Category: Eagles/NFL

With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.

Player: Jonathan Jones

Position: Cornerback

Age: 32

Previous experience: Jones is the most veteran player in the cornerbacks room, bringing 10 years of NFL experience to the Eagles. He spent nine seasons and earned two Super Bowl rings (2016, 2018) with the New England Patriots, the team that signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn in 2016.

He spent most of his early Patriots career as a backup defensive back (primarily at nickel) and a special teams contributor until 2022, when he earned the starting outside cornerback job out of training camp. That year, he started 16 games, registering a career-high four interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown), three forced fumbles, and 11 pass breakups.

Jones remained the starter in New England in 2023 and 2024, then signed with the Washington Commanders as a free agent in 2025. As a backup last season, he started seven games, making five pass breakups and notching one sack. He took the bulk of his snaps on the outside.

Path to a roster spot: Cornerback depth — at either spot, but most likely on the outside. The Eagles are set among their starting trio of Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen on the outside and Cooper DeJean in the slot. Michael Carter II could be the primary backup in the slot if he doesn’t win the starting safety job, but Jones could earn the top backup role on the outside if he fares well in training camp against contenders that include Kelee Ringo and Mac McWilliams.

Fun fact: For his introductory news conference in March, Jones took a private plane from Charlotte to Philadelphia — that he piloted himself. Jones earned his pilot’s license in April 2023 while he was a member of the Patriots. He documented his flight to Eagles mandatory minicamp in a video shared to his Instagram page.

Quotable: “I can remember being the younger guy in the room, full of veterans, Devin McCourty and those guys, and just trying to compete with them. And so now being the older guy in the room, just still having that joy of the game, coming out, competing in practice and games, and just still having that childhood joy of playing football is definitely what keeps you going.” — Jones in March on his rare longevity as an undrafted player

Player: Samori Touré

Position: Wide receiver

Age: 28

Previous experience: Touré, who is 6-foot-1, 196 pounds, has four years of NFL experience, spending the latter half primarily on practice squads.

He began his career with the Green Bay Packers, the team that drafted him in the seventh round out of Nebraska in 2022. Touré saw limited action in Green Bay, combining for 13 receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown in 22 games (two starts) in two seasons on the active roster. He was released in August 2024 after ending the previous season on injured reserve.

Since his release from the Packers, he has been on three practice squads: the Chicago Bears (2024), the Denver Broncos (2025), and the New Orleans Saints (2025). He was only active on game day with the Saints, the team that picked him up in late November last season after the Broncos released him in late October. Touré had one reception for three yards in one game with the Saints.

Path to a roster spot: Receiving depth, both on the outside and in the slot, most likely as a member of the practice squad. The active roster seems like a stretch, given that Touré will be competing with Darius Cooper, Johnny Wilson, Elijah Moore, and Britain Covey for one of those last couple spots in training camp.

Even the practice squad will be a challenge for Touré to make, seeing as he does not have special teams experience. In addition to the aforementioned active roster contenders, Touré will have to beat out practice squad incumbents Danny Gray and Quez Watkins for a spot on that unit.

However, while Touré did not overlap with Sean Mannion in Green Bay, they are both products of Matt LaFleur’s offense to an extent. That experience could give Touré a boost while competing for a role in the revamped Eagles offense, which will likely feature similarities to the Packers’ scheme.

Fun fact: Touré is named after his great-great grandfather, Samori, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He was the founder of the Wassoulou Empire in West Africa, which spanned modern-day Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone from 1878-1898.

Quotable: “Samori has had his moments, and we gotta continue to build upon those and become more and more consistent along the way. But he’s a guy that we definitely have high hopes for. He has the tools necessary that you look for in terms of being able to separate. He has them in his body. He possesses those. It’s just continuing to get more and more reps.” — LaFleur on Touré in July 2023, via Packers.com

With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.

