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Vic Weighs In

One of my favorite things about covering the Philadelphia Eagles' 2025 training camp has been Vic Fangio's press conferences, because he just tells it like it is. He spoke on Monday, so let's review what he said.

On how much weight Fangio puts on Andrew Mukuba's preseason performance...

Fangio: "The interception was obviously a good play and not a great play on their part, but that's not our problem. It's when you have an opportunity to make a play, you got to catch it and you got to run with it. So that was a good play. The fumble recovery obviously was again a botch on their part, but some guys have a knack to make you pay for those botches and it's our ball instead of 2nd and 11."

#JimmySays: Not to oversimplify it, but a lot of what the safety position is in football is (a) not giving up big plays and (b) capitalizing on opponents' mistakes. Mukuba certainly did the latter on Saturday.

Did Mukuba's performance in the preseason do enough to separate him in the safety competition?

Fangio: "Not yet, no."

#JimmySays: Still work to be done, but I do think that Sydney Brown was probably in the lead before that game, and now it has flipped to Mukuba.

On answers at the CB competition, and whether he would have liked to have seen someone run away with that job by now...

Fangio: "I think all the guys are pretty even right now, and Jakorian just got here, got a full week last week. Need to give him a full opportunity with the other guys.

"I mean, they're close. Usually, it does become obvious to everybody as to who's going to win the job. That hadn't happened yet. I think they all have done a good job in their own way. Had good moments, not so good moments. So, we haven't reached that conclusion yet."

#JimmySays: I think that if you were to poll Eagles media on who will win the starting CB job, answers would be all over the map. And I imagine that the Eagles themselves still don't really know who it will be, as Fangio stated.

MORE: Camp practice notes from Day 16

Is Mac McWilliams part of the competition on the outside?

Fangio: "Yes, he is."

#JimmySays: McWilliams is a fifth-round rookie, and was a pretty deep long shot to be a starter when camp began, but he has played well enough -- and the favorites have faltered enough -- to become part of that conversation.

What does Vic like about McWilliams?

Fangio: "Mac had that injury, which held him out of practice. I don't know the exact amount of days, but we'll call it a week maybe, and I think it's affected him, but hopefully he'll feel more healthy this week and we can see the true version of him. I think there's more there than what we're seeing and getting right now, and I think it's probably more injury related and missing time related."

#JimmySays: Translation: "Show me, Mac."

Does Vic see a possibility where Cooper DeJean plays on the outside full-time and someone else is in the slot season?

Fangio: "Not at this time."

#JimmySays: Good question here. One possible scenario would be McWilliams starting in the slot, and DeJean moving outside full-time. But Fangio loves DeJean in the slot in nickel, so that's not where his head is at.

What would it take for Vic to seriously consider DeJean on the outside full-time?

Fangio: "Someone to develop at the nickel position and someone not to develop at the corner position. And we haven't seen Cooper play any corner either other than NCAA ball, so there's a lot of unknowns there to be answered yet."

#JimmySays: ...and we're already basically at the end of camp.

MORE:Eagles positional group review near training camp's end

How is Jihaad Campbell progressing?

Fangio: "He's been getting better each and every week. Like I say, he still has his hiccups, but I do think he's getting better and better."

#JimmySays: If Fangio thinks he's getting better and better — and Fangio is very much a "you can only get a lot better if you play" guy — there's little doubt at this point that Campbell is going to start alongside Zack Baun from Day 1.

How is Azeez Ojulari coming along?

Fangio: "He's coming, yeah, He had a nice play the other day in the rush. He's coming."

#JimmySays: Fangio had been giving Ojulari "afterthought praise" after talking up other edge rushers. For example, he'd be like, "Josh Uche is doing this well and that well... and Azeez too."

So this is the first time we've seen Fangio truly compliment Ojulari, who had a very quiet start to camp, but has turned it on a bit more recently.

Are the competitions going to carry into the third preseason game, or would Vic like to have answers before then?

Fangio: "They will probably go into that game."

#JimmySays: This question answered whether guys like Kelee Ringo, Adoree' Jackson, Sydney Brown, and Andrew Mukuba will play in the third and final preseason game. It appears they will.