The are set to embark on a season unlike any other. With the COVID-19 pandemic in the headlines, teams still have to prepare for football to be played. No preseason games and a unique training camp will make getting off to a fast start for established teams with experienced coaching staffs even more vital -- and the Eagles certainly fall into that category.Even though Philadelphia has one of the in and Doug Pederson, the Eagles did a few maneuverings and revamped their offense, giving it a fresh look after back-to-back seasons out of the top 10 in points and yards.Fortunately for Philadelphia, all three of its NFC East counterparts have new head coaches and are installing new systems. That benefits the Eagles once the season begins, as their established system will be ahead of the game in hopes of becoming the first repeat winners of the division since Philadelphia accomplished the feat in 2004.Of
Anfernee Hardaway Jersey course the Eagles have their own battles that need to be solved, especially as their starting lineup is far from set on both sides of the ball. As training camp is set to begin this week, CBSSports.com will look at five training camp battles for Eagles fans to keep an eye on in the upcoming weeks leading up to the season. 1. vs. The Eagles want Reagor to learn one position, as understudy. That's all well and good, but it's hard to believe they will allow Reagor to sit the bench (especially if won't be available for Week 1). DeSean Jackson has a starting wide receiver spot set, but who gets the starting spot opposite him and who starts in the slot?This battle pertains to the slot, which should be Goodwin's to lose -- but Reagor may be playing a bigger role in this battle than we realize. Reagor excelled in the slot at TCU and was excellent at creating yards after the catch, making him a prime candidate to stretch the field and add more speed in the offense by placing him in the slot.Reagor can still be an understudy to Jackson and will likely play more snaps in the "Z" anyway, especially if Jackson suffers another injury. The Eagles will want to get all the speed on the field they can, which is why Reagor has a shot to beat out the experienced Goodwin for the starting job in the slot. Pederson will likely interchange both players, but Goodwin has the early edge due to Reagor not having any practice reps thanks to COVID-19. Of course, Goodwin doesn't have any reps in his new offense either. CLE WR #19 TAR21REC12REC YDs186REC TD1FL0 Let's not count out in this battle, who was Wentz's most reliable wideout down the stretch last season. Ward will get his share of snaps if he makes the roster (which he should), but if the Eagles are committed to adding speed -- this battle is between Goodwin and Reagor.2. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside vs. and Arcega-
Dominique Wilkins Jersey Whiteside was a major disappointment in his rookie season for the Eagles, but there's little reason to write him off yet. Plenty of good wideouts struggled in Year One only to figure things out in Year Two (and sometimes it takes three). The Eagles will still need an "X" receiver if Jeffery mi ses the start of the year, and Arcega-Whiteside is the most logical candidate. ATL WR #83 TAR22REC10REC YDs169REC TD1FL0 What if Arcega-Whiteside struggles in camp and shows the same i sues he did in his rookie year? Perhaps the Eagles go in a different direction and abandon the po se sion receiver altogether (they'll still need one at times, which is where Arcega-Whiteside will get playing time).Here's where Hightower and Watkins can make their mark and earn an opportunity at a roster spot. Hightower po se ses blazing speed, but needs work on his ball tracking. Watkins is also incredibly fast (he ran a 4.35 at the combine), but is more
Nikola Vucevic Jersey suited for the slot and creating mismatches there.This isn't a position battle, but a playing time battle. The Eagles wanted to add speed at wide receiver and excelled at that, but there's still room for Arcega-Whiteside on this roster as a red zone threat and a reliable po se sion player. If the Eagles choose to utilize more "10 personnel" or "11 personnel" this season, there's room for Hightower and Watkins to unseat Arcega-Whiteside for playing time. 3. vs. and The battle for the second cornerback spot is the most intriguing one on defense, especially in a revamped secondary that added this offseason. So who starts next to Slay?The frontrunner here is Jones, the Eagles' second-round pick from 2017 who would have been a top-15 pick if he didn't rupture his
Tracy McGrady Jersey Achilles prior to the draft. Jones has been inconsistent -- to put it best -- but showed his potential down the stretch for the Eagles en route to the NFC East title. Opposing quarterbacks had just a 67.9 pa ser rating targeting Jones, even though he allowed 13.1 yards per completion last season.This year is the "make-or-break" season for Jones, but Maddox is within a car length of him for that starting job. Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz loves to move Maddox around the secondary, playing him at outside cornerback, at safety, and in the slot -- so there's a strong chance he plays all three positions again. The slot cornerback job is expected to go to , which pushes Maddox to the outside. Maddox endured a sophomore slump last season, as opposing quarterbacks had an 85.1 pa ser rating targeting him (vs. 52.0 his rookie year). The talent is still there and Maddox doesn't lack confidence, so he'll push Jones to the end of camp for this job.Douglas is also in the mix, but never seemed to be a favorite of Schwartz. Don't count on him to overtake these two for the job, but he has a role on this team as valuable depth at cornerback. Again, the Eagles went for speed on both sides of the ball -- something Douglas doesn't provide as well as Maddox or Jones.4. vs. and With the Eagles moving on from , one of the starting safety spots is up for grabs. is back, but the Eagles made a few changes to compensate for the lo s of Jenkins. Philadelphia moved Jalen Mills to safety, which he played at LSU but never in the NFL. Mills moving to safety seemed like a formality years ago based on his speed and his tackling ability. Since Mills knows the defense, he's the front runner for the job. Parks is the player to keep an eye on in camp as he is looking to break out of that "spot starter" role, which is what he was in four seasons with the . He's a better fit in Schwartz's scheme due to his ability to play both safety positions, and opposing quarterbacks completed just 56.8% of their pa ses when targeting Parks last season. Parks appears due to break out under new Eagles defensive backs coach Marquand Manuel, which gives him more than a fighter's chance to take this job from Mills.Wallace has the makings of a future starter down the line, and po sibly could earn this job midway through
Chuma Okeke Jersey the season. A 2020 fourth-round pick of the Eagles, Wallace has the potential to start Week 1 -- but needs to cat