Player: Makai Lemon

Position: WR

Age: 22

Previous experience: Lemon is Philadelphia’s promising new weapon. The Eagles selected the wide receiver from the University of Southern California when they traded up for the 20th pick of the NFL draft in April. Lemon was a fringe five-star recruit in 2022 and the third receiver taken in the draft. He was one of college football’s top receivers in 2025, which earned him some hardware as the second USC player ever to win the Biletnikoff Award for most outstanding receiver in college football. Last season, Lemon’s junior year, he caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Path to a roster spot: Lemon is a lock to make the Eagles roster. General manager Howie Roseman not only used a first-round pick on him, but he also traded up with the rival Cowboys in order to do so. DeVonta Smith will be the No. 1 wide receiver with A.J. Brown in New England, but Lemon will likely slot in as the No. 2 opposite. Boasting decent speed and a wide catch radius, Lemon can play slot and outside, which should make him a versatile weapon in Sean Mannion’s offense.

Fun fact: Lemon’s hobby outside of football is skateboarding. The 22-year-old started skateboarding at age 3, learning the activity from his uncle. In an interview on The Heisman podcast, Lemon said he used to skateboard all over Los Angeles.

Quotable: “They getting a dawg,” Lemon said shortly after the Eagles selected him. “It’s ready to work, for real. I ain’t doing no playing.”

Player: Shaun Wade

Position: CB

Age: 27

Previous experience: Wade is a veteran cornerback who hasn’t quite found his footing in the NFL yet. Once a promising prospect for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Wade was drafted by the Ravens in the fifth round (160th overall) of the 2021 NFL draft, but he never played a game for them. He has bounced around to four different teams since, spending time with the Patriots, Rams, Chargers, and Bears. He most recently played for the UFL’s Dallas Renegades, where he logged three interceptions in eight games this season.

Path to a roster spot: Wade’s versatility makes him a dark-horse candidate to make the final roster. He has experience playing corner, nickel, safety, and special teams, which might be appealing to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. He looks the part too, standing 6-foot-1, 191 pounds, and boasting NFL experience. It won’t be easy in such a crowded defensive backfield, but don’t be shocked if Wade somehow finds a spot.

Fun fact: Wade was a force at Ohio State, being selected to the All-Big Ten teams in 2019 and 2020 and being named an All-American in 2020.

Quotable: “Shaun was one of those guys that opted-out and came back in. Some guys went through some struggles, and you just watch how they competed,” said Chargers GM Joe Hortiz, who drafted Wade in Baltimore.

With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.

Player: Cole Wisniewski

Position: Safety

Age: 24

Previous experience: Wisniewski enters his first NFL training camp with a lot of football under his belt. He spent six years in college, five at North Dakota State and last year at Texas Tech, where he helped the Red Raiders win the Big 12 title and reach the College Football Playoff. Wisniewski, largely a linebacker at NDSU, had 78 tackles and was an All-Big 12 honorable mention in addition to being a semifinalist for comeback player of the year after missing 2024 with a foot injury. Wisniewski is a big safety at 6-foot-3. There’s some Reed Blankenship in his game. While Wisniewski was a seventh-round pick, Blankenship went undrafted. They were similarly rated as average athletes who make up for that with good tackling instincts.

Path to a roster spot: Safety is an interesting position for the Eagles entering camp. Andrew Mukuba will man one of the spots, with Cooper DeJean slated to play safety when the Eagles are in base. In nickel or other packages, which the Eagles are in the vast majority of the time, Mukuba will need a partner with DeJean playing nickel. That spot is Marcus Epps’ right now, with Michael Carter II and others, including Wisniewski, next in line. Can Wisniewski beat out Andre’ Sam and J.T. Gray for a roster spot? Will undrafted free agent Kapena Gushiken make a charge? Wisniewski may have a leg up on his competition as a draft pick, but the Eagles haven’t shied away from cutting a late-round pick, if necessary.

Fun fact: Wisniewski was a multisport athlete at Sparta High School in Wisconsin. In addition to football, he lettered in basketball, track, and cheer. No, he wasn’t a cheerleader, but he did fill in as the mascot.

