Eagles position battles: Here’s who has emerged going into Week 3 of training camp

After the first two weeks of Eagles training camp, the early returns on the various position battles both atop the depth chart and for the players on the roster bubble are reaching a meaningful sample size.

Here are five players — and one coach — who have helped their status going into the third week and five who haven’t.

The first few weeks of training camp can be an instructive time to watch rookie skill-position players as they adjust to the speed of the NFL. Guys like DeVonta Smith and Miles Sanders looked the part almost right away, while others can struggle to prove they’re at the level required to contribute early. There have been false positives — both Jalen Reagor and JJ Arcega-Whiteside had dominant days during their first camp — but seeing who looks the part is still valuable.

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Put Shipley in the former group; the fourth-round running back has seen his involvement with both the first- and second-team offenses steadily increase and he’s put together some nice moments with the newfound opportunity. The receiving ability Shipley showcased at Clemson has also translated, and he’s even rattled off some nice inside runs, showing good vision and patience to find creases in the defense.

Shipley will need to improve as a pass protector, and it’s also important to note he was part of a botched mesh point on Thursday that resulted in a fumble, but he’s still on his way toward earning a role in the Eagles’ backfield behind Saquon Barkley.

Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Rodgers is still squarely in the running to start at outside cornerback opposite Darius Slay this deep into camp considering his previous track record in the NFL. Full disclosure: Both Kelee Ringo and Quinyon Mitchell could have feasibly joined the 26-year-old in the stock-up column, but the fact that Rodgers hasn’t been overtaken by the two promising young Eagles draftees yet speaks to how solid he’s been this summer.

Rodgers has given up catches — most corners will lining up against A.J. Brown and Smith — but he’s been solid and has gotten roughly half of the first-team snaps at outside corner, splitting time with Ringo.

Whether he can hold off Mitchell and Ringo remains to be seen, but Rodgers’ play so far suggests he has a real chance to earn a starting role for Week 1. Of the three in contention, it’s fair to say he’s helped his stock the most in the last couple weeks.

I regrettably didn’t have VanSumeren on my 53-man roster projection going into training camp. If I did one today, he’d be squarely on because of his special teams ability and some apparent upside to contribute on the defense at some point.

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VanSumeren was billed as an explosive athlete coming out of Michigan State and that’s been apparent watching him in special-teams drills again this year. On defense, he’s been working plenty with the second team while also getting a handful of snaps with the starters. Especially with Oren Burks sidelined since the first practice of training camp, VanSumeren is on track to be a key contributor to the Eagles’ special teams units this year and a developmental reserve at linebacker.

Any consternation about the Eagles’ No. 2 tight end spot has been quelled by Calcaterra’s impressive summer. The third-year tight end entered training camp in pole position to replace Jack Stoll as the second tight end behind Dallas Goedert and has run away with the job after two weeks of practices.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Grant Calcaterra discusses tight end battle, ‘workhorse’ Jalen Hurts, and Dallas Goedert’s impact

Calcaterra has made a handful of nice catches with the first and second teams and has steadily made enough progress as a blocker to suggest he can handle doing the dirty work as an inline tight end.

I tried to avoid any obvious names in this list, but Smith’s performance this summer trumps my urge to highlight under-the-radar players. Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni, and Brown have each noted that Smith looks ready to take another leap this season. He’s getting separation out of his breaks consistently and has made a few highlight-worthy catches, including one where he peeled a jump ball off Ringo’s helmet after elevating over the young cornerback on a go route.

When assessing the new coordinator’s impact on the Eagles’ offense in his first training camp, two facts help paint the picture:

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Moore’s offense, especially the first-team group, has looked sharp, with Hurts managing several high-level throws each practice without too many incompletions. Although the defensive line dominated for most of Tuesday’s session and there have been a few miscues that led to errant throws from Hurts and Pickett, the early indication is Moore has the quarterback group working efficiently inside the framework of his new scheme.

Steen neither ran away with the starting right guard job nor did he do much to suggest he wasn’t capable of keeping it, but his injury opens the door for a position battle nonetheless.

Especially considering Mekhi Becton has flashed some upside in place of Steen, who is dealing with an ankle injury that shouldn’t sideline him long-term, it’s fair to point out the second-year lineman will now have a legitimate contender for his job between now and Week 1. Becton has struggled against Jalen Carter in pass protection especially, but the mammoth free-agent signing showcased his ability to move bodies in the run game during Thursday’s public practice, clearing space for Kenny Gainwell for a chunk gain against the second-team defense early in the evening.

Remember the aforementioned importance of watching rookie skill-position players to see how they acclimate? Ainias Smith’s transition hasn’t been a smooth one. It’s fair to point out he missed time during the spring with an injury which could contribute to him being behind the curve, but the fifth-round pick has yet to flash the type of playmaking ability that made him an intriguing draft prospect.

Going into camp, Hennessy seemed like a dark horse candidate for the starting right guard spot, but it hasn’t materialized after two weeks. The veteran interior lineman has instead worked at guard and center with the second-team offense and Becton is clearly ahead of him in the pecking order. Even when Landon Dickerson has missed time, it’s been either Becton, rookie guard Trevor Keegan, or veteran reserve lineman Brett Toth to work in with the starters instead of Hennessy.

» READ MORE: DeVonta Smith amazes with his Eagles training camp catches: ‘Nobody has been able to cover DeVonta’

The Eagles’ signing Nick Gates presents Hennessy with a new potential training-camp competition, this time for a roster spot as a depth interior-line piece rather than a starter.

Perhaps this is more a reflection of where I thought Uzomah would fall in the tight-end pecking order rather than anything else, but the veteran hasn’t separated himself so far this training camp. He may still present value to the team as an inline blocker, something that’s harder to make note of during summer practices, but the race for the No. 3 tight end spot behind Goedert and Calcaterra is still very much on.

Speaking of the No. 3 tight end spot, Okwuegbunam has also shown very little so far. The 26-year-old’s physical profile suggests he could become a vertical threat, but we haven’t seen that from him in practices.