Impressions of every Eagle on offense after 2020 training camp

The Eagles wrapped up their abbreviated training camp on Sunday with a scrimmage at Lincoln Financial Field. 

The Eagles have to cut their roster to 53 by Sept. 5 and then they’ll start preparing for Week 1 against Washington. 

In all, the Eagles had 12 practices in training camp once they were allowed to put on pads. I was there for 11 of them. Saturday’s session was moved inside because of rain and I wasn’t able to attend. 

But in the 11 practices I did watch, I learned about a lot of their players. Sure, sometimes you have to take these practices with a grain of salt, but these are the same practices the team has to use to evaluate, especially without preseason games this year. 

So here’s a look at every player on the defense. 

And here’s a look, going alphabetically, of every offensive player on the 80-man roster after training camp: 

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, WR: When I got out to the first practice a couple weeks ago and saw that JJAW wasn’t practicing, I thought, “Here we go again.” But once he got back on the field, he was really good. He consistently caught the balls that came his way and even made a few spectacular grabs and the kinds you want to see from him. He was able to use his body and out-muscle smaller DBs. With Jalen Reagor out for the start of the season, Arcega-Whiteside is very likely going to be the starter at the X receiver position. The Eagles will hope his impressive summer carries over. 

Manassseh Bailey, WR: The UDFA from Morgan State had a relatively quiet summer. He did made a big play on a catch-and-run in Sunday’s scrimmage. His best play of training camp was the last play of training camp. He’s not going to make the team.  

Deontay Burnett, WR: The second-year receiver, who joined the Eagles during last season, made really strong case to be on the roster. Honestly, he probably did enough to earn a spot but there’s a numbers crunch at receiver. I think he made more spectacular catches in camp than any other receiver.  

Corey Clement, RB: With Miles Sanders and Boston Scott sidelined for a while, Clement got a ton of first-team reps and he looked good. Most importantly, he looked healthy. I expected Clement to be fighting for a roster spot but he has one locked up. 

Andre Dillard, OT: Dillard’s season is over before it started with a torn biceps and that’s a shame. No, Dillard wasn’t dominant in training camp but he wasn’t bad either. Aside from the one awful rep against Joe Ostman that created a scary situation for Carson Wentz, I thought Dillard looked fine. He worked to add strength and bulk and it was noticeable. I really wanted to see it in game action. Oh well. 

Jack Driscoll, OT: The rookie from Auburn mostly worked at right tackle with the second team during practice, which meant he got to go against Brandon Graham a lot. Graham seemed really impressed by Driscoll, whom he called “Jake.” While Graham seemed impressed, he also beat Driscoll most of the time they faced off. Driscoll offers some versatility with his ability to play guard too, but he was at tackle during training camp. 

Jake Elliott, K: Elliott had a good summer. Didn’t notice many misses from him overall. He missed a 57-yarder in the scrimmage Sunday but he had enough leg. It went wide right. 

Zach Ertz, TE: Ertz isn’t the flashiest player in practice, but he’s just so consistent. He is such a safety valve for Wentz, Nate Sudfeld and Jalen Hurts. He made one spectacular catch this came on a rocket from Wentz. Ertz stretched back one paw and brought it in. No reason to think he won’t have another big season.  

Travis Fulgham, WR: The Eagles claimed Fulgham off waivers on Aug. 23 so he didn’t have much time to impress the coaches. But he is 6-2, 215, so that stands out on its own. Fulgham made a few nice catches during his time with the Eagles but his best-case scenario is to end up on the practice squad. 

Dallas Goedert, TE: Despite suffering a fracture in his thumb, Goedert still had a decent summer. He said recently that he was hopeful the cast would be off his thumb before the season opener. But he did get a few practices in with that cast on, so he can play with it if need be. 

Julian Good-Jones, OG: The UDFA from Iowa State was a depth player in training camp. Aside from looking kinda like Lane Johnson in warmups because of a bandana, I didn’t notice much good or bad from Good-Jones. 

