With preseason in full swing, it's officially stock watch season around the NFL. Players across all 32 training camps are jockeying for starting roles and roster spots, trying to show a glimpse of what they can offer to their respective teams. A team as talented as the Philadelphia Eagles has plenty of tough decisions to make before the regular season kicks off.

The Eagles boast one of the deepest rosters in football and are likely to cut several players who could easily make other rosters across the NFL. Philly entered training camp with most of their depth chart locked into place, but after three weeks of camp and a preseason game, some of those roster spots are back up in the air thanks to some unexpected standout performances.

With Super Bowl or bust expectations in 2023, the Eagles will do their due diligence while evaluating their players in order to give them as many advantages as possible. Any championship team will tell you it needs contributions from all 53 players on the roster, making each decision as crucial as the last.

The Eagles have several players who have stood above the rest as of late. A pair of bubble players mixed with two defensive stalwarts make up our list of players whose stocks have skyrocketed in the City of Brotherly Love this summer.

4. Eli Ricks

Former Alabama and LSU defensive back Eli Ricks went undrafted this year but immediately found a home with the Eagles after the draft. Ricks said Philly was the first team to give him a call and it was a no-brainer for him to sign. It may not be a no-brainer for the team to cut him though, which was the expectation entering training camp.

Ricks is buried deep on the Eagles' cornerback depth chart but is making a case to squeeze onto the roster after a stellar preseason debut last week. He was the performer of the second half for the Eagles against the Baltimore Ravens, recording two pass deflections and returning an Anthony Brown interception for a touchdown.

The Eagles have four roster locks at the cornerback position already, with Darius Slay and James Bradberry leading the way as one of the best tandems in the league. Avonte Maddox and fourth-round pick Kelee Ringo are also safe.

Ricks will battle it out with Zech McPhearson, Josiah Scott, Josh Jobe, Mario Goodrich and Greedy Williams for the final two projected spots, though the Eagles could elect to keep seven corners if they see fit to do so. The first four names were all with Philly last season which could give them a leg up over Ricks, but it will be hard to ignore him if he plays well the rest of the preseason.

Ricks was a top cornerback recruit coming out of high school but struggled to stay healthy in college. He likely knows that his on-paper talent can only get him so far in the NFL, meaning he has to take his play to another level with each rep he gets. If the Eagles don't decide to keep him, he should have no problem latching onto another team or returning to Philly as a practice squad player.

3. Tanner McKee

The Eagles' “QB factory” landed them Stanford starter Tanner McKee in the sixth round of this year's draft. A true pocket-passer whose arm strength and length translate well in the NFL, McKee is battling it out with third-year signal-caller Ian Book to backup Jalen Hurts and Marcus Mariota.

McKee got plenty of run in the preseason opener, outplaying Book and impressing a lot of Eagles fans in the process. The 6-6 gunslinger completed half of his 20 passes for 148 yards with five throws of over 15 yards. Compared to Book's dismal performance – 1-for-4, 11 passing yards and 24 rushing yards on five attempts – McKee may already be in the driver's seat for the third-string QB spot.

With Hurts sitting out of Philly's second preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, both McKee and Book will get ample playing time. If Mckee does more of the same, he could lock up his roster spot before the third preseason game, though the Eagles are likely to keep both him and Book for that contest.

McKee is cheaper and brings more to the table in terms of development potential for the Eagles. Barring a near-perfect performance from Book in either of the remaining preseason games, McKee will find himself on the final 53-man roster.

2. Reed Blankenship

A year ago, Reed Blankenship was an undrafted player fighting for a spot on the Eagles' roster. Three weeks until the start of his second NFL season, the 24-year-old safety is locked in as a starter in Philadelphia's secondary.

After making four starts as a rookie late last season, Blankenship has been given all the first-team reps at safety this summer and hasn’t missed a beat. He's impressed so much that the Eagles decided not to play him in their first preseason game, all but affirming his role as a Week 1 starter.

Earlier this week, Blankenship notched three interceptions in two days off Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson during joint practices, showing his ball skills. His first and only interception last year came against Aaron Rodgers in Blankenship's first game with significant playing time. He's also shown a knack for getting to the ball as well, averaging just under six tackles in the five games he played more than 50% of defensive snaps in 2022.

Eagles fans were slightly concerned when Philly lost both starting safeties from last season, but Blankenship's ability to rise to the occasion to this point has eased their minds. He's more than earned his starting job and the praise he has gotten.

1. Sydney Brown

Despite being in the same Philly draft class as first-round picks Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith, no rookie has created more buzz during Eagles camp than Sydney Brown. The Eagles took Brown in the third round in April and he immediately stood out in rookie camp.

Philly loves his defensive tenacity as he's seemingly all over the field at any given moment. Brown has a keen eye for the ball and doesn’t shy away from making himself known. Look no further than the Eagles' first joint practice against the Browns, where the rookie safety delivered a killer block on a Reed Blankenship interception that started a scuffle between the two sides.

Following the practice, Brown claimed to reporters that he wanted to be “a feared player” confirming he was built to play in Philly. Eagles fans have already grown fond of the Illinois product and his first in-game action as a pro further solidified that. Brown played the most snaps of any Eagles defensive back against the Ravens, leading the team with nine tackles.

There was no doubt Sydney Brown was going to make the Eagles' roster, but he may just play his way into the starting lineup if he continues to impress. With Blankenship locked in as one of the starting safeties, Brown finds himself in a three-way battle with Terrell Edmunds and K'Von Wallace for the other starting spot.