From now until July 22, PhillyVoice will be previewing 2025 Eagles training camp by choosing a topic question for the staff to debate. This series will run from Monday, July 7, through Monday, July 21, as all players are expected to report by to the NovaCare Complex by July 22. The first session is July 23.
Today's preview topic question is which job competition on offense is the most intriguing headed into camp. Our writers made their selections and wrote about the player they felt best fit the category.
Most Intriguing Job Competition On Offense
GEOFF MOSHER: Slot WR
The Eagles haven't featured a true slot receiver in the Nick Sirianni era. Frankly, they haven't needed one. The combination of A.J. Brown on the outside, DeVonta Smith as a "move Z" and tight end Dallas Goedert as a dual threat in the run and pass games has given the offense plenty of firepower over the past few years, and Smith's ability to operate from the interior along with Goedert's flex alignments have been more than enough for Jalen Hurts. There's also the factor that Hurts just really isn't comfortable throwing between the numbers, where slot receivers do most of their work.
The Eagles have stockpiled some interesting No. 3 receivers over the past two years, but they still need to find out which one is their best inside man. They could benefit from not having to play Smith inside as much, as the traffic there can be grueling on the knees and body. The Eagles also use a lot of two-tight end formations for their run game because (theoretically) it's better to have an extra tight end paving the way for Saquon Barkley (or whichever ball-carrier) than to have a wide receiver out there throwing his body around, but that also makes the offense a little more telegraphic.
It would be nice if the Eagles had someone like Jason Avant – a reliable interior weapon who's also a good-enough blocker for the Eagles to run more out of 11 personnel (three wide receivers, one tight end). The list of potential No. 3 receivers is long and varied: Jahan Dotson, Ainias Smith, Johnny Wilson, Terrace Marshall, Danny Gray are among them.
But all of them offer something different – Dotson's acceleration, Marshall's smooth route-running, Wilson's 6-foot-7 frame, Gray's 4.3 speed, etc., etc. One of them should pop this summer and rise above the others.
The 5-foot-9, 176-pound Smith is the most intriguing to me as a natural slot because his size and body frame lends itself to being on the inside. He played inside throughout his college career at Texas A&M, where he also returned punts and kickoffs. A fifth-round pick last year, Smith got off to a tough start, dropped some passes at training camp and then sustained an ankle injury in a preseason game that landed him on IR to start the season. He's surely someone to watch this summer in Year 2, as he has the ideal skill-set for the job.
NICK TRICOME: Right Guard
Look through the Eagles' current projected depth chart, and 95 percent of the starting offense is pretty much set, except for that lone spot at right guard.
Mekhi Becton came in last season, played his heart out on the way to the Super Bowl, and then took his payday out in LA with the Chargers.
He earned every bit of that, but now the Eagles have to figure out who takes up his opening along what is otherwise still arguably the best offensive line in the NFL.
The immediate candidates for the job are Tyler Steen, the former 2023 third-round draft pick, and Kenyon Green, the former 2022 first-rounder who the Houston Texans traded to the Eagles for safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Steen, 25, has the benefit of having been under Jeff Stoutland's program for a while now, along with the experience of having been in a camp battle before last summer, even though Becton went on to win that one. He also upped his offensive snap count this past season, playing 316 in total – which included starts against Cincinnati in Week 8 and the Giants in Week 18 – over just the 71 he played in his rookie season.
Clearly, the next step for Steen would be into a full-time starting role, which would be a huge win as a former Night 2 draft selection, presuming his play continues to trend upward.
FROM THE ARCHIVES:There's hope for Tyler Steen yet – a film review
Green, 24, is expected to be battling him for it, though, as he tries to stay clear of the first-round bust territory that three disappointing years in Houston so far have been leading him toward.
Green missed substantial time due to injury and fell down the Texans' depth chart in the past couple of seasons, which, in all reality, doesn't present the greatest body of work.
However, his appeal seems to lie largely in what could be.
Remember, Becton's career was in the gutter a year ago when he left the Jets to sign a one-year "prove it" deal with Philly. The payoff couldn't have gone any better.
Green, in a similar way, represents that same sort of gamble. The only thing is, he carries no guarantee, just like Becton did this time last summer, and might even be at a disadvantage because of the expectation Becton set from his situation once he did take off.
With all that in consideration, the likelihood right now is that right guard is Steen's job to lose, but he does still have to win it.
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