Eagles training camp preview: 20 players who will shape the summer

The Philadelphia Eagles will enter training camp with a roster talented enough to contend, but unsettled enough to make July and August matter.

Philadelphia has championship-level pieces in place, starting with Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, and Jalen Carter, but the roster also has several key transitions. A.J. Brown is no longer in Philadelphia, the wide receiver room has been rebuilt, the safety rotation is changing after Reed Blankenship’s departure, and Vic Fangio’s defense is counting on several young players to make another jump.

That makes this one of the Eagles’ most important training camps in recent years. These 20 players will help define the summer.

1. Jalen Hurts

Hurts remains the center of everything Philadelphia wants to be offensively. He played 16 games during the 2025 regular season, passing for 3,224 yards, 25 touchdowns, and six interceptions while completing 64.8% of his passes and adding eight rushing touchdowns. With Brown gone and Sean Mannion guiding a reworked passing game, Hurts’ timing with Smith, Makai Lemon, Hollywood Brown, Dontayvion Wicks, and Elijah Moore will be one of the most important developments of camp.

2. Saquon Barkley

Barkley gives the Eagles a rare offensive foundation because he can control games as a runner while also influencing coverages as a receiving threat. Philadelphia’s optimism around the zone rushing scheme should make his summer work important, especially as the offensive line continues to settle around him. If defenses shift more attention toward Smith and the new receivers, Barkley can punish lighter boxes. If defenses load up to stop the run, he remains a valuable outlet for Hurts.

3. DeVonta Smith

Smith enters camp as Philadelphia’s unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver. He has already set the franchise rookie receiving record with 916 yards and later set the Eagles’ single-season receptions record for a wide receiver with 95 in 2022. Smith’s route-running, reliability, and ability to win at all three levels make him the obvious candidate to take on a larger role. However, the Eagles still need to determine how much volume is too much and which receivers best complement him.

4. Makai Lemon

Lemon may be the rookie best positioned to quickly change the offense. The Eagles traded up with Dallas to select the USC receiver at No. 20, sending pick Nos. 23, 114, and 137 to the Cowboys for the 20th pick and a 2027 seventh-rounder. Lemon caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, finishing his USC career with 137 receptions for 2,008 yards and 14 scores. His ability to win inside and outside gives Philadelphia a potential instant-impact player, but his hamstring will be worth monitoring after he missed spring work.

5. Dontayvion Wicks

Wicks could become more than a depth receiver in Philadelphia’s rebuilt wide receiver room. He received heavy offseason work, and Nick Sirianni’s comparison to Keenan Allen was notable because it suggested the Eagles see a polished route runner with intermediate value. Wicks has the size and physicality to work through contact, attack the middle of the field, and give Hurts another option in the areas where Brown’s strength once mattered.

6. Tank Bigsby

Bigsby flashed during spring work and gives the Eagles a physical depth option behind Barkley. The summer question is how much trust he can earn in pass protection, short-yardage work, and special teams, because backup running back jobs are rarely won by rushing talent alone. Bigsby can help Philadelphia preserve Barkley over a long season if he proves reliable enough to handle meaningful snaps.

7. Eli Stowers

Stowers gives the Eagles one of the more intriguing rookies on the roster. The former quarterback became a first-team All-SEC tight end at Vanderbilt, where he had 638 yards and five touchdowns in 2024 before catching 62 passes for 769 yards and four touchdowns in 2025. His testing profile — a 45½-inch vertical leap, 4.51-second 40-yard dash, and 11-foot-3 broad jump — points to rare athletic upside. Dallas Goedert remains the present at tight end, but Stowers could push for the TE2 role and give the passing game another matchup piece.

8. Tyler Steen

Steen enters camp with a chance to solidify one of the most important jobs on the offensive line. The Eagles have long relied on offensive line depth and development, and Steen’s ability to hold down a starting role would give Philadelphia needed stability next to Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson. His camp will be judged by consistency, communication, and his ability to hold up against an interior defensive front that should test him daily.

9. Jalen Carter

Carter is already one of the most important defenders on the roster, and his next step could determine whether Philadelphia’s defense becomes elite. The Eagles need him healthy, disruptive, and capable of changing games from the interior. Carter has the talent to wreck blocking schemes, collapse pocket,s and create opportunities for the edge rushers around him. A dominant camp would be a strong sign that he is ready to lead the defensive front.

10. Jonathan Greenard

Greenard gives Philadelphia another proven edge presence and a player who can benefit from lining up near Carter and Jordan Davis. His early comments about the Eagles’ locker room and defensive front suggest he understands both the talent and the chemistry needed for the group to become dominant. Greenard’s fit matters because the Eagles need pressure to come from more than one direction, especially as the edge rotation sorts itself out.

