Eagles stock up, stock down after first week of training camp

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The Eagles practiced four straight days but will enjoy Sunday off before getting back on the field Monday.

They will be in full pads for the first time on Tuesday, which is when camp will really start.

It’s early, so take all this with a grain of salt. But here’s my first stock up, stock down of the summer:

Stock up

LB Davion Taylor

Even though Taylor missed Saturday’s practice with a quad injury — he’s day to day — he still belongs on this list. Because the second-year third-round pick was running with the first team the first three days of practice and looked like a completely different player than he did last year. We all knew that Taylor was raw and would need some time but he played just a handful of defensive snaps last season. If he’s a serious contributor in Year 2 that would be a really important development for this team.

S K’Von Wallace

With Rodney McLeod on the Active/PUP and still not practicing, K’Von Wallace has gotten the most snaps next to Anthony Harris as the top safeties. Wallace was a fourth-round pick last year and even when McLeod returns, I still think he’s going to have some sort of role in Jonathan Gannon’s defense. He’s played well through four days. His best play was a PBU on Day 2. He probably should have picked it off but it was still a great play.

QB Nick Mullens

I really like what I’ve seen from the Eagles’ third-string quarterback. Sure, Mullens isn’t the tallest guy in the world but he has a good arm and has made some impressive throws early. He’s looked better than backup Joe Flacco and if Mullens keeps playing like this, he might even push the veteran.

DE Josh Sweat

Derek Barnett is having a good camp too, but it’s notable that Sweat was the first guy out there as the RDE on Day 1 of training camp and those two have been rotating. Sweat is entering Year 4 and might be poised for a big season in a contract year. He’s already picked up a couple “sacks” during team periods and even if he doesn’t win the starting job over Barnett, he looks ready for a bigger role in the defense.

OT Jordan Mailata

All eyes are on the left tackle battle and Mailata has taken an early lead. He slimmed down some coming into camp and Nick Sirianni said he already sees that paying off. Mailata has looked better than Andre Dillard early. This is where we point out the pads haven’t come on, but I think it’s fair to see Mailata is already in front. He’s just so massive and strong and he’s moving incredibly well for a guy of that size.

Stock down

OT Andre Dillard

With Mailata taking an early lead, Dillard has some catching up to do. He’s struggled a little bit in the early going, getting beat in OL-DL 1-on-1s and a couple times during the team portion of practice. When the pads come on, he better step it up or he’s going to lose his starting job to Mailata.

WR Jalen Reagor

It was a good sign to see Reagor get back on the field Saturday and even make a play against Darius Slay in 1-on-1s, but the start of camp wasn’t great for him. Reagor failed his conditioning test after going through a tough personal moment after the death of a very close friend. So it’s not all his fault but he’s a little behind right now. Reagor is an important player for the Eagles this year, so we’ll be watching his progress in camp closely.

QB Joe Flacco

Like I said earlier, I think Mullens has outplayed Flacco in the early going. It’s not that Flacco has been awful but you’d expect a 13-year veteran to be carving up the Eagles’ second unit and that hasn’t happened. He’s missed some easy throws and hasn’t hit on many shots. There have been a few really nice throws here and there but they’ve been too infrequent.

S Andrew Adams

The Eagles signed the veteran to a minimum deal but he’s been out on the Reserve/COVID-19 list so he hasn’t practiced yet. His roster spot definitely isn’t guaranteed and we’ve seen guys like Wallace and Marcus Epps rotating in with the first team in McLeod’s absence. So Adams will have some catching up to do because if a decision comes down to him or a younger player, like Epps or Grayland Arnold, the Eagles might opt for the younger guy.

RB Elijah Holyfield

It’s not that Holyfield has done anything wrong so far, but all the other running backs battling for that final roster spot have stood out. Kerryon Johnson, Jordan Howard and Jason Huntley have all been making plays. As a bigger back, Holyfield has to be hoping to show off more when the pads come on.

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