Three important decisions the Eagles must make before regular season

The Philadelphia Eagles have a fairly stable roster, but some spots remain open as the team begins training camp. Here are three decisions the team needs to make before starting the regular season.

Who will be the starting right guard?

With Cam Jurgens moving to center to replace Jason Kelce, the battle for starting right guard could be the most important of training camp. Tyler Steen, the Eagles' third-round pick in 2023, appears to be the favorite, but he’ll be pushed by veterans like Matt Hennessy and Mekhi Becton.

Hennessy started 22 games in three seasons with the Falcons and can play guard or center. Becton, a first-round pick of the Jets in 2020, has only played tackle in the NFL. But at 6-foot-7 and 363 pounds, he’s 42 pounds heavier than Steen and one of the more athletic linemen on the roster.

Ideally, the team would like to keep Becton in a swing tackle role, but he worked out at right guard during minicamp and could win the job if Steen struggles.

What to do with CB James Bradberry?

First-round pick Quinyon Mitchell should take over for Bradberry as the team’s starting left cornerback. After allowing a 54.2 passer rating and making the Pro Bowl in 2022, Bradberry’s passer rating jumped to 108.6 in 2023 with 590 receiving yards and nine touchdowns allowed in primary coverage, per RotoWire .

The team tried him at safety during minicamp only for the veteran cornerback to aggravate an abductor injury. Unfortunately for the team, Bradberry signed a three-year, $38M contract in 2023 that carries more than $15M in dead money over the next five years.

The Colts, Jaguars and Steelers have all been named as potential trade candidates for Bradberry’s services but it’s hard to imagine Philadelphia would get much in return.

With rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean set to miss three weeks with a hamstring injury, the team is more likely to keep Bradberry around.

Who will be the No. 3 receiver?

Julio Jones, Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus are no longer with the team, leaving the Eagles with a need for a third wide receiver behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

According to SI.com’s Ed Kracz , Parris Campbell got the majority of reps on the first day of training camp but noted Grant Calcaterra, the team’s backup tight end, saw work outside the formation and in the slot.

Campbell has the speed teams look for in a No. 3, but he’s missed 39 games and has just five touchdowns in his five-year career. Former Bengals wide receiver John Ross scored 11 touchdowns from 2017-2021 but stepped away from football to address mental health issues in 2022. He signed a one-year, $1.1M contract to join the Eagles in the offseason and hopes to make the 53-man roster.

The ninth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Ross ran a 4.22 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, a record that lasted until Xavier Worthy of Texas ran 4.21 this offseason.

Aside from Ross and Campbell, the team could look to fifth- and sixth-round rookies like Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson. At 6-foot-6 and 228 pounds, Wilson could be useful in the end zone or even as a hybrid tight end if starter Dallas Goedert misses time.