The Eagles are reigning Super Bowl champions and they’ll take their first steps to defending that title this week when they kick off their spring practices.
While the Eagles began their offseason workout program back on April 21 and had their rookie minicamp after the draft, OTAs are the beginning of Phase 3 of the NFL’s offseason workout plan, as defined by the collective bargaining agreement.
This isn’t real football yet but it’s close.
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SIGN UP HERE The Eagles this year have six days of OTAs scheduled: May 27-28, May 30, June 2-3 and June 5. They also have one day of mandatory minicamp on June 10. The Eagles are expecting to hold their media availability later in the week.
Here are some key storylines this spring:
A new OC
The Eagles are coming off a Super Bowl season but will have a new offensive coordinator after Kellen Moore left for the Saints’ head coaching job. While the Eagles would have obviously preferred to keep Moore — after you win a Super Bowl, you want to run it back — it’s not like the Eagles’ passing offense was spectacular for most of 2024. The passing game was there when the Eagles needed it but they actually finished with the No. 29-ranked passing offense in the NFL (they were No. 2 in rushing) in the 2024 regular season. Remember when A.J. Brown had his infamous “passing” line about what needed to improve with the offense? That came in December.
NFL
With Moore gone, the Eagles promoted passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo, who had been in that position since Nick Sirianni came to Philly back in 2021. It’s hard to imagine the offense looking significantly different in 2025 than it did in 2024 or previous years. After all, Moore was the guy who was supposed to bring a bunch of new ideas to the table but some of those changes were more subtle. The big question with Patullo can’t be answered this spring or even in training camp. We’ll have to wait for the season to see how he fares calling offensive plays. Most who have been around Patullo think he’ll have a knack for it but we’ll see.
Dealing with the target
The Eagles will have super high expectations going into the 2025 season. Even after losing some key players in free agency, they still have a ton of talent and are the reigning Super Bowl champions. That puts a target on their back.
The good news is that the Eagles still have head coach Nick Sirianni and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in place as well as a bunch of talent. Even facing a difficult schedule, this team seems poised to compete for another Super Bowl in 2025. In fact, entering the spring, they’re the Super Bowl favorites.
A health update
There are several key Eagles who are coming off injuries. It’s not a big deal if players miss these OTAs but we’ll at least know if they’re back on the field yet. A few of the Eagles’ players coming off injury: Nakobe Dean, Jihaad Campbell, Nolan Smith, Cam Jurgens, Landon Dickerson, Ben VanSumeren.
The position battles
The real position battles won’t get going until training camp later this summer but they have to start somewhere. And there are several key positions with starting spots up for grabs going into 2025.
Right guard: This has become an annual position battle for a spot that has a new starter pretty much every season. Mekhi Becton, who was the starting right guard in 2024, left in free agency to join the Chargers. The top candidate to replace him is former third-round pick Tyler Steen, who was a top backup last season. The competitors for the job are Kenyon Green, Matt Pryor and a few others.
Cornerback: The Eagles moved on from Darius Slay this offseason and Isaiah Rodgers left in free agency. So that means they lost a starter and their top backup outside cornerback. The most likely replacement on this roster is third-year pro Kelee Ringo but the Eagles added Adoree’ Jackson this offseason in free agency and he should push the 22-year-old Ringo.
Safety: After trading C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Texans, the Eagles have one starting spot open next to Reed Blankenship at safety. The competitors for this gig are third-year third-round pick Sydney Brown and second-round rookie Drew Mukuba, who was taken out of Texas with the No. 64 overall pick in late April.
Edge rusher: Nolan Smith returns as the Eagles’ No. 1 edge rusher after taking a huge jump in Year 2 of his career. But Brandon Graham retired and Josh Sweat got paid by the Cardinals in free agency. That leaves Jalyx Hunt, Bryce Huff, Azeez Ojulari, Josh Uche and others competing for roles and roster spots.
Linebacker: The Eagles’ top priority this offseason was retaining Zack Baun and they did that with a three-year, $51 million deal. But Nakobe Dean is working his way back from a torn patellar tendon he suffered in the playoffs. The Eagles drafted Jihaad Campbell with the No. 31 pick this offseason but he’s coming off shoulder surgery himself. Rookie fifth-round pick Jeremiah Trotter Jr. could be in line for a bigger role if the health of those two dictates it.
Welcome to Philly
The Eagles didn’t have any major splashes in free agency this offseason. In fact, this was an offseason of tough decisions and watching players leave the building. But they did add some new players and OTAs will be our first chance to see those players on the Eagles’ practice field. Among those new players: Azeez Ojulari, A.J. Dillon, Josh Uche, Harrison Bryant, Adoree’ Jackson, Avery Williams, Kylen Granson and Kendall Lamm.