Eagles’ 5 biggest training camp questions revisited as rookies Sydney Brown and Jalen Carter carve out roles

After five weeks of balmy practices, subdued preseason games, and a few dust-ups, training camp is now behind the Eagles.

The collection of practices, both on their own and against other teams, along with the preseason tape on their cast of reserves has been instructive in answering the biggest questions the team faced going into the summer.

Here are my five biggest questions headed into training camp revisited:

The Eagles don’t need Dean to be a Pro Bowler, but they will need him to be a competent starter to avoid regressing as a defense. The linebacker situation going into camp evokes memories of the Eagles’ approach to the two starting safety spots last training camp with an unproven group leaving open the possibility of Howie Roseman seeking outside reinforcement.

The Eagles went into camp with shaky situations at linebacker and safety and have a mixed bag headed into cutdown day.

At safety, Reed Blankenship’s stellar summer coupled with tantalizing flashes from Sydney Brown are reason enough to believe the team should be fine at safety. Either Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds could start ahead of Brown in Week 1, but the safety group’s play during training camp was encouraging enough to feel better about the back end of the secondary once the games count.

» READ MORE: ‘I want to be a feared player’: Eagles’ Sydney Brown makes an impression with his fast-paced style of play

Blankenship’s strides are the main reason for the confidence boost — he was one of the Eagles’ best defensive players and led the team in interceptions during practice — but Brown showed enough promise to understand why the organization is so bullish on him. Brown may not be the Day 1 starter, but the third-round rookie figures to be a major part of the defense in relatively short order.

At linebacker, things are still precarious. An ankle injury sidelined Nakobe Dean for about a week and Nicholas Morrow’s uninspiring play prompted the Eagles to sign Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham a few weeks into camp. Jack started with the first team, then fell down the depth chart and decided to retire, but the team may have found something in the 6-foot-3 Cunningham. He has long arms and used them to break up multiple passes against the Cleveland Browns during joint practices, assisting on two Blankenship picks. He got the night off in the preseason finale against the Colts, further confirming that he has secured his spot on the team and possibly with the rest of the starters.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Reed Blankenship picks off Deshaun Watson, shining in a joint practice session against Browns

That said, a combination of Dean and Cunningham still isn’t as confidence-inspiring as the team may have hoped to have. Dean had a forced fumble in the preseason game against the Browns, but he had an otherwise quiet summer after coming back from the injury. It’s an area the Eagles could stand to improve next week, although they have gotten by with underwhelming linebacking corps in the past because of their talent along the defensive line.

New defensive coordinator Sean Desai predictably kept things pretty vanilla in the preseason games, but there are plenty of indications from the last few weeks to make a guess at what the Eagles defense will look like this season.

There were more single-high safety alignments and press coverage looks than in years past and, most notable, Desai has shown a willingness to move players around that differs from Jonathan Gannon last year.

Veteran cornerback James Bradberry has gotten some work in the slot, possibly signaling a willingness from Desai to deploy him on the inside matched up against tight ends or bigger slot receivers when needed. The team had C.J. Gardner-Johnson fill that role at times last season, but it could utilize Bradberry there this season, especially with two games against Darren Waller and looming matchups against Travis Kelce and George Kittle on the schedule.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ A.J. Brown leaves his mark lined up against All-Pro James Bradberry in training camp

Nolan Smith also saw work at multiple spots, ranging from edge rusher to off-ball linebacker and even at the 4i-technique on the inside shoulder of the tackle a few times. Edmunds split his time as a pseudo-linebacker/box safety and Fletcher Cox got some rushing from a wide alignment akin to a defensive end in an even front.

But onto what fans really care about: How many blitzes did Desai dial up?

There were a handful of linebacker and safety blitzes both in training camp and during the preseason games. Anecdotally, Desai sent extra rushers in training camp more than Gannon, but it still wasn’t something the Eagles consistently relied on.

Overall, the scheme seems like it will be more aggressive in the secondary and more diverse in pre-snap alignment, although the core principle of limiting explosive plays seems to still be the top priority with heavy zone coverages with deep safeties.

For a second year in a row, the competition at right guard never truly formulated during training camp. Cam Jurgens got the initial nod at Isaac Seumalo’s old spot and never gave up the reins, mostly because of steady play but also because of Tyler Steen’s growing pains at a new position.

Steen, a third-round rookie out of Alabama, looked more comfortable at his native left tackle than he did at guard early in training camp but eventually settled in at both spots. He figures to be the top reserve at multiple positions. When Jason Kelce got plays off during camp, Jurgens would often bump down to center with Steen plugging in at right guard.

Jurgens looks slightly heavier, but what has stood out most to offensive line coach and run-game coordinator Jeff Stoutland about Jurgens is how he’s held up with powerful interior rushers.

“I knew he was strong, but I didn’t know he was this strong,” Stoutland said earlier this month. “You don’t see it when you’re playing center, you’re sometimes uncovered, now he’s covered. I’m impressed with the power and strength of Cam, he’s very, very strong in here, in his core.”

» READ MORE: Cam Jurgens’ cattle farm and athletic beginnings in Nebraska prepared him for a new role with the Eagles

After a relatively quiet start to training camp, the excitement surrounding Jalen Carter has steadily reached a fever pitch. His first play in the preseason opener proved to be a harbinger for the No. 9 overall pick in the draft, who has flashed the combination of power and explosiveness off the ball that made him one of the best defensive tackle prospects in recent memory.

» READ MORE: Jalen Carter’s welcome to the NFL was brief but explosive in the Eagles’ preseason opener

Carter’s dominant plays haven’t been exclusively tied to shared snaps with Jordan Davis, though. He has done plenty of damage lined up opposite Fletcher Cox in event fronts and has a legitimate chance to be on the field more often than Davis because of his ability to hold up against the run while also impacting the quarterback.

Davis’ camp suggests he’ll continue to be a plus player on early downs, but he might need more time to develop as a pass rusher. If Carter is as good as he has been this summer, it might not matter if Davis isn’t quite ready to be a main fixture in the pass rush.

The Eagles rotated all of their running backs in with the starters at times this summer, but D’Andre Swift had a noticeable featured role as a receiver out of the backfield.

Swift offers some gadget potential going into the regular season while Kenneth Gainwell and Rashaad Penny both figure to get their share of carries. It was always more likely that the Eagles would use a committee rather than a featured back and training camp only confirmed that notion. Swift, Gainwell, Penny, and Scott each got the final preseason game off and should have a role in the backfield without one guy consistently edging out the rest.

At receiver, Quez Watkins started camp off quite well before suffering a hamstring injury that sidelined him for about two weeks. Olamide Zaccheaus, Watkins’ primary competition for the third receiver spot, has earned a place on the team, but Watkins may still have the edge over the newcomer once he’s healthy.