Football season is finally back. Well, kind of. It’s officially the beginning of 2022 training camp, which will be the most interesting football-related activities taking place until pre-season starts and we all inevitably realize once again that none of this can fulfill the craving we have for real, high-stakes NFL football. Until then, however, we must subsist off of cryptic coach comments and questionably sourced beat writer tweets. As much as I like to insist the hype around training camp performances and happenings are overblown, there are certain things Eagles fans can keep an eye out for in order to have a more accurate outlook on the upcoming season. Here, in this article, we’ll dive into 4 key training camp events that could have dramatic impacts on the Birds’ season.
Quarterback play
It’s true that one of my biggest pet peeves is when Eagles fans “freak out” when Quarterbacks have bad days in camp or throw “horrible picks” a couple of times in practice. It must be kept in mind that the early days of camp are meant to iron out issues, establish rhythm, and get comfortable playing football in a full-team environment again. However, with the Eagles having a QB situation as divisive as they do, there’s bound to be a large amount of pressure assigned to Hurts’ performance. While camp completion percentage or TD/INT ratio is an inherently flawed way of judging in-season performance, there is much to be said about how coaches and teammates speak about Hurts’ play in camp.
Players like AJ Brown and coaches like Sirriani have come out in full support of Jalen pre-camp, but keen-eared fans can watch out for comments made about Hurts as camp progresses. Some key positive comments that could indicate a jump from Hurts are remarks about improvement in timing, anticipation, and accuracy. Throwing interceptions in any situation isn’t ideal, but we already know that Hurts can play at a replacement level in this league. To take this team to the next level, what we need is improvements in the more technical aspects of Hurts’ play. We’ve already heard some good things about Hurts’ accuracy from Coach Sirriani, an overwhelmingly positive sign for the Eagles faithful. If he can continue to grow in those areas to the degree that it makes a large impression on the coaches, this potential high-powered offense has a higher chance of reaching its ceiling in-season.
Defensive scheme
While the offense is of massive intrigue to Eagles fans, the other side of the ball has as many if not more questions that can be answered for us in training camp. One of the biggest questions on the whole this season is if and how defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will be able to elevate this defense to the next level. The numerous signings and draft picks have provided the young coach with plenty of shiny new playthings to deploy on opposing offenses, but how exactly will he use them? A major discourse in Eagles fandom is the switch from a complete 4-3 personnel alignment to a possible 3-4 and which will be the Eagles base defense. We’ve heard consistently from Gannon and others that the defense will be “multiple”, but to what extent?
That’s something that fans can keep an eye out for as camp progresses. Another question for Jonathan Gannon is if he can find a way to be more creative in defensive play calling – as the defense last year was as vanilla as it gets. Fans and writers should look out for mentions and appearances of disguise coverages, safety rotations, and blitzes as a sign Gannon has decided to shake it up. These aspects of defense could make or break the Eagles season, as maximizing the personnel brought in this year through innovative defense is key to success in the modern NFL.
Wide receiver/return man depth
One of the things that, without a doubt, can be learned from following training camp is the state of certain roster spot battles. For the Eagles, it seems quarterback is set in stone, along with much of the top of the roster. One of the more intriguing battles to keep an eye on, however, is the back end of the wideout depth chart. We know the top three of Brown/Smith/Watkins is a forgone conclusion (barring injury) but the depth after that is somewhat unsettled. It isn’t for a lack of talent, though, as there are some very intriguing names for a wide receiver four or five.
Zach Pascal has elite blocking and scheme familiarity that makes him pretty much a lock for the roster itself, but names like Greg Ward, Jalen Reagor, Brain Covey, and Devon Allen are all battling for the spots behind or even ahead of Pascal. Following how these receivers perform in camp and are given first or second team reps could provide a clearer picture on who will fill out the back end of these weapons, and also who coaches think could provide value on special teams.
Big Boy Development
Much like keeping an eye on the performance of fringe-roster players, training camp can provide a sneak peek on the development of exciting young players who we expect to be on the roster for a long time. For the Eagles, I believe the most exciting development stories are those of the “big boys” – that being Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, and Cam Jurgens. These three combine for nearly 1000 pounds of pure athletic potential, and seeing early signs of growth from them could point to a bright future for the Birds’ trenches.
The thing that makes me so excited for hearing about these guys’ camp performance is how many mentors, both coach-wise and player-wise, they have to help learn the ropes of line play, Jurgens has both one of the greatest centers in the league (and almost a physical carbon copy) as well as a coaching demi-god in Stoutland to mold him in to the perfect successor at the center position, and their comments on him should provide insight on how quickly that can become reality. Davis and Williams are possibly the most athletically exciting interior defensive lineman duo ever, and with Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave ahead of them, the same things said for Jurgens should apply to these two. The progression of these three is crucial for the future of the Eagles, and camp performance as well as coaches comments could provide fans an early look into that future.
I think I speak for everyone when I say I’m glad football is back. This season is going to be an interesting one, and it all starts here in training camp. That said, remember that this is practice, and not to overreact to things, both positive and negative – and make sure to just have fun.
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Noah Berger is a featured writer at The Birds Blitz. For more from Noah, check out his archive and read through our Eagles articles for the latest news about the Birds.