Quotable: “He’s one of the godfathers,” Wisniewski said of playing in Vic Fangio’s system during Eagles rookie camp. “I’m just really excited to learn the ins and outs and how he operates. … Being able to come to the source is awesome.”

Player: Elijah Mitchell

Position: Running back

Age: 28

Previous experience: Mitchell is the most experienced running back in camp not named Saquon Barkley, having been in the NFL since 2021, when the 49ers selected him in the sixth round. Mitchell rushed for nearly 1,000 yards as a rookie before combining for 560 yards in his next two seasons. A knee injury cut his 2022 season short, and he hasn’t had a carry in a regular season game since 2023. Mitchell’s 2024 season then was derailed by a hamstring injury. He signed in 2025 with Kansas City and made one appearance before being released in December.

Path to a roster spot: Mitchell is a long shot to make the team out of camp. The Eagles are pretty set at the position with Barkley at the top of the depth chart and Tank Bigsby a lock to be his backup. The No. 3 spot is up for grabs, but it likely will be Will Shipley or Dameon Pierce. The Eagles seem most likely to keep three running backs on the initial 53-man roster, but a fourth is possible. If they go heavy in the backfield, Mitchell could have a chance of pushing for a spot.

Fun fact: Mitchell has a career yards per carry of 4.7 yards. That’s slightly higher than Barkley and Christian McCaffrey at 4.6 and would rank tied for 12th among active players with Miles Sanders. Speed has never been the issue with Mitchell, who ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at his college pro day in 2021. Staying healthy has been.

Quotable: “It was very challenging,” Mitchell told Kansas City media last March when asked about missing the 2024 season. “Just having the love for football and not being able to compete against the best really weighed on me a lot. I’m hungrier than ever, and I’m ready to roll.”

With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.

Player: Stone Smartt

Position: Tight end

Age: 27

Previous experience: Rookie second-round pick Eli Stowers isn’t the only former quarterback playing tight end for the Eagles in training camp. Smartt, too, was a quarterback even into his college days. He played quarterback at Northern Arizona and Riverside City College before transferring to Old Dominion, where he eventually became a wide receiver.

Smartt went undrafted in 2022. He signed with the Chargers and made seven appearances as a rookie. His highest usage came in 2023, when he was on the field for 28% of the offensive snaps and was targeted 21 times (11 catches). Smartt, who is 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds, signed with the Jets last season and played 15 games, mostly appearing on special teams.

Path to a roster spot: The Eagles have eight tight ends on their current roster. If you’re building a depth chart heading into camp, it’s hard to get Smartt any higher than fifth, and since the Eagles won’t be keeping that many tight ends, Smartt’s odds of making the team out of camp are long. Dallas Goedert and Stowers are locks to make the team. Free agent addition Johnny Mundt figures to have a leg up for a spot due to his blocking ability. Grant Calcaterra is back but has plenty of competition — including from Smartt — to make the team. Smartt should have plenty of chances in camp and in preseason games to show he belongs, but it won’t be easy … or likely.

Fun fact: Smartt has plans for life after football. He has a finance degree and has continued his financial education after college.

Quotable: “One thing that constantly comes back to my mind is helping people and families have money and make that money work for them, and also being able to leave a legacy for their next of kin,” Smartt said recently on a financial podcast.

Player: Deontae Lawson

Position: Linebacker

Age: 23

Previous experience: Draft experts had Lawson pegged as a Day 3 pick for good reason. He was a standout at Alabama who left Tuscaloosa ranked 10th all-time in tackles (283). An ACL tear near the end of his junior season certainly may have impacted his draft stock. He initially planned to leave for the NFL after that 2024 season but returned to college and had 89 combined tackles in 15 games.

Path to a roster spot: Lawson is long and relatively lanky at 6-3 and 226 pounds. He faces a difficult path to go from undrafted free agent to the roster, but he should, at the very least, be an intriguing player the Eagles try to keep on the practice squad. Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell are the off-ball linebacker starters, and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is right behind them. Four seems like the likely number for linebackers on the initial 53-man roster. Smael Mondon Jr., a fifth-round pick last year, is slotted in at that No. 4 spot right now, but Lawson and Chance Campbell are knocking on the door. There could be a fun competition for that fourth spot.

