Though the 2024 NFL season is still a few weeks away, with just one preseason game on the books for every team except the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans, fans of the Philadelphia Eagles are watching their favorite team come together in real time, with some members of the roster gaining momentum while others have seen the air come out of their proverbial sails when it matters most.
For some players, this is incredibly fortuitous, as there are multiple performers who fans didn't expect to see starting suddenly in that conversation, but for others, the preseason could mark their last major starting time of the 2024 season, with even the most entrenched starters suddenly at risk of becoming backups under new coordinators Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore.
While nothing is set in stone just yet, these expected starters, one new and one incumbent, could end up on the outside looking in this fall after seemingly losing their spots this summer.
These expected Eagles starters could lose their spots
1. Tyler Steen could lose his job to Mekhi Becton
Heading into the 2024 NFL season, the right guard spot vacated by Cam Jurgens was widely expected to go to 2023 third-round pick Tyler Steen, with only Matt Hennessy brought in to compete for the role.
On paper, this made sense; Steen was with the Eagles last season after being taken at pick 65, and considering his college pedigree, playing for Nick Saban at Alabama, he should seemingly slide perfectly into Jeff Stoutland's scheme, as the veteran coach, too, cut his teeth in Tuscaloosa before jumping to the NFL level.
And yet, between the emergence of Mekhi Becton as a willing guard convert and Steen's own struggles, his expected starting spot has grown shakier and skaier with each passing week, with Steen – and Hennessy for that matter – now look more-or-less now locked in as reserves heading into the fall.
Asked about what he saw in Steen during his preseason debut, where he played 36 snaps split between left and right guard, offensive coordinator Moore celebrated Steen's efforts on Monday during his media availability, even if he admitted the second-year pro needs to settle into a groove.
“Just good to see him back out there. Get him going, and so you know, he did a nice job. Obviously, it's the first preseason game for everyone,” Moore told reporters. “We are going to keep letting this thing grow and so we're excited with where all these guys are.”
Ultimately, after earning the starting guard spot based on pedigree, not practical tape study, Steen has seemingly lost it to a player with more NFL experience, more prestigious pedigree, and a seeming desire to do just about anything to play this fall after watching his free agency shake out very differently than he initially expected. Fortunately, Steen should still be active on game days and will likely serve as the primary backup at both guard and tackle, depending on how the offensive line would shuffle around following an injury, so he could be a play away from retaking a starting spot all season long.
2. Avonte Maddox could lose his job to Quinyon Mitchell
When healthy, Avonte Maddox has more or less been the Eagles starting slot cornerback since all the way back in 2018, when he was drafted in the fourth round out of Pittsburgh.
Sure, he spent some time playing free safety early in his run and even got some looks on the outside that ultimately didn't work out too well for the 5-foot-9, 185-pound defensive back, but for the most part, when Maddox has taken the field, he's done so lined up inside the perimeters, where his elite change-of-direction abilities have made him into an impact player.
And yet, after being released from his contract earlier this year and brought back on a much more team-friendly deal, Maddox has slowly seen his slot spot evaporate before fans eyes, with the collegiate Panther going from earning first-team slot snaps early in camp to largely crosstraining at safety while 2024 first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell soaks up the first-team looks on the interior.
What gives? Is Maddox on the outside looking in? Or do the Eagles now simply view him as a utility reserve instead of a starter, with Mitchell just too talented to be kept on the bench?
Well, it might be because of how new defensive coordinator Fangio views the slot position, which is more like a nimble weakside linebacker than a hybrid corner/safety on the inside.
“Nickel essentially is really a linebacker position. You know, if you go back to the traditional 4-3 if you stayed in a 4-3, a linebacker would be walked out on that slot. Well, the linebacker leaves the game, and now you're in nickel, and the nickel is on that slot,” Fangio told reporters on Monday. “So essentially, when you pare it down, he's playing linebacker-type zones more involved at the run than a corner is. So, it's a drastically different position.”
Physically speaking, Maddox is about as far from a joker linebacker as you will find on the defensive side of the ball, with Mitchell having bigger – and, therefore, better – measurables pretty much across the board. If Fangio wants to play with that prototype in mind, it's no wonder Maddox is spending more time at safety and will likely serve as a backup slot cornerback this fall despite technically being the incumbent starter.
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