OTAs are right around the corner, and while most of the Eagles' starting lineup is set in stone, Saquon Barkley, the All-Pro offensive line, the Vic Fangio secondary anchors, the back half of the roster is one of the most competitive it has been in years.
Free agency added veterans. The 2026 draft brought eight new bodies. And several recent draft picks are now Year 2 or Year 3 players who need to prove they belong. Here are five position battles that will define how this roster takes shape.
1. WR3 / WR4: Wicks vs. Moore vs. Wilson vs. Covey
With Hollywood Brown signed as a free agent and Makai Lemon drafted in Round 1 to slot in alongside A.J. Brown (for now) and DeVonta Smith, the back half of the receiver room is wide open. Dontayvion Wicks and Elijah Moore both arrived this offseason with starting-caliber tape on their resumes. Johnny Wilson is a 6'6" Year 3 size mismatch the staff has been patient with. Britain Covey returns as the slot/return specialist. Quez Watkins is fighting just to make the 53.
If the A.J. Brown trade closes in the next two weeks as expected, this battle becomes a battle for snaps as much as for a roster spot.
2. RB2 Behind Saquon: Bigsby vs. Pierce vs. Shipley
Saquon Barkley is the bell cow. The question is who carries the load on his rest snaps and who is the change-of-pace back when Philadelphia wants to go heavier. Tank Bigsby brings physicality. Dameon Pierce arrived as a veteran with Houston pedigree. Will Shipley, the 2024 fourth-rounder, has shown receiving juice the offense could use on third downs.
This is a three-way competition where snap distribution matters more than the depth-chart number.
3. TE2: Eli Stowers vs. Grant Calcaterra vs. Jaheim Bell
Dallas Goedert is the TE1. Behind him, the Eagles spent a 2026 second-round pick on Eli Stowers, the Mackey Award-winning Texas product who set NFL Combine records for tight ends. Grant Calcaterra is the incumbent who has proven serviceable. Jaheim Bell is a 2025 carryover with H-back versatility.
Stowers is the long-term answer, but if he's not ready for a real Week 1 role, Calcaterra will still see meaningful snaps. Watch how 12-personnel reps split in OTAs.
4. Backup QB: Andy Dalton vs. Tanner McKee
Andy Dalton is the steady veteran the Eagles brought in this offseason, 16 years of NFL experience and a clipboard guy who can win a December start if Jalen Hurts goes down. Tanner McKee is the 2023 sixth-round pick the Eagles believe in as a developmental piece, now entering Year 4.
This isn't a battle for the QB1 job, it's a battle over whether the Eagles trust McKee enough to keep him as the QB2 in a Super Bowl window, or whether they default to Dalton's reliability. The opportunity cost matters: McKee on the QB2 line means McKee gets second-team reps that develop him.
5. The Third Linebacker: Campbell vs. Trotter Jr. vs. Mondon Jr.
Zack Baun is locked in as one starter. Vic Fangio's defense uses three linebackers in its base looks and rotates heavy nickel. That leaves a meaningful role open between Jihaad Campbell (the 2025 first-round pick), Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (the legacy player entering Year 3), and Smael Mondon Jr. (the 2025 day-three Georgia prospect now in Year 2).
Campbell has the pedigree and physical traits to win the job outright. But Trotter has the in-building credibility and the instincts that Fangio prizes. This is the most consequential battle on the defense.
The Bottom Line
OTAs and minicamp don't decide roster spots, pads do that in August. But the body of work that starts this month is what determines who gets first-team reps when training camp opens. With a Super Bowl defense to defend and a championship offense to keep humming, every snap of these battles matters.
Mark your calendars. The depth chart fight is on.
