Eagles stock up, stock down after 1st week of 2024 training camp

It’s very early in Eagles training camp — the pads aren’t even on yet — but we’ve now seen three practices this summer.

So it’s time for a stock watch from early in training camp.

Remember, things can change, especially when the pads come on. So take all of this with a grain of salt. But here are some “stock up” and “stock down” players from the first three days of training camp:

Stock up

QB Jalen Hurts

The Eagles' offense during spring practices looked out of sync. Hurts talked about how new the offensive scheme was and you could see that on the field. It just looked like way too much thinking out there. But that has completely flipped in training camp. The ball has barely touched the ground. Hurts has been incredibly accurate and decisive and he’s also shown off his legs again this summer. He’s off to a great start.

WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith

There were some pretty lean years at the receiver position in Philly so to see Brown and Smith every day is quite a treat. They make hard catches look easy and it seems like one of them pulls in a highlight reel grab every day.

TE Grant Calcaterra

There was a lot of Calcaterra hype in the spring and that hasn’t gone away. He’s the guy getting the reps as the TE2 in 12 personnel and he’s even getting some reps in 11 personnel when Dallas Goedert gets a break. Calcaterra has looked really smooth catching the ball and has seen a lot of targets. Of course, a big part of the TE2 role is to block and we’ll learn more about his progress in that area when the pads come on.

CB Isaiah Rodgers

During the spring, Rodgers didn’t show any signs of rust after a year suspension and he’s kept it up in training camp. He’s given up some catches but so have all the corners; it’s tough to cover Brown and Smith. But what’s notable is that Rodgers got the first reps as a first-team cornerback to begin camp. The battle between him and Kelee Ringo (who has also looked solid) is ongoing. Rookie Quinyon Mitchell is also potentially in the mix.

LB Zack Baun

If you thought Baun as an off-ball linebacker was just a spring experiment, it wasn’t. There’s still a good chance that Nakobe Dean could overtake him for this job but Baun has gotten more first-team reps through three days. The Eagles are mixing and matching with Devin White, Baun and Dean. It still seems likely that White is a starter, which means the competition between Baun and Dean is just getting started.

OL Darian Kinnard

Kinnard is a guy the Eagles signed on a futures deal this offseason and he hasn’t been talked about all that much. But he could make a serious push for the roster. When Tyler Steen needed to leave Saturday’s practice early, it was Kinnard who pushed up to the first team at right guard.

Stock down

DB Cooper DeJean

The rookie suffered a hamstring injury while working out before camp and is on the Non-Football Injury list. He’s expected to miss about three weeks, which is a major chunk of the summer. While DeJean is around the team and taking mental reps, there’s no doubt that he’s missing valuable time. As a second-round pick, DeJean is obviously going to be on the roster but he’s missing time to carve out a role in the defense.

OL Brett Toth

A year after Toth really struggled as a center in training camp, he’s missed the first three practices of this camp with a hamstring injury. The Eagles didn’t put him on the NFI list, which means they expect him back soon. But Toth was already a long shot to make the roster and this isn’t helping.

LB Oren Burks

Burks suffered a knee injury on the first day of practice and has missed the last two. That’s not good news for a veteran who is fighting for a roster spot. Burks would likely be a second-team linebacker but all those reps are now going to Ben VanSumeren, who has excelled on special teams. VanSumeren has a chance to make the team over Burks if this keeps up.

TE C.J. Uzomah

We already mentioned that Calcaterra has been getting the most run as TE2 and that’s a bit surprising because Uzomah is in his 10th year. But Uzomah also hasn’t made a positive impact in the passing game. He’s not getting many targets and when the ball does come his way, he hasn’t been able to secure catches. The good news for Uzomah is that he’s 6-6, 262 pounds and will be able to show off his blocking ability soon.

WR Ainias Smith

Both Day 3 receivers, Johnny Wilson and Smith, have had some rough moments but Wilson ended up making some plays on Day 3 of camp and seems to be finding a bit of a groove. Smith struggled a bit in the spring coming back from injury and those struggles have carried over a bit to the summer. He has had a couple drops and doesn’t look comfortable yet as a receiver or punt returner. But there was one play where he caught a quick pass and turned into a runner; he looked good there. We need to see more of that.

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