Mix and Match

With a month and change to go before the 2024 regular season begins, the Philadelphia Eagles are continuing to tinker with their lineups as they look for the best combination to put out on the field.

On the latest episode of “Inside The Birds,” Geoff Mosher and Andrew DiCecco discussed recent training camp developments.

GETTY IMAGES: Philadelphia Eagles QB Tanner McKee has begun receiving second team reps.

Tanner McKee

Geoff Mosher: “I suspected that McKee was going to start getting some second team snaps by now because he is not just a camp body, he is a guy who impressed the team last year. The biggest struggle for a third string quarterback is that there are so few reps in a training camp practice. It only makes sense if you believe this guy can eventually be a number two or has some talent that should be developed that you have to at least get him in. It doesn’t Kenny Pickett is doing anything wrong, you are just trying to give this guy a little bit more.”

Andrew DiCecco: “McKee did well directing the offense. There were a couple of passes I’m sure he’d like to have back, but he didn’t really put the ball in harm’s way. He seems to have a lot more touch, be in command and develop the offense.”

Britain Covey

DiCecco: “As a route runner, he is very quick. He’s very sudden in and out of his breaks. He hasn’t really had the opportunity to showcase what he can do as a pass catcher because he has been a punt returner and is also someone who never got that opportunity last summer because he had the hamstring injury. But of that group, there is not a single player that separates better than Covey. He has been a matchup nightmare for a lot of these guys.”

Mosher: “This is the concern I have: it’s seemingly opening the door for a situational slot receiver. If you want to stretch the defense vertically, you get your 5’8 receiver in there. When you become situational in the slot though, you become telegraphic. [If] the big guy is in the slot, you have to look for the run. If the little guy is in, they are probably going to pass.”

E.J. Jenkins

DiCecco: “He has caught my eye sporadically as far as being able to pluck the ball out of the air. He has really strong hands, is explosive after the catch. I noticed him on consecutive plays from Tanner McKee getting the ball out of his hands quickly and letting E.J. make some plays on the move…How he blocks in the preseason and if he can show he can be a complete player is going to go a long way in his roster prospects.”

Mosher: “C.J. Uzomah is their best [tight end] blocking option, but he is not doing anything right now. If E.J. is a good blocker, then he will have a pretty good shot.”

Devin White

Mosher: “Devin White is someone who has taken the most first team reps, but as I have been told has been up and down and there are some times where he has just not looked the way you want Devin White to look.”

DiCecco: “You see the athleticism, you would just like to see a lot more consistency. In the springtime, when you are seeing a linebacker run with Saquon Barkley and carry him up the sideline, that speaks to his athleticism. But it’s about consistency and playing within the confines of the defense.”

Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Mosher: “We were told he is really on the come-up so far. Athletically, he doesn’t compare to what Devin White, Zack Baun, and Nakobe Dean bring. But this guy was born to be an inside linebacker and his football IQ allows him to compensate for what he doesn’t do well athletically. He may have the most natural inside linebacker instincts out of all of them.”

DiCecco: “The IQ really stands out. It’s very apparent that his instincts are advanced and he is seeing and processing things at a higher frequencies.”

Quinyon Mitchell

Mosher: “If you would have told me going into camp that after eight practices that Quinyon Mitchell was going to be performing pretty well and yet still not see starting outside corner first team reps and playing first team nickel reps, I would have been wowed. But it’s a really good asset if they think he can play nickelback and are comfortable with a (Kelee) Ringo or (Isaiah) Rodgers opposite of Darius Slay.”

DiCecco: “If you are looking to get your first round pick on the field, the clearest path would probably be nickel.”

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.