The Philadelphia Eagles are just days from starting the 2019 portion of training camp and the franchise has some impressive rookies, drafted and non-drafted to select from for roster spots. The big names like Andre Dillard and Miles Sanders are already front and center, but a few other Eagles rookies could find their way on the 53 man roster after strong camps.
With Eagles football just hours away from returning, here are five rookies to watch this summer.
Sua Opeta,
Opeta is beginning his Eagles career at guard, where the Eagles lacked depth before re-signing Wisniewski. The undrafted guard from Weber State showed his strength at the NFL Combine where he did 39 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press. The Problem for Opeta, like Ryan Bates as well, is that the Eagles don’t have many open spots with Andre Dillard, Wisniewski, Vaitai, Matt Pryor, and Jordan Mailata on the roster as reserves currently.
Ryan Bates, OL
Bates was named to NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s all-star team for a reason. The former Penn State Nittany Lion star can play all the positions on the offensive line, adding to his value. Bates is beginning his Eagles career at right tackle, but if he shows he can play guard or even center, he’ll hang around.
T.J. Edwards, LB
Howie Roseman elected not to select a linebacker in the 2019 NFL Draft, likely assuming that he could accumulate great value in talented undrafted free agents. Roseman may have hit on their middle linebacker of the future when they signed T.J. Edwards out of Wisconsin. The 6’1”, 242-pound is physical and should mesh perfectly with the Eagles defense. A four-year starter, Edwards has a high motor and in 2018, he racked up 112 tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside, WR
He’ll start the season off as the fourth receiver on the team, yet he’ll be front and center for the Eagles red zone packages from day 1. Arcega-Whiteside is a playmaker and he’ll have plenty of highlight-reel plays as a rookie. With his body control and freakish athletic ability while in the air, the sky literally is the limit.
Jamalcolm “Jay” Liggins, CB
Liggins, deemed by Sports Illustrated as the “NFL Draft’s Most Unlikely Sleeper.” was signed as a UDFA from NAIA program Dickinson State. Dickinson, North Dakota, is west of Fargo and Biskmark on Interstate-94. A former track star, Liggins turned heads when he competed at the North Dakota State pro day and was signed by the Eagles immediately after the draft. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Liggins was ranked as the No. 71 cornerback by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. Liggins faces an uphill road to a roster spot but this team can never have enough corners.
