Veteran offensive lineman Brett Toth’s versatility has him in line to make the Eagles’ 53-man roster

After a yearlong snapping slump, Brett Toth finally had to accept a hard truth.

There’s only one Jason Kelce.

Spending the last five years as a reserve offensive lineman mostly with the Eagles, it’s understandable that the 27-year-old developed a deep admiration as the one either holding the bag or standing directly in the background while Kelce went through individual drills in years past. It was only natural that Toth would try to emulate one of the best centers in NFL history, even if it meant sacrificing consistency in an effort to master the rapid-fire shotgun snaps that became Kelce’s trademark during his 13-year career.

Equipped with the type of wisdom that can only come from experience, Toth has preserved the admiration but shed the emulation of Kelce going into his sixth training camp.

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“If anyone sees the way that Jason Kelce snaps, there’s a lot of heat on it,” Toth said Saturday. “I tried changing it last year; it showed that it didn’t work out. I went back to the way I used to do it and haven’t had problems.”

Toth’s sixth year has been full of firsts. Walking up to a scrum of reporters after Saturday’s practice, the West Point graduate who served in the military for one year conceded he had limited experience being the subject of such a large press availability. He’s also climbing into the meaningful reserve roles on the Eagles’ depth chart, getting reps with the first-team offense in a pinch on a few occasions over the last few weeks.

On Sunday, Toth worked at right guard between Lane Johnson and Cam Jurgens, filling in for Mekhi Becton after the presumptive starting right guard left practice with an injury. A few weeks earlier, Toth spent time with the starters at left guard with Landon Dickerson sidelined for the team’s public practice at Lincoln Financial Field. He has played center, guard, and tackle during his career, versatility that gives him a real shot at making the 53-man roster out of training camp for the first time.

Toth said his experiences have taught him not to get overly invested in cut-down day, though.

“This year, I think the mindset is a bunch of it,” Toth said. “Realizing that you can’t play the politics, you can’t focus on making the roster. I’ve been friends with some of these guys for six years now, you know, between Lane, Jordan [Mailata], and then Landon and Cam got here. I went out with the goal of just kind of building that confidence next to the guy wherever I’m plugged in at and it kind of started again with the Linc practice where I got put at left guard.”

Toth’s rise up the depth chart is multifaceted. The Eagles lost both Sua Opeta and Jack Driscoll in free agency this offseason, leaving them without two key reserves from last year’s team at guard and tackle. Becton entered training camp as the top backup at both spots, with Tyler Steen opening the summer as the presumptive starter at right guard, but Becton has since run away with the job. With both Becton and Steen sidelined, Toth’s growth the last few seasons has led to him emerging as the next man up.

Toth has played 20 games in his career with two starts, one of which came during a brief stint with the Carolina Panthers last season. At the end of the 2021 season, Toth suffered a torn ACL in the Eagles’ regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys after coming in to spell Kelce with the team resting its starters. Toth spent the entire 2022 season on injured reserve.

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Accounting for the recovery from the injury and the extended acclimation back into football afterward, Toth said he finally feels back to his old self on the field this summer.

“When you’re away from ball for two years, you’re not used to the hitting,” Toth said. “Your body isn’t under the same exact load, so whenever you come back, there’s definitely going to be a kind of a shock period. I definitely felt that last year during camp. When you’re out there, you feel like you’re 70% and you’re fighting as hard as you can, you kind of get down on yourself mentally as well. So last year was definitely difficult for me.”

That has changed this summer. Toth has started each of the Eagles’ preseason games at left guard and held his own. According to Pro Football Focus, he conceded two pressures in both the opener against the Baltimore Ravens and Thursday’s game against the New England Patriots, but has not allowed a sack.

If he does make the active roster coming out of training camp, he’d have plenty of reason to celebrate. He’ll turn 28 a few days after cut-down day.

“It’s kind of a double-edged sword there,” Toth said of his Sept. 1 birthday. “I don’t worry about it.”