The Philadelphia Eagles, for the second consecutive offseason, needed to find a starting right guard. Isaac Seumalo signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023, and Cam Jurgens ended up starting in his stead last season. Due to the retirement of their elite, future Hall of Fame center, Jason Kelce, Jurgens converted back to center and will start this season. Not only did he switch positions, but his backup, Iosua Opeta, signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason.
Their third-round pick has taken the early lead.
The Philadelphia Eagles third-round pick from 2023 has taken the early lead
The Eagles drafted Tyler Steen 65th overall in last year’s draft, hoping he would become a starter. Steen didn’t play much as a rookie, suiting up for 11 games and starting once. After barely playing in 2023, he looks to win the starting job.
Steen has taken the early lead, receiving first-team reps throughout OTAs and mandatory minicamp. The Eagles even moved his locker into a starting spot, according to Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports.
“The Eagles even moved his locker into the starting right guard spot in the locker room, an indication that this is his job to lose. After playing tackle in college, Steen has worked on his strength to play guard. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland praised Steen this offseason too.”
However, he isn’t guaranteed a starting spot. Two notable candidates will compete against him.
Candidate #1
The first candidate is Mekhi Becton. Becton, a first-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft, played his first four seasons with the New York Jets and missed 16 games in 2021 and the entire season in 2022 due to knee injuries. He has played both tackle positions with 30 starts (28 at LT and 2 at RT) in his career.
Unfortunately, things didn’t work out in New York, and he signed a contract with the Eagles. So far, Becton has practiced playing at RT and LG. However, he is a candidate to start at RG if Steen isn’t fit for the job.
Candidate #2
The second candidate is Matt Hennessy. After serving as the backup center to Alex Mack in 2020, he started every game in 2021. Unfortunately, he lost the starting job to Drew Dalman in 2022 and started three games at left guard but missed time with a knee injury. He would compete against Matthew Bergeron for the starting LG position in 2023 but suffered a season-ending knee injury in training camp.
Hennessy signed with the Eagles. So far, he has received second-team reps at RG.
Expect the competition to heat up during training camp
Expect the right guard competition to head up during training camp as rookies and veterans report to camp on Tuesday, July 23. We will have a better answer regarding the frontrunner once they put the pads on.
Will Tyler Steen hold down the starting spot this summer?
