Five thoughts on five players from Eagles’ mandatory minicamp

Summer has arrived. Perhaps for the final time, NFL teams are entering a roughly six-week break before training camp begins in late July. The Philadelphia Eagles, for the first time under coach Nick Sirianni, had to first attend a mandatory minicamp before punting the football life for at least a month.

Sirianni said he wanted to “get some extra practices in,” a decision that followed the franchise’s historic collapse at the end of the 2023 season. The coaching staff also knocked out some meetings they’d normally conduct during training camp, Sirianni said, plus some standard organizational housekeeping such as player physicals. But the change in schedule afforded a deeper look into the team’s offseason developments.

Below are five thoughts on five players who stuck out to me during mandatory minicamp. To cast a wider net on a 91-man roster, I’ve excluded the team’s more established starters.

Kelee Ringo, CB

There should be a measured tone when noting the Eagles fielded Ringo with the first-team defense for most of minicamp. Darius Slay was still the No. 1 cornerback. The coaching staff’s plan to cross-train James Bradberry at safety was surprising yet not illogical considering his regression in 2023, and it’s widely considered both practical and honorable for rookies to start somewhere near (if not at) the bottom of the depth chart.

Still, Ringo was the most impressive of the team’s veteran cornerbacks. He was noticeably more refined in coverage. He deflected multiple passes across the three practices, shadowed A.J. Brown close enough to earn compliments from the three-time Pro Bowl receiver, and Ringo stuck with speedy John Ross stride-for-stride on a deep ball down the left sideline that fell incomplete.

General manager Howie Roseman traded a 2024 third-round pick to move up and take Ringo No. 105 overall in 2023. Ringo is further revealing the potential his enviable combination of size (6-2, 207 pounds) and speed (4.36-second 40-yard dash in the scouting combine) hints. His play speed is significant. On what might’ve been a breakaway swing pass for Will Shipley, Ringo chased the rookie running back down after trailing more than 10 yards.

Scoop City Newsletter

Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox. Sign up

Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox. Sign up

Buy

If Ringo develops into a reliable cornerback, it presents the Eagles with a long-term solution as well as a short-term one. Slay, 33, is under contract through the 2025 season. Yes, someone must start opposite the six-time Pro Bowler in the meantime; even if it’s not Ringo, new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s system becomes more dynamic the deeper its defensive backs unit is. But the Eagles spent their first two draft picks on cornerbacks in this year’s draft to solidify a sloppy secondary. They don’t intend to invest that heavily in the position group again for several seasons.

Cooper DeJean, CB

While we’re talking cornerbacks… the Eagles are making a considerable effort to find places for DeJean to make an impact on the field. A playmaker at Iowa who had three collegiate pick-sixes and housed a punt return (or two, depending who you ask), DeJean was playing nickel with the Eagles’ second-team rotation, outside corner with the third rotation, and he was involved in nearly every special teams unit.

And not just as a return specialist. On the final day of minicamp, while practicing kickoffs within the NFL’s new rules, DeJean split a blockade as a defender and closed on the returner for a non-contact “tackle.” The play earned a “Nice job, Cooper!” from a member of the Eagles coaching staff.

There’s an emerging pathway to a 2024 role for DeJean that, perhaps in a hyperbolic example, was most effectively represented by a young Tyrann Mathieu: a nickel defender who can also platoon in other packages while servicing the return game on special teams. DeJean possesses proficiency in producing the big play. But he dropped what should’ve been an interception against Jalen Hurts during minicamp, which prompted some strong words from veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

Johnny Wilson, WR

There were red flags regarding Wilson’s route-running and pass-catching throughout the draft process, as referenced by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. The evaluation played out on draft weekend. The Eagles selected Wilson in the sixth round. Someone forgot to tell Wilson. I watched him twice make superb catches while in tight coverage during OTAs and minicamp. He contorted himself nearly sideways while snagging a slant just above the turf. Then, on a deep ball along the sideline, he made a leaping grab over Isaiah Rodgers for a touchdown. He didn’t seem cumbersome within a 6-6, 231-pound frame.

The Eagles have one of the NFL’s most lethal receiving tandems in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but they needed to diminish the drop-off that was all too apparent last season. Minicamp is a small sample size. But if Wilson proves to be a much more refined receiver than his draft stock suggests, his considerable frame should supply Hurts with a unique and useful complement to Brown and Smith.

GO DEEPER

How do NFC running back groups stack up heading into the 2024 season?

Zack Baun, LB

Baun never quite found a home in four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, and even he presumed upon signing with the Eagles that he’d mostly be featured as an edge rusher. Whelp. He was a first-team inside linebacker next to Devin White during minicamp. New linebacker coach Bobby King said that while the defense is “playing in pajamas” during no-contact drills, the coaching staff wants to see if Baun can drop in coverage as an inside linebacker.

Baun still needs to improve in this role, but he wasn’t a consistent liability. The Eagles linebacker corps in 2023 was constantly exploited in pass coverage, which prompted the position group’s offseason overhaul. White, the No. 5 pick in 2019, picked off a Hurts pass that was deflected in a crowded middle that included Baun and safety Reed Blankenship. White is a frontrunner to secure one of the starting slots, perhaps even the “Mike” role. Baun has a chance to steal the other spot; Nakobe Dean, who was twice on injured reserve in 2023, must rebound from his Lisfranc surgery.

Kenny Pickett, QB

Hurts is the starter. Pickett is the backup. But Roseman and the Eagles place a high value on QB2. Nothing derails a year quite like an injury to the starting quarterback, and the Eagles, who won their only Super Bowl title with Nick Foles, know how essential an insurance policy is. Pickett, the No. 20 pick in 2022, had a rocky start to his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but a fresh start with a deeper offensive roster may yield some stability.

Pickett looked sharp in the five media viewings of practice this offseason. He threw the only touchdown during the first day of OTAs. He completed the deep ball score to Wilson over Isaiah Rodgers. On the first day of minicamp, he struck Ross about 20 yards downfield, exploiting a mismatch against Brandon Graham. The Eagles and Pickett may indeed be experiencing a win-win scenario: they get a reliable option at QB2, he gets a chance to rejuvenate his career.

(Top photo of Zack Baun: Kyle Ross / USA TODAY Sports)