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When it comes to the release of the Philadelphia Eagles' first unofficial depth chart of 2025, crucially put together by the team's PR staff, there aren't too many surprises.
On the offensive side of the ball, there is just one new starter out of 11, with Tyler Steen earning the right guard spot previously held by Mekhi Becton, and Matt Pryor, not offseason trade addition Kenyon Green, slotted in as his top backup.
Granted, this could all be for not, as it's anyone's guess who would actually have their number called in an actual game if Steen, Landon Dickerson, or even Cam Jurgens went down, but for now, Pryor is higher on the Eagles' chart than rookies Myles Hinton, Cameron Williams, and Drew Kendall, plus second-year guard Trevor Keegan.
Defensively, where the real competition lies, the Eagles, again, don't have too many surprises, with Sydney Brown and Andrew Mukuba holding shared control over the starting safety spot next to Reed Blankenship, making Tristin McCollum the clear safety No. 4 and Adoree' Jackson and Kelee Ringo platooning at CB2 opposite Quinyon Mitchell, with Eli Ricks behind them in his own tier.
Nolan Smith, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, and Jalyx Hunt are all predictably starting in the defensive front, with no real surprises behind them, minus Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. being on the fourth string, and the inside linebackers are more or less where fans would expect too, especially with Jihaad Campbell returning from surgery.
No, the one real surprise of the depth chart actually comes in the slot, with Cooper DeJean landing an interesting backup who could play more if Vic Fangio ends up using his second-year Hawkeye next to Blankenship.
Mac McWilliams is picking up steam in the slot for the Eagles
When the Eagles drafted McWilliams in the fifth round out of UCF, it was anyone's guess what Philadelphia had planned for the young defender.
During his final season with the Knights, McWilliams was largely used as an outside cornerback, logging almost 80 percent of his snaps on the perimeter (428) versus just 10.5 percent in the slot (57), but standing just 5-foot-10, 191 pounds with short arms, was that really viable at the NFL level?
In the opinion of NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, the answer to that question was no, as he expected to see the young cornerback in the slot.
“Tenacious cornerback whose 2024 tape helped spotlight his toughness and short-area athleticism. McWilliams is best in off coverages. He plays with anticipation and burst to swarm the top of the route from his pedal and is quick to pounce on zone throws,” Zierlein wrote. “He has average long speed and lacks length. His failure to locate deep throws is concerning. There is zero hesitation when it's time to step downhill and support the run, though, and he's a physical tackler who can do it on his own. McWilliams' 2023 tape was a mess, but he was much improved in 2024 and looks capable of finding backup work as a nickelback for a zone-heavy team.”
Fortunately for Zierlein, his evaluation appears to be correct, as the Eagles have been using McWilliams in the slot a lot during training camp so far, with Fangio explicitly giving props to his young defender on July 29 for his football savvy.
“Mac's got some good football instincts. He's got to learn the finer points of what we're doing all the time,” Fangio said. “He's a little hit and miss with that right now, but that's to be expected. But I do like the player. I think he's got good skill and he's got a little football savvy to him, which if you don't have that, it's hard to coach that.”
While some may view placing McWilliams, who isn't too different size-wise from Jackson or the newest Eagles cornerback, Jakorian Bennett, in the slot behind one of the very best players in the NFL at the spot, it might actually provide McWilliams with more playing time, not less, as the Eagles deploy an additional interior defender when they use the dime package.
Furthermore, if DeJean does end up playing safety and is having a good game at the position, there's a world where Fangio could use McWilliams as his fifth defender, allowing the “Exciting Whites” to thrive without going to a defensive back he trusts less.
Would it be nice to see McWilliams win the outside cornerback spot straight up, answering the Eagles' biggest question and giving the team three young, quality defensive backs for at least the next three years? Oh yeah, but even if he can't secure the spot and is instead relegated to the interior, that doesn't mean McWilliams can't play an important role this fall. No, if anything, being the No.2 nickelback this early in the summer is good news for his prospects, as opposed to a knock against his talents.
