The Philadelphia Eagles officially wrapped up their spring workout program last week. Now let’s take a look at the winners, losers, and I don’t knows that stood out from four media-attended practices in the form of two days of voluntary OTAs and two mandatory minicamp sessions.
Disclaimer: These were non-contact drills (no pads) and four practices is a pretty small sample size. There’s still plenty of time for players to change their outlook — for better or for worse — over the course of training
camp and preseason games. For historical context, here’s a look at the “winners” from this time last year.
TEAM HEALTH
The Eagles suffered no season-ending injuries during their spring workout program. That’s big. Not every other team in the NFL can say the same. It’s always terrible to see players go down way before training camp even begins.
RIQ WOOLEN
Woolen was easily the Eagles’ top spring standout; the newcomer at cornerback made highlight plays during every media-attended practice. His 6’4”, 210 frame stood out from the jump and he utilized his size and length to smother receivers in coverage and break up passes. Woolen also jumped a route to intercept Jalen Hurts on the final day of minicamp. It’s not hard to understand why Vic Fangio sounded so bullish on Woolen even before spring practices began.
Playing on a one-year contract, Woolen should be motivated to be on his best behavior and turn in a really strong season in order to earn a lucrative multi-year deal … be that in Philly or elsewhere. Woolen figures to be a big upgrade on Adoree’ Jackson. Pairing him with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean could give the Eagles their best cornerback trio in franchise history … and in the NFL this season.
VIC FANGIO
Fangio’s defense clearly got the best of the Eagles’ offense during media-attended spring practices. There are multiple reasons to explain why that happened (new offense, missing players, etc.) but a big one is that Fangio is really good at his job. The veteran defensive coordinator is overseeing a very talented defense with a number of players who are entering their third year in his system. Philadelphia had the NFL’s best defense in 2024 and a top 10 unit in 2025. I expect the 2026 version to split the difference there but I’m leaning closer to first than tenth.
CAM JURGENS
Jurgens took all of the first-team center reps. Good to see he wasn’t hampered at all. Speaking about his health situation following his stem cell treatment in Colombia, Jurgens seems to be in a good place both mentality and physically. There’s reason to believe he could bounce back (no pun intended) from a down 2025 campaign.
LANDON DICKERSON
Dickerson took all of the first-team left guard reps. We didn’t hear from Dickerson during spring media availability and there are still some red flags when it comes to his health situation. See: 1) Dickerson not sounding optimistic about his future following the end of the 2025 season, 2) him reportedly considering retirement, and 3) him agreeing to have a year lopped off of his contract. So, it’s hard to say he’s out of the woods in terms of medical concerns. We need to see if he can hold up to the rigors of training camp (where he got banged up last year) and the actual season. For now, it’s good to see the Eagles didn’t have to manage his spring practice reps. Getting Jurgens and Dickerson healthy would be a massive development for the Eagles’ offensive outlook.
JEREMIAH TROTTER JR.
If Jihaad Campbell can’t stay healthy and/or he turns out to be a bust (not suggesting that’s likely, just accounting for the possibility), I think the Eagles will be more than fine with Trotter Jr. as a starting off-ball linebacker. While the third-year defender has some size/athletic limitations, he’s clearly such a heady player. Trot Jr. seems to know exactly what the offense is trying to do on any given play, allowing him to be in position to do his part to stop them. I don’t know if he’s as good as Nakobe Dean but he sure seems like a similar player. At the very least, Trot Jr. will be a nice depth option behind Zack Baun and Campbell. Wouldn’t be surprised if Fangio tries to get him involved as a role player if/when it makes sense to do so.
MARCUS EPPS
Prior to the stat of OTAs, Fangio spoke highly about Epps. That was a sign that the 30-year-old safety is likely to be the main option next to Andrew Mukuba this season. Spring practices only confirmed as much with Epps taking the vast majority of first-team safety reps in nickel packages (Michael Carter II saw some sparse action with the starting defense). Epps did come off the field in the Eagles’ “base” defense with Cooper DeJean shifting from nickel cornerback to safety. But it’s not like the Eagles will be lined up without a slot corner much anyway.
MARKEL BELL
Lane Johnson’s absence from voluntary OTA practices allowed the rookie Bell to take first-team reps at right tackle. It was a little surprising to see him in that spot since veterans are often showed deference and it could’ve easily been Fred Johnson instead. But it’s good to see the coaching staff is focused on developing Bell. They also put him at second-team left tackle when Lane Johnson returned to the team in mandatory minicamp. If Bell doesn’t outright win the battle to be the Eagles’ swing tackle, he might at least be the primary backup option at one of the two tackle spots with Fred Johnson being the other choice.
JONATHAN JONES
The veteran Jones made some nice plays on the ball this spring. He also demonstrated the versatility to line up at nickel corner and the boundary. Ideally, Jones won’t see the field because the Eagles’ top corner trio stays healthy. If he has to fill in, though, I feel much better about him playing than I do if the likes of Kelee Ringo or Jakorian Bennett were called upon.
BYRON YOUNG
Or “BY” … as Fangio calls him. With Jalen Carter not participating in team drills, Young saw first-team action on the defensive line next to Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo. Seems like he’ll be DT4 again in 2026. Currently doesn’t look like he’s going to be overtaken by Ty Robinson or Gabe Hall.
JOHNNY MUNDT
Mundt took reps as TE2 in 12 personnel with the first-team offense. He even saw some targets, at least one of which he caught for a first down! He drew pass interference on another rep that could’ve been a touchdown if not for the fraction. The thinking here is that Mundt will play the second-most snaps of any Eagles tight end this season, assuming health for all involved.
JOHNNY WILSON
Wilson had a roller-coaster of a summer last year. He mightily struggled early in camp before managing to turn it around … only to suffer a season-ending injury in August. Wilson appears to be fully healthy and he made a number of grabs in the middle of the field during spring practices. Good to see him able to get open and not just rely on jump catch ability. Barring injury, Wilson likely won’t see many targets in the regular season. He’ll be more of a dirty work role guy as a blocker and special teams contributor. But he could be a role player and good depth piece on offense.
TANK BIGSBY
This is the first time we’re getting to see Bigsby practice as a member of the Eagles since he was acquired in-season last year. And it’s a sight to behold because he clearly has juice when he’s running with the ball in his hands. It’s unclear how much the Eagles will utilize Bigsby since Saquon Barkley is clearly the top option ahead of him. But he’s doing his part to make the case for more touches.