Marcus Green, WR: Green was with the Eagles, got cut and then returned on Aug. 17. He caught a few balls working out of the slot and also worked as a return man. But he’s not making the roster. 

Nate Herbig, C: The second-year OL from Stanford clearly has a spot with the Eagles. He worked as the extra OT/TE with the first team and he filled in for Jason Peters whenever Peters came out of practice. Herbig is the Eagles’ top interior backup right now. 

John Hightower, WR: The 5th-round pick from Boise State had a very impressive training camp. He made big play after big play and should figure into the Eagles’ WR rotation in 2020. Hightower even won some battles against Darius Slay. I was very impressed. 

Elijah Holyfield, RB: Holyfield started training camp off really strong and it looked like he was running away with that job. But I think Adrian Killins caught up and it’ll be a tossup between the two for that last RB spot if the Eagles keep four. Holyfield is a solid player, who runs tough between the tackles and is faster than his awful combine 40-yard dash last year. He also looked much smoother catching the ball than I expected.  

Jalen Hurts, QB: Hurts is a talented rookie. There’s no question about that. While it seems like Sudfeld is still the No. 2, it’s by a very narrow margin. A year after 5th-round pick Clayton Thorson barely got reps in training camp, Hurts basically split reps with Sudfeld. He’s the backup of the future and the future is close. Hurts is most impressive when he uses his legs to create or to take off, but he also has a heckuva arm too. He has all the tools.

DeSean Jackson, WR: At 33, Jackson doesn’t take every practice rep, but when he was out there, he still looked as fast as ever. Despite playing just one full game together last year, Wentz and Jackson still appear to be on the same page. If Jackson is healthy, I have no doubt he’ll be good in 2020. But can he stay healthy? 

Lane Johnson, OT: Johnson missed the last week of practice with a lower-body injury but before that he looked like typical Lane. He’s still really good. 

Cameron Johnston, P: A few times in this camp, I just watched Johnston boot the ball over and over. He has an incredible leg and he’s gotten better with directional punting. The Eagles need to sign him to a long-term deal. I think he’ll go down as the best punter in franchise history. 

Luke Juriga, C: The UDFA from Western Michigan got the most money of the undrafted class but he was the third-team center for most of the summer because Herbig was often the second-team center. At times Juriga was with the second team. He has a shot to make the roster but I think he’ll be on the practice squad. 

Jason Kelce, C: Same old Jason Kelce. He wore a Flyers jersey, a Kobe jersey and he’s still an incredible resource for Wentz and OL coach Jeff Stoutland. 

Adrian Killins Jr., RB: He’s just 177 pounds but Killins is lightning fast. Think of Donnel Pumphrey but with speed and already looks like he belongs. I was surprised to see how many reps Killins got with the first team, lined up as a back, out wide and in the slot. He also returns kicks. He might beat out Holyfield for a roster spot. 

Rick Lovato, LS: He’s a good long snapper, I think. 

Jordan Mailata, OT: After a stint on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, Mailata’s training camp got off to a rough start and I thought maybe the experiment had run its course. But Mailata came on strong at the end of camp, which was good timing as Dillard went down for the season. He might not be ready to play this season but he’s one injury away so he won’t have a choice. 

Sua Opeta, OG: The second year UDFA is behind Herbig in the pecking order but the Eagles still like him. My guess is practice squad for now.  

Jason Peters, OG: I’m listing Peters as a guard because that’s how the Eagles are still listing him. Peters has reportedly asked for a pay bump if the Eagles want him to play left tackle to replace Dillard, so Peters spent all training camp at right guard. I really watched him here and was genuinely impressed by how good he looked at times. Peters was much better in the run game than he was in pass protection, but I have no doubt he could play right guard this season. The Eagles have to hope he ends up at left tackle, though. 

Matt Pryor, OL: The last two days of practice, Pryor filled in at left tackle and he got demolished by Josh Sweat in the scrimmage on Sunday. It was hard to watch. Pryor is a fine backup guard and he’d be able to start at right guard if Peters moves. But I’m not sure I’d trust him at left tackle. 