11. Nolan Smith

Nolan Smith remains one of the key swing players on the defense. Philadelphia needs his burst, motor, and edge-setting ability to translate into consistent pressure, especially with the pass-rush rotation changing. Smith has the athletic traits to leap, but camp will reveal whether he is ready for a larger role and whether he can become one of Fangio’s trusted edge defenders on early downs and obvious passing situations.

12. Jalyx Hunt

Hunt could reshape the pass-rush rotation if his development continues. He led the Eagles in sacks and interceptions in 2025, showing an unusual blend of edge ability and playmaking range. The next step is proving that production can handle more responsibility. His athleticism gives Fangio flexibility, but his camp will be about refinement, snap consistency, and whether he can force his way into a bigger role alongside Greenard, Smith, and the rest of the edge group.

13. Jihaad Campbell

Campbell is entering his second season, not his rookie year, and his shoulder situation makes his camp especially important. The former first-round pick missed significant offseason work before his rookie season and again had limited spring availability, so training camp could be where Philadelphia finally gets an extended look at what he can become in Fangio’s defense. Campbell’s range, size, and pressure ability give him a high ceiling, but the Eagles need availability and consistency.

14. Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Trotter received first-team work while Campbell was recovering, giving him a major opportunity to build trust before camp. His instincts and football background have never been in question, but the summer will determine how much Philadelphia can rely on him in a meaningful defensive role. If Trotter proves he can handle communication, coverage responsibilities,s and downhill fits, the linebacker room becomes far more stable.

15. Quinyon Mitchell

Mitchell gives the Eagles a true No. 1 cornerback and one of the most valuable young defenders on the roster. His 2025 coverage profile was excellent, with a 42.4% catch rate allowed, 1.8 yards of target separation, 41.2% tight-window rate, 2.3 yards after catch per reception allowed, ed and a 63.4 passer rating against. Philadelphia can build coverage differently when Mitchell is locking down one side of the field.

16. Cooper DeJean

DeJean is one of Fangio’s most valuable chess pieces because he can play nickel, safety, and multiple matchup roles. His 2025 slot numbers were outstanding, including a 79.3 PFF slot grade, 61.4% catch rate allowed, 55.4 passer rating allowed, 0.72 yards per coverage snap,p and no slot touchdowns allowed. The Eagles’ plan to use him at safety in base packages only adds to his importance.

17. Riq Woolen

Woolen gives the Eagles rare length and athleticism on the outside. His arrival makes the cornerback room one of the deepest in the NFL, but his role still must be earned through consistency. If Woolen settles into Fangio’s system quickly, Philadelphia can pair his size with Mitchell’s coverage ability and DeJean’s versatility, giving the Eagles a secondary that can match up with almost any receiving group.

18. Andrew Mukuba

Mukuba enters his second season as the Eagles’ unquestioned starting safety after Blankenship signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the Houston Texans. Mukuba played in 11 games with 10 starts as a rookie before breaking his ankle in November, finishing with 46 tackles, two interceptions, three pass breakups, ps and two tackles for loss. He was back on the field during OTAs and is expected to be full-go for camp, where Philadelphia needs him to take command of the back end.

19. Michael Carter II

Carter’s versatility makes him one of the more interesting defensive backs on the roster. He has worked into the safety conversation and can also factor into nickel packages, giving Fangio another hybrid option. His role may depend on how Philadelphia structures the safety battle with Mukuba, DeJean, and Marcus Epps. Still, Carter’s ability to handle multiple jobs could make him valuable on game day.

20. Kelee Ringo

Ringo is part of a loaded cornerback room that also includes Mitchell, DeJean, Woolen, Jakorian Bennett, Jonathan Jones, Mac McWilliams, Shaun Wade, Tariq Castro-Fields, Ambry Thomas, and Kapena Gushiken. That depth makes every rep matter. Ringo still has the size and athletic profile to become a meaningful contributor. Still, he must show he can be consistent enough to carve out a role in one of the Eagles’ most competitive position groups.

Final analysis

The Eagles do not lack talent. The summer will determine how quickly that talent fits together. Hurts must lead a reshaped passing game, Smith must settle into life as the clear No. 1 receiver, Lemon and Wicks must define their roles, and Fangio’s defense must turn depth and upside into cohesion. If enough of these 20 players answer their camp questions, Philadelphia will enter the 2026 season with one of the NFL’s most complete rosters.

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Eagles training camp preview: 20 players who will shape the summer