Sophomore Surge?

PHILADELPHIA — Heading into his second season, Mac McWilliams believes he has gained a couple of steps.

The 24-year-old cornerback commented on Friday to reporters that he tacked on a few more pounds this offseason to his listed 191-pound frame, while decreasing his body fat percentage.

On the field, McWilliams looks to be a more confident player, with a stronger foothold on coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense.

ITB PHOTO/Andrew DiCecco: Second-year CB Mac McWilliams is looking to make an impact.

McWilliams admitted that as a rookie, he wasn’t “accustomed to everything” schematically. He was inactive for all but five regular season games, unable to nudge his way up the positional pecking order.

Progress, however, isn’t linear, and McWilliams gained insight as time progressed. He became even more diligent in his preparation behind the scenes and logged longer hours at the team facility. McWilliams also ensured his physical health became more of a point of emphasis.

The 2026 version of McWilliams arrived at training camp a more seasoned product, armed with perspective. His role last season was the equivalent of a cameo, logging only 28 defensive snaps and another 21 on special teams. Most of his reps were mental, observing the likes of Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean and Adoree’ Jackson from a birds’-eye view. But rather than allow his prolonged period of inactivity to define him, McWilliams remained patient, leaning into his newfound habits.

He’s now positioned to put those lessons learned into practice.

The enhancements in McWilliams’ game are noticeable. He appears to have found his footing, playing faster and more freely, and has a better handle on his job description within the scheme.

When it comes to progression, McWilliams identified one specific area of his game that’s evolved with the benefit of time.

“I’ll probably say mental-wise,” he said. “You know, I already — they’ve drafted me, so I already had the ability to come out here and play football, at the end of the day. But, you know, it’s a very mental state when you’re coming out here playing at the highest level. So, just getting in the playbook and just getting down the scheme, I would say [is] the biggest [difference].”

The reality is that McWilliams doesn’t have the job security of a Mitchell or DeJean, whom McWilliams jokingly refers to as his “old heads.” He’s competing for a roster spot in a fairly crowded room, making the next few weeks of August especially crucial. Perhaps working in his favor, though, is that McWilliams can play multiple positions. The 2025 fifth-round pick can align inside or outside, and has looked comfortable playing both through the team’s first seven practices of the summer.

The volume of reps is out of his control. McWilliams is, however, in full control of maximizing the ones he does get. While he’s delivered some positive moments, McWilliams largely remains even-keeled, a difficult skill to possess at such a volatile position, though one that should serve him well in his roster bid.

McWilliams should benefit from the different looks presented by a new-look Eagles’ offense, which McWilliams said has posed a “tough challenge.” Given the formational diversity and eye candy, playing with discipline and good fundamentals becomes especially paramount.

Every practice at this stage should be viewed as a growth opportunity, especially for younger players. For someone in McWilliams’ position, however, the ante is raised with each practice.

The competitiveness of training camp, coupled with the sweltering summer heat, inevitably leads to on-field banter at some point. Defensive backs and wide receivers are typically at the forefront of it, but not McWilliams. Reserved by nature, McWilliams isn’t much of a chatterbox on the field, at least amongst teammates. As McWilliams says it, he’s not a “back-and-forth type of guy,” though he did offer a caveat that will be fun to monitor this preseason.

“But to the other guys, you’ll definitely hit me out there chirping a little bit,” he said, grinning.

When asked about his second camp, McWilliams could have taken the opportunity to talk about himself. Instead, the second-year defensive back expressed his gratitude toward the Eagles’ organization for bringing him to Philadelphia. But to secure a roster spot for another season, McWilliams must continue to demonstrate that he did indeed gain a couple of steps.

“It’s going great,” he said, regarding his second camp. “I’m really just blessed with the opportunity. Coach [Nick] Sirianni just blessed me, and [Eagles executive vice president/general manager] Howie [Roseman] and everybody else upstairs, just blessed me with the opportunity to come out here. I’m taking advantage of it.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is the Eagles beat reporter for InsideTheBirds.com.