The Eagles are about to get back to work at the Jefferson Health Training Complex, and once training camp opens in two weeks, the real sorting-out begins.
A few spots on the roster are going to draw a lot of attention early. Some players are trying to lock down starting jobs.
Others are simply trying to survive the numbers game and climb the depth chart. Either way, these are the battles that should matter most when camp gets rolling.
The backup quarterback job is the one with the most intrigue, and it has Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton at the center of it.
When the Eagles traded for Dalton in March, it looked like a move for experience and stability behind the starter, not a true challenge to McKee. That changed once Dalton started taking second-team reps from McKee during spring practices, and Nick Sirianni stopped short of naming McKee the backup.
That leaves two possibilities hanging out there: the Eagles may be less certain about McKee than they were before, or they could be preparing to move him before the season and want Dalton ready for the role. That picture should become clearer over the next two months.
Neither quarterback turned in a strong spring, which was a letdown for McKee after the promise he has shown since the Eagles took him in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Still, McKee should enter camp as the favorite.
He brings more upside, and the organization clearly thinks highly of him. But this is not locked up.
Another spot worth watching is safety, where Marcus Epps and Michael Carter II are set to battle for a starting job.
Epps has the edge on paper. He has started 49 games in his seven-year career and played well in four starts for Philadelphia last year. Carter, meanwhile, is making a major switch, moving from backup slot cornerback to safety full time for the first time in his NFL career.
There is upside in Carter’s profile because he is younger and could tap into more of it at a new position. But there is also more risk.
He has not started at safety since Duke, and that inexperience could show up in the form of mistakes. If neither player separates himself, Howie Roseman may have to look for help on the trade market, though finding a starting safety before the season would not be simple.
Up front, the Eagles also have a decision to make at edge rusher between A.J. Epenesa and Arnold Ebiketie.
Both were brought in this offseason to help deepen the pass rush, and both signed one-year deals. One of them looks likely to play only a limited role this season, while the other may struggle to get on the field at all.
The two are on similar career paths. Ebiketie has 16.5 sacks over his first four seasons and posted six sacks in both 2023 and 2024.
Epenesa has 24 sacks over his first six seasons, including a career-high 6.5 sacks in 2022 and again in 2023. Ebiketie has a possible advantage because he is set to make $3 million more in base salary and arrived two months earlier.
Even so, Epenesa should make the competition uncomfortable.
At tight end, Grant Calcaterra is fighting an uphill battle against Cameron Latu.
Calcaterra’s blocking inconsistency hurts his case in a tight end room that looks built for more physical play. Second-round rookie Eli Stowers is expected to take over Calcaterra’s pass-catching role, which leaves Calcaterra without an obvious lane.
That opens the door for Latu, who showed promise as a blocker last year and can also line up as a tight end or fullback. Veteran Johnny Mundt, who signed a one-year deal in free agency, gives the Eagles another blocking option. For Calcaterra to stick, he would need a major jump to beat out both Mundt and Latu for one of those backup spots.
The final battle worth tracking is at defensive tackle, where Byron Young and Gabe Hall are trying to hold off rookie Ty Robinson.
Robinson, a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, had a quiet rookie season and was buried on the depth chart during spring practices. Young, by contrast, flashed in his second season with the Eagles in 2025 and was ahead of Robinson this spring. He is in position to win the fourth defensive tackle job for the second straight year.
The Eagles would like Robinson to develop into a contributor, but he has to beat Young to get there. That won’t be easy.
And the long-term picture matters too: next offseason, the Eagles could lose Moro Ojomo in free agency, and having Robinson ready would soften that blow. Young is also set to be a free agent next offseason.
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