Philadelphia Eagles 2025 training camp storylines to watch

CBS News

7 days ago

The Philadelphia Eagles report to training camp Tuesday for the 2025 season after their second Super Bowl win in franchise history.
After beating the Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles went through an offseason marked by the loss of their offensive coordinator and several key defensive players.
Here's a storyline to watch about every position group entering training camp
Jalen Hurts delivered in the biggest moments last season and helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX. When NFL teams have success, coaching staffs get poached, a trend that has become the norm for the Eagles during the Hurts and Nick Sirianni era.
Enter Kevin Patullo, who became the offensive coordinator after Kellen Moore departed for the New Orleans Saints' head coaching job. Patullo will be the sixth play caller Hurts has had since he entered the league in 2020, and his third straight season with a new OC. So, how will Hurts adjust to another new play caller?
Patullo, who hasn't called plays in the NFL, might be new to the role, but he'll be a familiar voice for Hurts and the rest of the team's offense. He has been on the staff since Sirianni was hired in 2021, serving as the passing game coordinator and associate head coach the last two seasons.
Patullo said he plans on building upon what the Eagles do well on offense with new wrinkles, and all eyes will likely be on the team's passing attack, which struggled at times in 2024 and ranked at the bottom of the league.
Hurts, even in his college days, has dealt with offensive coordinator changes and adapted well to them. Last year, he said 95% of the offense being installed was new with Moore in his first season.
Hurts likely won't be dealing with that with Patullo, but their relationship will be something to watch.
Saquon Barkley is coming off the best season of his career, when he was named AP Offensive Player of the Year and set numerous franchise records.
With that, Barkley had the largest workload of his career. He had 436 carries, including the playoffs. With that in mind, will the Eagles make more of an effort to manage Barkley's carries moving forward?
After the season, the Eagles signed Barkley to a historic contract extension that will keep him in Philadelphia through 2028. The Eagles could be more incentivized to manage Barkley's workload moving forward.
However, that would come at a cost, as the Eagles' offense gets worse with Barkley watching from the sideline. Entering training camp, the two top options to be Barkley's backups are Will Shipley and AJ Dillon, who missed the entire 2024 season with a neck injury.
Barkley said this offseason would be different for him compared to previous years due to his 2024 workload.
The Eagles did very little at wide receiver in the offseason, which means the No. 3 spot on the depth chart behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith will go to Jahan Dotson.
When the Eagles acquired Dotson, many believed he would have had a greater impact. He only had 19 catches for 216 yards in the regular season, and most of them came in the team's regular season finale when they rested the starters.
Dotson had a big game in the Super Bowl, catching two passes for 42 yards, including one where he nearly scored. Will he be more involved in 2025?
In Philadelphia's offense, the No. 3 WR on the depth chart is never going to have a huge role behind Brown and Smith. Plus, tight end Dallas Goedert will eat up targets, and Barkley is also involved.
If Dotson can provide the Eagles a reliable third option like he did in the postseason, that's all they need in 2025. But if Brown or Smith were to go down with a significant injury, would Dotson be able to step up? Time will tell.
After an offseason filled with trade rumors, Goedert is back for an eighth season, but at times, it didn't seem like he'd return.
Goedert and the team reworked his contract to return for this season. So, what should the Eagles expect from Goedert in a contract year?
This season could be Goedert's last in midnight green. Goedert has been one of the better tight ends in the league over the last few seasons, but staying on the field has been an issue.
When he's able to play, production isn't a problem. Goedert led Philadelphia in receiving in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl LIX title.
The 30-year-old will likely be a little more motivated to earn another contract, and that's a good thing for the Eagles.
For the third straight season, Tyler Steen will have a chance to win the starting right guard job. Maybe the third time will be the charm for the former Alabama product.
Entering camp, Steen is the frontrunner to land the job to start between center Cam Jurgens and right tackle Lane Johnson.
Steen was the favorite to start last year until he got hurt in camp, leading to Mekhi Becton stepping into the role and never looking back.
Steen's main competition for the right guard job will be Kenyon Green, who was acquired from the Houston Texans in the C.J. Gardner-Johnson trade, and Matt Pryor.
The Eagles lost key pieces on the defensive line as Josh Sweat and Milton Williams departed in free agency, and Brandon Graham retired. Did they do enough to address the pass rush?
While the Eagles are thinner than usual at edge rusher, they're expecting Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt to each take the next step and play larger roles. They signed Azeez Ojulari and Joshua Uche to add depth, but the two have had up-and-down NFL careers.
On the D-line's interior, Jalen Carter enters his third year as one of the best defensive tackles in football. Jordan Davis enters a pivotal year, as the team is optimistic about his potential as a pass rusher. Moro Ojomo, who emerged in 2024, is expected to fill the void left by Williams' departure.
Jihaad Campbell became the first linebacker the Eagles picked in the first round in more than 40 years in April's draft. The selection of the Gloucester Township, New Jersey, native was largely seen as a steal, but what type of impact will he make in 2025?
In June, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio told reporters Campbell wouldn't practice until August.
Last year, Cooper DeJean missed the beginning of Eagles training camp with an injury, but that didn't stop him from making an impact on Philadelphia's Super Bowl season.
If Campbell, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, stays healthy, he could add another chess piece to Fangio's defense alongside All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun. With Nakobe Dean expected to miss time, Campbell could fill the void and start in his place if he's healthy.
Fangio said Campbell will begin at linebacker, but he could even get snaps at EDGE, the position he was recruited to play at Alabama.
With the Eagles trading Gardner-Johnson to the Texans, the other safety spot is wide open. So, which Eagles player will take the reins?
The favorite is rookie Andrew Mukuba, who the Birds selected with the No. 64 pick in the 2025 draft.
Mukuba's main competition for the starting job will likely be third-year safety Sydney Brown, who has dealt with injuries throughout his time in Philly. He also isn't an ideal fit for Fangio's scheme.
Fangio also said that Tristin McCollum, who joined the Eagles in 2023, will be involved in the competition. DeJean might even see time at safety this season.
Fangio said the battle for the second starting safety spot will take all of training camp and into the preseason.
Quinyon Mitchell and DeJean will both return as starters after excellent rookie years, but Philadelphia's cornerback depth is thinner than it was in 2024.
Will third-year cornerback and former Georgia Bulldog Kelee Ringo make the leap and earn a starting role for the 2025 season?
Darius Slay and Isaiah Rodgers are both gone. All the team did at cornerback in the offseason was sign veteran Adoree' Jackson and draft UCF's Mac McWilliams in the fifth round.
Based on the moves, the Eagles are hoping Ringo, 22, becomes the starter on the outside alongside Mitchell.
Dependable kicking in the NFL is hard to come by. For the past eight seasons, Jake Elliott has been better than dependable for the Birds as one of the league's best kickers.
But last season, Elliott struggled at times.
In 17 regular-season games, Elliot went 28 for 36 (77.8%) on field goal attempts, the second-worst mark of his career.
Elliott also went 1-for-7 on field goal attempts for 50 yards or more.
However, Elliott rebounded in the playoffs, despite missing three extra-point attempts. He connected on 10 of his 11 field goal attempts as the Eagles won another Super Bowl.
The Eagles have confidence in Elliott. They handed him a four-year contract extension before the 2024 season, but his performance in 2025 will be worth monitoring.