Eagles stock up, stock down after 2nd round of 2024 training camp practices

Eagles stock up, stock down after 2nd round of 2024 training camp practices originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles have now made it through six practices this summer and a couple of them have been in full pads.

So the 2024 version of this team is starting to come into focus a bit.

Of course, there’s still a long way to go. The Eagles still have plenty more practices, a joint session with the Patriots and three preseason games before they have to finalize their 53-man roster.

But it’s time for another stock watch.

We did this after the first three practices of the summer but we have a bunch of new names this time around:

DT Jalen Carter

This one isn’t much of a surprise but it seems like just about every day Carter does something that makes you shake your head in the best way possible. Like on the first day of pads when he tossed 363-pound Mekhi Becton out of his way in 1-on-1s. There’s no question that expectations are high for Carter as he enters Year 2.

CB Quinyon Mitchell

While Isaiah Rodgers and Kelee Ringo continue to split the reps at first-team outside cornerback, Mitchell is coming along nicely. He’s getting more and more reps as the first-team nickel (and dime linebacker) and his battles against A.J. Brown in 1-on-1s are already becoming must-see moments of camp. The rookie is taking on one of the best receivers in the NFL and he’s not backing down. The Eagles have to love that.

DE Jalyx Hunt

There’s no doubt that Hunt is a raw prospect for a third-round pick. He’s coming from Houston Christian and was a safety at Cornell a few years ago. But he’s flashed a bit during this training camp and certainly doesn’t look as raw as some expected. He still faces an uphill battle to really work his way into the rotation as soon as a rookie but the physical tools have been on display.

WR Johnny Wilson 

As the Eagles wait for someone to step up and win that No. 3 receiver job, the rookie from Florida State is looking good. The 6-foot-6 target has been getting some more first-team reps in recent days and is even seeing some time inside as a bigger slot option. Even though he couldn’t pull in the pass, it was fun to see the Eagles try a fade with him in the end zone at the public practice.

WR Britain Covey

After two years as a punt returner, Covey is making a strong push to earn playing time on offense in Year 3. His size might limit him a bit but whenever Covey is on the field, he’s getting open, catching passes and looking for YAC. It also makes sense that Covey has studied some other slot receivers with similar builds who have succeeded in Kellen Moore’s offense.

DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson

The first day in pads was probably the best of the summer for Gardner-Johnson, who knifed into the backfield for a bit TFL. He’s always talking and dancing and it’s clear that he’s bringing juice to the Eagles’ practice field every single day. But he’s also flying around and looking good. Gardner-Johnson hasn’t been playing safety all that long but he looks pretty comfortable in Vic Fangio’s defense.

LB Nolan Smith

We should probably take this one with a grain of salt because Smith was able to wow as a rookie in training camp and it didn’t translate to a very productive first NFL season. But his ability to dip around the edge is truly fun to watch and he put on seven pounds of muscle this offseason so that ought to help with speed-to-power moves. Of course, there was one rep where big Fred Johnson got his hands on Smith and erased him from a play; that’s the fear with the undersized rusher.

RB Will Shipley

Even though Shipley had a rough practice at the Linc on Thursday night — missed in pass protection and was part of a fumbled exchange — it’s still fair to say his arrow is pointing up. The rookie from Clemson looks especially smooth catching the ball out of the backfield and is making the most of those opportunities when he gets the chance. With Saquon Barkley and Kenny Gainwell ahead of him, it won’t be easy to earn snaps this season but Shipley is on his way to seeing the field at least a little bit.

Stock down

RB Tyrion Davis-Price

While the former third-round pick from San Francisco has looked fine running the football between the tackles, he has several drops already this training camp. While the other running backs have looked really smooth catching the football, Davis-Price has not.

OL Matt Hennessy

The Eagles signed Hennessy back in March but they keep adding more interior offensive linemen like Max Scharping, Nick Gates as free agents and Trevor Keegan and Dylan McMahon in the draft. After injuries to the top two guards entering training camp, a bunch of other players have gotten first-team reps but not Hennessy. And after starting camp as the second-team center, the rookie McMahon (and Brett Toth some too) has taken over that role and Hennessy is the second-team right guard.

OL Tyler Steen

After beginning training camp as the top right guard in camp but then he suffered an ankle injury on Day 3 and has missed some time. Mekhi Becton has taken his place at right guard and it looks like there’s a legitimate competition for that job now. Steen better hope he’s back in action soon.

TE Albert Okwuegbunam

It’s not that Albert O is having a bad training camp but he’s known for his athletic ability and prowess as a pass catcher and it’s been a relatively quiet summer. Grant Calcaterra is running away with the TE2 job and C.J. Uzomah is struggling. But even with those struggles, Okwuegbunam hasn’t really taken advantage of it. If he does, he could earn a roster spot.

QB Kenny Pickett

It’s clear that Pickett has a pretty good arm and it’s even fair to say he’s having a better camp than Marcus Mariota did as a backup last year. But he doesn’t quite look comfortable in this offense yet — he’s certainly not as comfortable as Jalen Hurts. I’ve also been more impressed by Tanner McKee, who has been getting some second-team reps the last couple of days. Pickett probably isn’t in any real danger of losing his QB2 job but you’d like to see more.

QB Will Grier

The fourth-string quarterback doesn’t get an opportunity to throw the ball very much and when he does it hasn’t been impressive. If there was any thought that he could compete for a roster spot, that hasn’t been the case.

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