Eagles 2026 OTAs Preview: 3 Position Battles To Watch For
The Philadelphia Eagles will start OTAs today as they begin phase three of their offseason program. It’ll allow Philadelphia’s coaching staff and front office to get their first look at the current roster during team drills. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has added plenty of depth and competition while addressing areas that were considered weak last season.
Now the Eagles will turn the page towards a new chapter following last season’s disappointing early playoff exit. Philadelphia hired first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion and veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is running it back. The Eagles are clearly trusting their coordinators to maximize the talent that was added this offseason but here are three position battles to watch for.
Wide Receiver
No position group will look more different in the City of Brotherly Love in 2026 than Philadelphia’s wide receiver room. Following the departure of Jahan Dotson and the expected trade of A.J. Brown, the Eagles will look drastically different moving forward. Philadelphia’s wide receiver room is now headlined by DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown.
While those four players are considered locks to make Philadelphia’s final 53-man roster, the same cannot be said for the six other wide receivers on the team. The Eagles kept five wide receivers on their initial roster after final cuts last season. Which means that only one of the following wide receivers could be sticking around in Philadelphia:
Johnny Wilson
Darius Cooper
Elijah Moore
Britain Covey
Quez Watkins
Danny Gray
It’s going to be interesting to see how this battle for the final spot (or two) at wide receiver will play out this summer. Johnny Wilson appeared to be turning the corner during training camp in 2025 before suffering a season-ending injury. Then Darius Cooper stepped up in his absence and showed enough flashes to warrant making the final roster. Yet due to the arrival of veteran wide receiver Elijah Moore, things could be a bit more difficult this time around.
Britain Covey, Quez Watkins and Danny Gray have all spent time with the Eagles in recent years. Covey can ultimately push for a roster spot thanks to his return ability, yet he simply hasn’t shown enough as a wide receiver. Meanwhile, Watkins was once a starter in Philadelphia, although he likely doesn’t have enough juice remaining to make a legitimate impact. Gray has reportedly made plays during practice in recent years but has yet to put it all together when it truly mattered.
Tight End
While Eagles starting tight end Dallas Goedert enjoyed a career-high in several categories last season, the position group’s blocking struggles severely hampered the offense. Now Roseman has revamped Philadelphia’s tight end room with several intriguing additions this offseason. While Goedert and second-round pick Eli Stowers are locks to make the final 53-man roster, the others will be battling for potentially just one more roster spot.
The Eagles kept just three tight ends on their initial 53-man roster last season. While the Eagles could take a different approach with Mannion running the offense, here’s a look at the other tight ends on Philadelphia’s roster:
Grant Calcaterra
Johnny Mundt
Cameron Latu
Stone Smartt
E.J. Jenkins
Dae’Quan Wright
My disdain for Calcaterra is no secret, as I truly believe that he brings little-to-no value as both a pass catcher and a blocker. It was a bit disappointing to see the Eagles re-sign Calcaterra and I would be annoyed if he made the final 53-man roster. Meanwhile, Mundt is the most noteworthy free agent signing given his blocking ability. Although Mundt doesn’t offer much as a pass catcher, he could make a massive impact as a blocker and his experience working with Mannion is huge.
Latu showed flashes last season, as he made the move to a pseudo-fullback role and also offered value on special teams. He also played under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco, which could give him an upper-hand with learning Mannion’s scheme, since it will likely have plenty of similarities. Jenkins has stuck around in Philadelphia for a couple of years but it’s hard to imagine him making the final 53-man roster.
Smartt is somewhat of a poor man’s version of Stowers. Similar to the second-round pick, Smartt is a former college quarterback that made the move to tight end. While his upside is intriguing, he’ll have to prove that he can contribute as a blocker to make a push for a roster spot. Wright was expected to be selected on day three of the 2026 NFL Draft but surprisingly went undrafted. He likely has the most upside of any tight end in this group of six players and could stick in Philadelphia.
Safety
Following the departure of Reed Blankenship in free agency, Philadelphia’s safety group remains one of the biggest concerns on the team’s roster. While Fangio seemed content with the current safety group during his latest press conference, it certainly feels like there is still room for improvement. Second-year safety Andrew Mukuba is atop Philadelphia’s safety depth chart and veteran Marcus Epps is the current leader for the starting job opposite of Mukuba in nickel packages.
Yet beyond those two players, it’s hard to get excited about much else in Philadelphia’s safety room. The Eagles kept just four safeties on their initial 53-man roster last season. Here’s a closer look at the seven safeties in Philadelphia at the start of OTAs:
Michael Carter II
J.T. Gray
Brandon Johnson
Andre’ Sam
Cole Wisniewski
Kapena Gushiken
Maximus Pulley
When the Eagles acquired Carter ahead of last season’s trade deadline, many assumed that he would provide insurance at slot cornerback. Yet Carter surprisingly played a few snaps at safety and actually played the position at Duke, when Eagles defensive pass-game coordinator Joe Kasper was a graduate assistant at the school. Now Carter will get a chance to push for a starting job in 2026.
Gray has carved out a lengthy career in the NFL as a special teams ace. While he’s listed as a safety, he has hardly played the position and would be sticking around for his ability on special teams. Johnson and Sam were in Philadelphia last season and are still viewed as developmental players. Johnson provides a bit more versatility than Sam and could push for a roster spot due to his ability to play multiple roles.
Wisniewski, Gushiken and Pulley are the three rookies at the position. While the Eagles drafted Wisniewski on day three of the 2026 NFL Draft, Fangio surprisingly didn’t mention his name when rattling off the safety competition, although it was likely just a mistake. “Gush” is the player that I’ll be focusing on in this group after he received a nickname from Fangio. Despite his smaller stature, Gushiken is an explosive athlete that reminds me a bit of former Eagles defensive back Avonte Maddox.