ESPN's John Clayton ranked the Seattle Seahawks as having the best offseason in the NFL, but he ranks the Eagles as #2
2. Philadelphia Eagles: Donovan McNabb wanted help this offseason. Andy Reid delivered. Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters and guard Stacy Andrews were added to the offensive line. The Eagles also added wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, halfback LeSean McCoy, tight end Cornelius Ingram and fullback Leonard Weaver. Throw in cornerback Ellis Hobbs and safety Sean Jones in the secondary, and it's hard to argue that the Eagles haven't soared this offseason.
While we're having fun with lists... The Sporting News listed the dozen second year defenders to watch and our own Quintin Demps led the list.
1. Quintin Demps(notes), FS, Eagles. Philadelphia fans will need to get used to a new face after seeing Brian Dawkins(notes) roam all over the field for so many years. Demps is on track to be his replacement at free safety. With Asante Samuel(notes), Ellis Hobbs(notes) and underrated strong safety Quintin Mikell(notes) joining him in the defensive backfield, Demps will be left free to make big plays in a variety of roles.
Dawkins was effective in every area, from run support, to the blitz, to pass coverage. It will take some time for Demps to become such a great all-around safety, but the Eagles like his promise. If Demps can break out and Sheldon Brown(notes) sticks around to keep the team deep at cornerback, Philadelphia will have an elite secondary.
Penn State DE Josh Gaines, who signed with the Eagles as a UDFA, said minicamp felt alot like being in state college
"It's different, but it's funny though because the rules, atmosphere, I feel like I'm still in Penn State," Gaines said. "A lot of the coaches know a lot of the coaches at Penn State. Same rules, they're an old school team. They don't allow any straps (on your arms), no flashiness on the field. Same concept, our program actually comes from the Eagles, so it wasn't hard to adjust to it at all."
Finally, the Eagles have announced dates for this year's training camp at Lehigh University.
The Eagles will begin training camp Sunday, July 26, with rookies and selected veterans scheduled to report to Lehigh.
All remaining veterans are scheduled to report July 29, with camp breaking at Lehigh on Aug. 12.
We'll have to start working on that training camp BGN meetup soon!