Fun fact: Lawson became one of just 16 players in Alabama football history to twice be named a team captain.

Quotable: “Lawson might not have elite speed or strength, but NFL teams love him as a football player because he plays fast and fiery, and his processing can be a differentiating factor,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote of Lawson in this year’s Beast draft preview. “He has the talent to compete for starting reps, but questions about durability cloud his future.”

According to NFL Network analyst Lance Zierlein, Lawson is “much better at slipping blocks than he is at taking them on. … He projects as a run-and-chase Will linebacker with three-down potential but a limited ceiling.”

With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.

Player: Jonathan Greenard

Position: LB

Age: 29

Previous experience: The veteran outside linebacker has 38 sacks and 60 tackles for loss in 77 games across six seasons. The Houston Texans selected him in the third round (90th overall) of the 2020 draft after he dominated at Louisville and Florida. He most recently played for the Minnesota Vikings, where he spent two seasons and was named a captain.

Greenard’s sack total was down last year — three in 12 games — but he still had a high pressure rate (47, according to Pro Football Focus). The Eagles traded third-round picks in 2026 and 2027 for Greenard on April 24. He subsequently signed a four-year, $100 million contract with $50 million guaranteed.

Path to a roster spot: Greenard was arguably the Eagles’ splashiest offseason acquisition. They obtained him in the hopes that he’ll replace the production of Jaelan Phillips, who signed with the Carolina Panthers. Not only is he a lock to make the roster, he’ll be a starter and a key cog for one of the NFL’s top defenses. General manager Howie Roseman wanted a premium pass rusher to work alongside Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt. He’ll certainly get that with Greenard if the veteran can stay healthy.

Fun fact: Greenard could have found fame off the gridiron, too. The Georgia-born linebacker sang gospel music in the church choir with his sister, Victoria, and mother, Carmen, who was the choir director. When he was 14, he was invited to perform at “The Gift,” a singing competition sponsored by McDonald’s for young talent in Atlanta and was recruited by the music industry. “Producers wanted him badly,” Carmen said. He also made an appearance on the 26th season of ABC’s The Bachelor in 2022.

Quotable: “I respect the hell out of the guys that have come before me, and all I can do is continue to just carry that light and make sure the things they’ve done in the past don’t go in vain,” Greenard said in his introductory press conference with the Eagles. “So I love everything about it. I love the historic franchise. I’m wanting to be a part of that. I want to be a part of having some hardware on my finger.”

Player: John Ojukwu

Position: OT

Age: 27

Previous experience: Ojukwu joined the league in 2023 as an undrafted free agent. He signed with the Tennessee Titans after an impressive career at his hometown college, Boise State. In his senior season, he was the only player to start all 14 games. He allowed zero sacks and committed just two penalties but still went undrafted, despite some pundits projecting him as a Day 3 pick. Ojukwu played in 16 games in three seasons with the Titans, starting nine. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on Jan. 13.

Path to a roster spot: Ojukwu is a long shot to make the Birds’ final roster. Ahead of him on the depth chart are line stalwarts Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson and solid depth pieces like Markel Bell, Fred Johnson, Myles Hinton and Cameron Williams. You can never have too much offensive line depth, but Ojukwu will have to turn heads at camp in order to make the team.

Fun fact: As a junior in high school, Ojukwu weighed just 185 pounds. He had talent but knew he needed to add serious weight if he wanted to succeed in college. According to the Idaho Statesman, he gained nearly 100 pounds in nine months — working out multiple times a day, then gorging on gallons of milk and whole pizzas in order to meet his caloric goals.

Quotable: “He was always the one around watching film or outside hitting the sled by himself. He’s always working, and it’s paid off,” former Boise State offensive coordinator Zak Hill said of Ojukwu, via the Idaho Statesman.

With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.

