Written by: Joseph Mooney
Twitter: @Full_MOONey25
With the Philadelphia Eagles going through training camp and preseason, these are a few players both coaching staff and fans should have their eyes on in the next few weeks. Even though all eyes will be on Miles Sanders, the rookie back from Pennsylvania State University, the Eagles have many other key pieces that are required to set it up as the new season to hoist their second Lombardi trophy begins:
1. Nate Sudfeld
After the departure of Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, Sudfeld solely owns the #2 spot on the Eagles depth chart. While only taking 25 snaps in a total of three games for the Eagles, the young 25-year-old quarterback from Indiana University will look to develop under the teachings of Doug Peterson and Carson Wentz. Though the Eagles don’t plan on giving him much playing time during the 2019 NFL season, they can hope he shows enough skills to either be part of a potential trade package or expect a nice payday from the Eagles and stay with the organization from his performance in the preseason.
2. Sidney Jones
Jones fell to Philadelphia in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and with many concerns about how good the Eagles’ secondary truly is being prone to injuries, the team plans on Jones having an impactful role this season. Philadelphia’s secondary hopes Jones can step up his playing come the 2019 season and earn the third spot in the cornerback rotation behind Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby. Appearing in just nine games for the Eagles in 2018, Jones contributed with 21 tackles and two pass deflections while still looking to acquire his first interception of his career. Hopefully in his third year, Jones lives up to the hype coming out of the University of Washington, where he was a two-time, 1st-team All-PAC 12 member. Sidney Jones will be in an intense battle with Avonte Maddox for being the slot cornerback come the regular season, and that should be a fun matchup to watch throughout August.
3. Dallas Goedert
There’s no doubt Goedert wouldn’t be in this discussion if the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t have one of the league’s top tight ends in Zach Ertz, but in his only season with the Eagles, Dallas Goedert hauled in 33 catches for 334 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Now entering the 2019 season, Goedert expects a larger role in the high powered Eagles’ offense, but with the massive offseason additions of former Eagle DeSean Jackson, downhill running back Jordan Howard from the Chicago Bears, and a hungry rookie out of Stanford University, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, the question circles: will Goedert get his targets to show his importance and true value to the Philadelphia Eagles? As the season unfolds, it will be interesting to see how he handles this adversity.