‘Not Ruling Out Anything’

Before the Philadelphia Eagles look to defend their NFC title, they will first have to settle many positional battles in training camp.

On the latest episode of “Inside The Birds,” Adam Caplan and Geoff Mosher discussed the most recent news entering camp and listed the top battles to watch over the course of the preseason.

Terrell Edmunds enters camp as the most experienced player in the Eagles safety room

Dennis Kelly

Adam Caplan: “A coaching source said he was really beat up physically in his tenure with the Titans before he moved onto Green Bay and the Colts. He has to pass a physical. If all goes well in August and September and it looks like he has something left, you have a backup right/left tackle. I’m told he is way better off at right tackle. He is a power blocker, a big mauling type.”

Geoff Mosher: “I don’t want to call him a camp body, he is too experienced for that, but I don’t know if he is going to be a real viable contender for the 53.”

Running Backs

Caplan: “They have to get used to the two new guys and figure out what they are capable of handling. They’ll get an idea going forward of how they handle this stuff mentally. Without Miles Sanders who was clearly their lead guy for years, they may not have that this year. It might be a running back by committee.

Mosher: “A starter doesn’t necessarily mean you get the first carry of the game or the most carries. I think about the 2017 Super Bowl team after they acquired Jay Ajayi. He became the starter to me because he got the most carries between the 20’s and then they would use LeGarette Blount on the short yardage goal-line and then Corey Clement was the third down back.”

Right Guard

Caplan: “(Tyler) Steen would be the favorite, but someone said to me that you have to be careful of saying he is a lock because he needs to learn the technique of playing inside. (Cam) Jurgens is raw and inexperienced, but he has the experience of learning what Jeff Stoutland wants in terms of hand technique and first-steps. And then you have Jack Driscoll who is the veteran of the group.”

Mosher: “It might be tricky for them to give Jurgens an honest fight against Steen. I can see Jurgens having to play a lot of first-team center with all the maintenance days Jason Kelce is going to get.”

Safeties

Mosher: “I think we all expect Terrell Edmunds is going to wind up as a starter based on experience below. Between him, Sydney Brown, Reed Blankenship, K’Von Wallace, and Justin Evans, it sort of becomes a “who’s going to emerge?” situation.”

Caplan: “I’m not ruling out anything because Edmunds is a very average player. He’s not a playmaker…Brown is a force in the box but will have to learn how to play back. Blankenship is really smart, his first step is always right. He knows what he is looking at but he lacks the foot speed as a starting safety.”

Punter

Caplan: “From what we understand, [the competition] is dead even. It’s not about how far you punt the football, it’s about putting it where it supposed to be. There are technical parts that Arryn Siposs has to be better with.”

Mosher: “If it’s dead even by the end of camp, that might favor Ty Zentner. Higher upside, younger, more versatile.”

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

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