Covering Eagles from training camp to the Super Bowl, and the meaning of a chair and vomit
By the time you read this, the Eagles will already will have sweltered through their first 10 days of training camp.
At that point, we'll have a better idea of which rookie players are standing out, which veterans are in danger of losing jobs, and whether Saquon Barkley can duplicate his incredible 2,000-yard rushing season from 2024.
And of course, we'll have some sort of idea as to whether the Eagles will have a chance to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
I often get asked what it's like covering a Super Bowl team. It's exhilarating, of course, reporting on an event watched by more than 100 million people. And being in the locker room for the Eagles' celebrations, both to end the 2017 and 2024 seasons, along with the parades, are something I'll never forget.
But for me, training camp is always the most interesting part of covering the Eagles. Yes, it's hot, sometimes brutally so.
The competition is always fierce. There are 90 players on the roster when training camp starts. By the end of August, that number is whittled down to 53 players, with another 16 making up the practice squad.
The best part about it is that by NFL rule, every training camp practice has to be open to the media in its entirety. Once training camp ends, and all the way through the regular season and playoffs, we get to see only the first 15 minutes or so of practice. That consists basically of stretching, warm-ups and a few individual drills.
In camp, however, we get to see everything. And with only a few hundred fans, generally season-ticket holders, allowed in, I feel like we have an exclusive view into what's going on with the team.
There have been some memorable moments, such as right guard Mekhi Becton vomiting on the sidelines last August, practically 10 feet in front of me (yes, it was gross). There's always a bunch of trash-talking, and a few instances of pushing and shoving, especially when the Eagles have a joint practice with another team.
This happened two years ago when Jason Kelce fought with Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin because he didn't like how Franklin took some "cheap shots" at Eagles running back Kenny Gainwell.
Some of these examples can be a harbinger of what can happen during the regular season. OK, maybe not Becton vomiting. But one of the bigger trash-talkers last summer was an otherwise quiet rookie in 2024 first-round draft pick Quinyon Mitchell, a cornerback.
Often, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith would test Mitchell by matching up with him. Mitchell quickly proved that he was ready for the NFL, with a few choice words to the star receivers, such as the one time he told Brown that his "route was trash."
Sure enough, Mitchell became a key component to the Eagles' Super Bowl run.
In 2020, the Eagles surprisingly drafted quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second round when they were less than a year removed from making QB Carson Wentz the highest-paid player in the NFL at that time. Yet wide receiver DeSean Jackson, then toward the end of his career, said he was already lobbying for Hurts to start over Wentz.
As it turned out, Jackson's words were prophetic. Wentz had a terrible season, as did the Eagles. Wentz was benched in favor of Hurts for the final 4½ games. Wentz was traded after the season, and Hurts ended up becoming the Eagles' franchise quarterback.
Other times, training camp observations foretold troubling times. The most obvious case came in 2015, when high-priced free agent running back DeMarco Murray was among a few other veterans sitting out of practice in order to rest.
Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, a veteran leader who would never dream of missing a day of camp when he wasn't injured, was clearly upset that Murray was sitting out. So Jenkins famously brought a folding chair out to the sidelines where Murray and the others were watching practice, asking each player if they wanted to sit down so they could be more comfortable.
Murray, of course, was a bust, and the Eagles fell apart that season. Needless to say, no one had to bring out a chair last summer for Barkley.
What will happen this season? Sure, the Eagles are expected to be among the favorites to get back to the Super Bowl. And what happens in training camp could set the tone for another run.
I am honored to be your eyes and ears this summer for what's sure to be another memorable season covering the Eagles.
Sign up for my Eye on the Eagles newsletter, which returns every Friday on Aug. 1, by visiting profile.delawareonline.com/newsletters/eye-on-the-eagles.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a new hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
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