For the Eagles to surprise people this season and compete for the NFC East title they are going to need young players to step up.
So far in training camp two players that seemed primed to do just that are receiver Quez Watkins and tight end Tyree Jackson.
The Eagles are now through 10 training camp practices, and it seems not a day goes by where either Watkins or Jackson have a dominating practice. The latest example of that was Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field when the team practice in front of fans for the first time.
Watkins put on a show, catching four passes and one touchdown during team drills, and making two spectacular catches during one-on-one drills as well. His big night at the Linc brings him up to 13 catches and four touchdowns in 10 training camp practices.
Watkins’ big play of the night came on a 50-plus yard bomb from quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts scramble out of the pocket to his left, pointed for Watkins to go deep and threw it up to give him a chance on a 50/50 ball. Watkins out jumped safety Anthony Harris at the goal line, coming down with the contested catch and getting into the end zone for the touchdown. Watkins made a similar play during one-on-one drills, going up for the ball in the end zone, tipping it to himself and then making the catch over the defender.
What has been impressive about Watkins so far in training camp is the improvements he has shown as a route runner. Watkins always had elite speed, but his overall game looks much improved from last season, as he now seems to be winning at the line of scrimmage consistently. Add the ability to win at the line with Watkins’ elite speed and the result has been a receiver that looks like he should not only be getting plenty of snaps in Week 1, but perhaps even starting.
While Watkin pushes to start in Week 1, the other star of camp has turned his push to make the roster into the possibility of some playing time this season.
Jackson’s transformation from college quarterback to NFL tight end has been so smooth so far that you would never guess he was even learning a new position. The 6-foot-7 tight end has looked like the best player in camp, totaling 27 catches so far in camp. Six of those catches came on Sunday night, including his first touchdown during an 11-on-11 drill from third-string quarterback Nick Mullens.
What stands out about Jackson is his ability to use his height. Jackson has done an excellent job going up and using his long wingspan to make contested catches consistently over the middle of the field. Jackson caught all six of this targets on Sunday night, and has now come down with 27 of his 32 targets in training camp so far. The fact he is catching his targets at such a high rate, and doesn’t have a single drop, is incredible considering he is a former quarterback.
Although he will have to prove he can contribute in a game setting, and he’ll get his first chance this Thursday night, Jackson is getting close to being a lock to make the roster. If he continues to have the same camp he has been having it wouldn’t be surprising to see him potentially get some playing time early on in the season. Jackson already looks like he could be a contributor in the red zone due to his size, and at this point, makes much more sense to keep on the roster than veteran Richard Rodgers.
How the regular season will play out for Watkins and Jackson remains to be seen, but so far, there is no question the duo look like the two players most primed to surprise this season.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!