With the Philadelphia Eagles opening their doors to another training camp next week, there's no better time to look down the roster and find names who could well spring a surprise this Summer. A new offensive coordinator and refreshed expectations leave the Eagles in good stead, but
With Cooper DeJean set to start sliding up to Safety in certain packages, this is a real opportunity for Mac McWilliams to grow. While he may not see the field in those sets where DeJean plays over the top, the Eagles have a clear hole at the position. If DeJean proves he can hold that down on a larger scale, having a reliable nickle to fill that old role could kill two birds with one stone as the season goes on.
McWilliams is still young and realistically his path to playing time has to come through special teams first after appearing in just 16% of ST snaps during his rookie season. But if he can make an impact over the Summer and at least provide insurance to DeJean in the nickel, it may well pay dividends down the line should CDJ's role ever expand full-time beyond that position.
Another year, another Training Camp where the Eagles go into it without a real developmental option behind Dallas Goedert. The veteran is still an invaluable offensive piece for the Birds, but the clock is ticking. Eli Stowers was of course drafted in the second round of this years' Draft and it's kind of strange how he's jumped right into that TE2 spot.
It's a shame that Calcaterra never really was able to develop past that rotational role, and this is without a doubt his last chance of at least securing that spot in the short-term. Stowers has the flexibility of time on his side, but if it's him who will replace Goedert when the time comes, the Eagles will still need a viable TE2, meaning Calcaterra's blocking specifically needs to improve. It's a big Summer for the Oklahoma product, and if he can't take that next step this season, I doubt Howie Roseman will spend much more time waiting.
One of the most underrated draft picks of 2026, Markell Bell comes in at a giant 6-foot-9 and 346 pounds, giving the Eagles a sizable prospect who could one day develop into Lane Johnson's heir. We've seen how quickly the likes of Jordan Mailata & Cam Jurgens really thrived under Training Camp conditions and made sizable jumps between year one and two, and Philly will be hoping Bell can do the same.
There is a worrying lack of depth behind the two bookends on the offensive front, so getting Bell up to speed quickly, especially without Jeff Stoutland around, is going to be crucial to the long-term stability of the OT position.
Trotter's growth was one of the real highlights of the 2025 season. It won't neccesarily show on the stat-sheet, but he looked much more comfortable than he did as a rookie and impressively fluid in his movement, trusting his instincts more and making the most of his few opportunities.
The Eagles do have an embarassment of riches at LB, which still feels weird to say, but Trot is now in the penultimate year of his rookie contract, and forcing his way into the rotation and continuing to thrive on special teams will be absolutely vital. Turning head at camp will go a long way in solidifying his standing as a go-to backup behind both Baun & Campbell.
As aforementioned, the Eagles are scary thin on depth at Safety, and all hopes are very much pinned on second-year player Drew Mukuba. A late-season injury cost his rookie campaign dearly, but he flashed on plenty of occasions throughout the year before that. Pinning the hopes of an entire position on a second-year talent is one thing, but doing it without much in the way of a contingency policy is the definition of confidence. It's down to Mukuba to make the most of that opportunity and prove he very can much command the no-fly zone.
