Top Eagles Stories Heading into 2024 OTAs originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles will be back on the practice field this week as they begin their 2024 organized team activities.
While the Eagles began their offseason workout program on April 15 and are already leading their rookie minicamp, the OTAs are the start of Phase 3 of the NFL’s offseason plan, which is dictated by the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA.
The Eagles are scheduled to have six OTA sessions: May 20, May 22-23, May 28, May 30-31. And they will also hold a mandatory minicamp from June 4th to 6th.
Here are some important stories this spring:
More time on the field
Teams can hold up to 10 OTA practices in Phase 3 and the Eagles have chosen to schedule six of those practices again this year. But the big difference with the spring schedule this season is the addition of a mandatory minicamp.
If the Eagles do hold their mandatory minicamp in June, it will be their first under head coach Nick Sirianni. The rest of the offseason is completely voluntary, but players can be fined for skipping minicamp.
Sirianni has already said that he is always evaluating practice habits and that he would be willing to change if he sees fit. After last season’s collapse and with two new coordinators, it makes sense to have more time on the field this spring.
But before that mandatory camp, the Eagles have these six OTA sessions. As a reminder, Phase 3 will take place over the next four weeks. While no live contact is allowed, teams can hold 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and even 11-on-11 practices.
Two new coordinators
After their epic collapse in 2023, the Eagles fired their offensive and defensive coordinators. Although Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie clearly thought about moving on from Sirianni, he opted to keep the head coach and was impressed with Sirianni’s plan to replace coordinators. Since then, the Eagles have signed Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore to run their respective sides of the ball.
While the Eagles have run Fangio’s defense for several seasons, they are now the masterminds of that scheme. The 65-year-old Dunmore, Pennsylvania native said he hopes this is the final stop on his journey as a professional trainer. Even though many concepts are similar, there are still installations that need to happen and the veteran NFL DC wants that time on the grass.
“You have to be content with what you have,” Fangio said of the limited schedule, “but I keep pushing for more.”
On offense, the Eagles hired Kellen Moore, who was previously the offensive coordinator for the Chargers and Cowboys. While Moore, 35, runs the offense, he and Sirianni have talked about mixing philosophies, schemes and even terminology. We won’t have a full sense of what this offense will look like until training camp, but we could start to get some hints in the spring.
The position battles
Position battles will really heat up in training camp, but will start in OTAs. Here are some to watch:
Cornerback: The Eagles have 14 cornerbacks on their roster. The only thing we know for sure is that Darius Slay is the starter. After that, first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell has a good chance to be a Week 1 starter, but he needs to prove it. There are a lot of players fighting for just a few spots once the roster is finalized and the Eagles need to figure out what they’re going to do with James Bradberry.
Right guard: Tyler Steen, last year’s third-round pick, is the favorite to win the Eagles’ right guard job. The Eagles are sliding Cam Jurgens to center and Steen is the top left guard, especially after Sua Opeta left in free agency. But the Eagles also brought in Matt Hennessy to support the infield positions and the Eagles used a fifth-round pick on Michigan’s Trevor Keegan. There’s a good chance this won’t end up being a contest, but if Steen fails, that could change.
WR3: The Eagles have one of the best receiver duos in the NFL with AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, but the WR3 spot is up for grabs. Quez Watkins, Julio Jones and Olamide Zaccheaus are gone and there is a new crop of players vying for the WR3 job: veterans Parris Campbell and DeVante Parker, as well as draft picks Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson.
“Tight end: Dallas Goedert returns as Eagles’ top tight end in 2024, but Jack Stoll left as a free agent”. Therefore, there may only be two spots for five players: Grant Calcaterra, CJ Uzomah, Albert Okwuegbunam, EJ Jenkins, McCallan Castles.
Linebacker: Devin White and Nakobe Dean are expected to be considered the Eagles’ starting linebackers. But White is coming off a disappointing season in Tampa and Dean is coming off an injury-plagued second NFL season. After them, the Eagles have Oren Burks, Ben VanSumeren, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Zack Baun and Brandon Smith.
Welcome to Philadelphia
Although the seniors have been at the NovaCare Complex all spring, the OTAs are the first opportunity to see some of the seniors on the field. So all eyes will be on guys like Saquon Barkley, Bryce Huff, Devin White and others. It will also mark the return of CJ Gardner-Johnson after his lone season with the Detroit Lions.
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