Eagles coach Nick Sirianni names sleeper player as training camp standout

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni reached far down the roster on Monday when asked to name top training camp performers so far.

Former first-round pick Nolan Smith was one. Well-documented breakout candidate Jalyx Hunt was another.

But the third name was a sleeper – Patrick Johnson.

Johnson was a seventh-round pick in 2021 who had a career-high snap count of 22 percent in 2022. Otherwise, he’s been another name on depth charts stuck behind deep rotations.

It would be a luxury for the Eagles to suddenly get a fourth-year breakout from Johnson as the pass-rush begins to lean more than ever on Smith after Haason Reddick’s departure. Bryce Huff came over in free agency to help a contract-year Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham, but more production from the rotation this year could be a good sign of things to come for Johnson and the Eagles.

Granted, Johnson breaking out could make the cut to 53 players more difficult, but when it comes to pass-rush, that's a good problem to have.