Jalen Reagor, WR: Reagor is going to miss the beginning of the season with a shoulder injury he suffered on Sunday. But before that injury, Reagor was one of the best players in this training camp. He played the X, the Z and even got snaps in the slot. He consistently made plays and showed off the athleticism the Eagles wanted. He also returned punts and kicks. Whenever he returns from injury, he’s going to be a big part of the team.  

Miles Sanders, RB: Sanders suffered a lower body injury and hasn’t practiced since Aug. 18. The Eagles are hoping he’s ready for the start of the season. In the few practices we saw of Sanders this summer, he looks explosive and primed for a big season.  

Boston Scott, RB: Scott also dealt with an injury this summer, but returned and also showed off his explosiveness. He’s going to be the Eagles’ second running back in 2020 and a good complement to Sanders.  

Isaac Seumalo, OG: This might be the year we all start to realize that Seumalo is pretty good. During camp, he’s looked big and strong and with the instability on the O-line right now, the Eagles need him to be solid. Everything in camp indicated that he will be. 

Nate Sudfeld, QB: While Sudfeld basically split reps with Hurts during camp, I don’t think he really got outplayed. Sudfeld had his ups and downs in camp (he got stronger as the camp went on) and he’s clearly not the same athlete as Hurts, but he’s still the backup. And he still made some great throws over the last two weeks. 

Tyrone Swoops, TE: Swoops (6-4, 254) wasn’t signed until Aug. 25, so he wasn’t with the Eagles very long in training camp. He does have three years of NFL experience, though, so he was still able to get on the field and make some plays. If he had a full camp, he’d push for a roster spot, especially after Josh Perkins went down. 

Noah Togiai, TE: If the Eagles keep three tight ends, I expect Togiai, the UDFA from Oregon State, to be the third. With Perkins out, Togiai took over that role as the third tight end and when either Ertz or Goedert weren’t practicing, he was the next guy up in 12 personnel. He made several solid catches during practices and he also proved to be a willing blocker. 

Prince Tega Wanogho, OT: Coming off a knee injury in the offseason, it was a good sign that Tega was practicing at the start of camp; I wondered if he would be. He had a very uneven two weeks of practice. At times he looked good, at times he got worked by rookie defensive linemen. I think he’s a little more of a long-term solution; based on what I’ve seen, I don’t think he’s ready to play right now. 

Greg Ward, WR: The Eagles added so much speed this offseason that it would have been easy to overlook Ward. But the slot receiver is just as solid as they come. He doesn’t flash the way other guys do, but he’s a chains mover. And we also saw the potential for the Eagles to use his skills as a former quarterback.  

Mike Warren, RB: Of all the undrafted free agents, the guy I was really intrigued by was Warren, the running back from Cincinnati. But, honestly, I think he’s the last running back on the depth chart after watching 11 practices. Finally, in the scrimmage he showed some of that toughness running between the tackles. I guess for a player like him (5-9, 218) it’s hard to show what you can do without preseason games. 

Quez Watkins, WR: The 6th-round pick had a really good start to camp but then ended up with an upper-body injury that kept him out the last couple days. I think Hightower is clearly ahead of him but Watkins made some plays during the two weeks. He has the ability to play outside and to give them a speed element in the slot. 

Carson Wentz, QB: Wentz suffered a lower-body injury that kept him for Sunday’s scrimmage, but I’m told it’s a soft tissue injury and the Eagles are just being extra cautious. They expect him to be ready for the opener. In the 10 days I saw him practice, he looked pretty good. There were some accuracy issues at times but nothing major. And he definitely looks bigger after bulking up to 250 this offseason. 

Caleb Wilson, TE: Wilson wasn’t with the team during the virtual offseason but was claimed back on Aug. 4. He made some catches at training camp but didn’t really stand out. He’s clearly behind Togiai for that last tight end spot.