a total of 20 seasons. His word is law at the Nova Care facility, and he intends to place whoever earns the role in the starting lineup for Philadelphia regardless of age or experience. 

Rookies Cooper Dejean and Quinyon Mitchell were the first two picks of the Eagles 2024 draft class. Dejean the former star of the Iowa Hawkeye’s is unable to participate in the camp battles as he received a hamstring injury by getting caught in an awkward position during offseason training. This just leaves more reps for the former Toledo Rocket Quinyon Mitchell. He finished his college career with 86 tackles, eight interceptions and 19 pass deflections, and is looking to replicate this success as he transitions into the NFL.

The transition into the NFL for Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo was a trial by fire last year. While Ringo bolstered some average stats within the crippled backfield, he is primed for a breakout year in 2024 assuming he earns the spot. Last season he finished with 21 tackles, 1 interception and 2 passes defended. Ringo’s main issues last year were slow flipping hips and occasional laxed coverage; he further developed both traits into non-factors this offseason. 

Isaiah Rogers was banned from the league due to gambling charges in 2022, which led to the Eagles scooping up the young Indianapolis Colts corner before he hit the market. On a $1.01 million dollar contract he now looks to earn his role in the ranks as a born-again rookie. He boasts 90 career tackles, 3 interceptions and 10 passes defended, during the two-and-a-half-year stint with the Colts. With experience in the league and incredible speed and athleticism, he is high on the list of potential starting corners for the Eagles going into the 2024 season.

Eli Ricks may be counted out by most Eagles fans, but he has shown flashes of elite corner play. His most impressive came during the 2023 Miami Dolphins game where he shut down Tyreek Hill who was targeted three times with no completions. Ricks does have a grabbing issue however, which will ultimately decide his fate on the team if he can’t beat opponents without it.

“I feel young again,” says Eagles cornerback Darius Slay after receiving knee surgery at the end of last season. Slay is the aging vets 12th year in the league but that fact hasn’t slowed him down. He continues to fly around the field causing pass break-ups and tipped balls wherever he plays. Fans can only hope that Slay revives his talents this year as he finished last season with 57 tackles, 2 interceptions and 15 passes defended. 

Jalen’s Revenge

Jalen had a rough season in 2023 especially when in comparison to his near MVP 2022 season. He ended last year with 15 interceptions, 23 touchdowns and a 65.4% completion percentage. Hurts took this down year to heart and made it his goal of this offseason to never look like that again. He was reported many times getting in extra reps with receivers AJ Brown, Devonta Smithand Will Shipley, as well as running back Saquon Barkley. He has also worked on his ability to read the field and escape blitzes, which many reporters claimed were the largest flaws in Jalen’s game. 

His hard work seems to have paid off. He has finished week one of training camp with a 48/55 completion rate, three however were from receiver drops. While it may be too early to tell if this will continue through camp and into the season, it is a sign of improvement from what we saw previously. Whether or not Jalen gets his revenge and executes an MVP caliber season is up to him, as he has all the weapons and plays available to him.