Low-Radar Eagles’ Player Emerges

Eagles' second-year OL Darian Kinnard got some first-team reps on Saturday after Tyler Steen went down with a minor ankle injury.

Eagles OL Darian Kinnard / John McMullen/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles want fledgling second-year player Tyler Steen to seize the starting right guard position.

With that stipulated, GM Howie Roseman brought in plenty of contingencies in case Steen, a college tackle at both Vanderbilt and Alabama, falters. 

The most high-profile, of course, is former New York Jets 2020 first-round pick Mekhi Becton but two other veterans with starting experience were signed as safety nets, former Temple star Matt Hennessy and Max Scharping, who has had significant playing in both Houston and Cincinnati.

Steen had taken every first-team rep through the opening two training camp practices. He was on his way to making that three-for-three when an unfamiliar name took over for the third team session at Saturday morning’s practice, second-year player Darian Kinnard.

In a low-key fashion, Steen walked off under his own power with what was described to Eagles on SI as a mild ankle injury that could force the second-year player to miss a few days.

Philadelphia is set to return to the practice field Monday morning.

One of a handful of futures signings Roseman trumpeted this offseason Kinnard, 25, was only the 12th consensus All-American in Kentucky football history before Kansas City made him a fifth-round pick in the 2022 Draft.

Feeling that the 2024 undrafted class was not going to be as deep as usual, Roseman and his staff spent extra time culling through other team’s practice squads in search of potential diamonds in the rough.

The Eagles ultimately landed on players like edge rushers Julian Okwara and Terrell Lewis, as well as speedy receiver Jacob Harris and Kinnard, a developmental prospect that has intrigued offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland with his potential.

Kinnard’s accent to first-team reps did have some other potential contributing factors that should be explained to add the proper context. 

Veteran Brett Toth, the backup center in the spring while Hennessy took the second-team RG reps, has missed the first three practices with a hamstring injury so Hennessy has slid over to be the second-team OC where he also has extensive experience,

Becton started camp as the first-team left guard while Landon Dickerson was dealing with a lacerated toe. By Saturday, Dickerson was back and Becton was sent to his more natural domain to backup Lane Johnson at right tackle. 

Without Becton as a starter for two days, Scharping, who has all of three career snaps in the NFL at OT vs. 2,087 as an interior player, slid over to be the second-team RT.

The point of all those musical chairs is perhaps Stoutland didn’t want to upset the apple cart midway through a meticulously planned practice,

That said, If Kinnard starts Monday’s practice in between Johnson and Cam Jurgens, it’s probably time to take some serious notice of the 6-foot-5, 322-pound prospect.

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