Player: Eli Stowers

Position: Tight end

Age: 23

Previous experience: Stowers, a second-round pick in this year’s draft, has been a tight end for only a few years. He entered college in 2021 as a quarterback, a top 20 recruit nationally at his position. But shoulder injuries forced him to find a new spot on the field. He was 6-foot-4, 215 pounds when he entered college; he’s now 240 pounds and scouts rave about his blend of size and speed. At Vanderbilt last season, Stowers, who won the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy, otherwise known as the “Academic Heisman,” caught 62 passes for 769 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games.

He was named the nation’s top tight end after leading all FBS tight ends in receiving yards per game (64.1). A year earlier, Stowers, a two-year starter at tight end, had 49 catches for 638 yards in 13 games with the Commodores.

Path to a roster spot: Stowers’ spot on the team is secure. His role, however, is up in the air right now. It’s not worth overanalyzing organized team activities and mandatory minicamp workouts in May and June, but Stowers didn’t stand out during practices open to reporters.

Nick Sirianni seems excited about the possibility of lining Stowers up in the slot and creating mismatches, but the tight end’s path to significant playing time in his rookie season includes becoming a better blocker. Dallas Goedert is the unquestioned No. 1 on the depth chart, and the Eagles brought in a blocking tight end, Johnny Mundt, to help fill in an area of weakness from last year. If Stowers proves to be an efficient route-runner who can get open and make plays, he’ll find himself on the field plenty.

Fun fact: Stowers is a son of coaches. His father, Donald, played defensive back at New Mexico State and had a short professional football career before becoming a coach. His mother, Tina, played volleyball at Baylor and later became a coach. While recovering from shoulder surgery in 2021, Stowers learned how to play guitar.

Quotable: “I’m going to throw a name out here and people may be [like], ‘Are you serious?’ I’m just speaking from a standpoint of his approach to the game, and when I watch him — Travis Kelce was a former quarterback,” former Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews, now a coach at Vanderbilt, said in April when asked for Stowers’ NFL comparison. “You can tell Travis Kelce runs routes like he understands the defensive structure.

“He knows what the defense has given him, and so he knows how to find voids in zone. But then he’s also athletic enough to win vs. man.”

Player: Maximus Pulley

Position: Safety

Age: 23

Previous experience: Pulley’s rise has been remarkable. He had no scholarship offers out of high school, and Western Kentucky, where he began his college journey, didn’t even have a preferred walk-on spot for him. Pulley tried out for the team in the middle of the season in 2021 and joined the scout team. By the next year, he was a full-time special teamer. He hit the transfer portal after 2022 and landed at Wofford, a FCS program. He started every game with Wofford the next three seasons. Last year, Pulley led the team with five interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns. He was a first-team All-American.

At his pro day, Pulley ran a 4.45 40-yard dash and registered a vertical jump of 41½ inches.

Path to a roster spot: Pulley is a long shot. The Eagles have at least some uncertainty at safety, but Pulley will be starting pretty low on the totem pole. Drew Mukuba is a lock to start, and the Eagles plan to use All-Pro nickel Cooper DeJean at safety in base. Right now, Marcus Epps is next in line to get on the field, with Michael Carter II also in the mix. The Eagles also used a seventh-round draft pick on a safety, Cole Wisniewski, and signed veteran special teams ace J.T. Gray. There’s room for an undrafted free agent like Pulley to make a push, but he’ll also be competing with fellow UDFA Kapena Gushiken — whom Vic Fangio has already name-dropped — for opportunities.

Fun fact: Pulley, a sociology and anthropology major with a 3.64 GPA at Wofford, was named an academic All-American last season.

Quotable: “Coming out high school, I wasn’t really good, but I was always the hardest worker,” Pulley said earlier this year on the Sam Acho podcast. “I feel like I’ve passed over so many people in the football world due to my work alone and my delusion. My mom loves the faith that I’ve always had, but the faith has come more recently. The delusion … I thought I was so much better than I was but I always trusted the work that I did.”