Eagles Training Camp Overreactions Day 9: Declaring Winner In Battle At Right Guard

Can a middle linebacker lead the Eagles in sacks? That and more overreactions from the hottest and most humid day of camp.

Mekhi Becton (left) is projected to be the winner of the battle to be the Eagles' starting right guard ahead of Tyler Steen. / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA – It was the hottest and most humid day of training camp so far, and it took nine days to send the thermometer and heat index into red and dangerous numbers, which was longer than in previous summers.

That won’t stop the overreactions. Here are five:

IT’S OVER

The battle to be the starting right guard has come to an end. It will be Mekhi Becton’s job. That has not been made official, yet but it is clear Tyler Steen is running behind Becton after missing several practices with an ankle injury.

Steen has been back for two straight practices and still, it is Becton taking most of the first-team reps. Steen had a few on Tuesday, but it was more to give Becton a blow on a brutally humid day in South Philly. A source told me the team likes Becton better and that he is the more intriguing option at this point.

Mekhi Becton / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

SACK LEADER

The frontrunners to lead the Eagles in sacks this season would probably be Josh Sweat and Bryce Huff with maybe Jalen Carter finding a way to reach double figures from his defensive tackle spot and perhaps the occasional rep on the outside.

How about a middle linebacker? That would be Devin White, who has been blitzing from a lot of different places in camp and has even been lined up close to the line as a designated pass rusher on occasion. White had sacks on two of three plays at one point on Tuesday, one on a blitz, another lined up over center as a stand-up rusher.

He certainly has that sack skillset, collecting nine of them in his second season and 5.5 just two years ago. He has 23 in five seasons.

Haason Reddick led the team last year with 11 and was the only player to reach double digits Sweat was second with 6.5, so a new leader must emerge.

SLANT-MANIA

The Eagles have run dozens and dozens of quick slants to receivers throughout camp and have thrown the ball over the middle to tight ends just as many times.

Hurts threw quick hitters to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith on several different reps in team drills on Tuesday. Those two receivers are so hard to cover with Smith using his quick burst off the line and Brown's physicality to create separation.

Of course, sometimes you see things in camp that don’t transition into the regular season, but the feeling here is that the throws over the middle aren't going anywhere.

Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore seems to prioritizing those passes because Hurts last year had the second-lowest percentage among all quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts. Whose was worse? Backup Kenny Pickett, who was with the Steelers last year.

SPECIAL TEAM FUN

From about the 25-yard line, the Eagles sent out Britain Covey to hold and punter Braden Mann lined up as the kicker. The ball was snapped to Mann and guard Brett Toth snuck into the middle of the field. Mann reared back and fired to Toth in the end zone and, after a bobble, Toth pulled it in.

This won’t work in a game because as soon as the other team sees Mann lined up as the kicker, they would be on full alert for a fake. Maybe, though, if the other team isn’t expecting it, they would have to call a timeout, provided they have one.

Still, it was fun to watch.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

The fans couldn’t hang in the heat. Late in the practice session, you looked around at the sidelines and there was plenty of room, except for reporters. Inside the covered tents, however, it was crowded with fans seeking shelter from the sun.

Also, receiver John Ross left on a cart with about 10 minutes to go in the session with a towel draped over his head, and there were plenty of lengthy water breaks between periods.

It was dangerously hot, and that’s not an overreaction.

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