The Eagles are headed to the sweltering heat of Nashville a day early with the prospect of a triple-digit kickoff looming on the horizon.

Here are five notes from the Eagles locker room before their early departure:

1. If it is Drew Kendall replacing Landon Dickerson against the Titans, he is far from the first Eagles youngster to step into a role that was a season or more in the making.

We’ve reported for months that Kendall has been earning plenty of praise for his work behind the scenes since the Eagles selected him in the fifth-round of the 2025 NFL draft, something that was underscored by an encouraging training camp this summer.

But what does that look like? To better explain, I asked a few Eagles players who have either “graduated” into prominent roles after extensive work with the development staff or are currently getting the extra attention to determine what makes the Eagles’ approach unique.

Moro Ojomo is a prime example. The 25-year-old is likely a year away from becoming one of the league’s highest-paid defensive tackles, something Ojomo was quick to attribute to Eagles head of football development Connor Barwin, director of player engagement Matt Leo, and player development assistant Patrick McDowell each investing time in him during his first few seasons.

“They really take pride in that,” Ojomo said. “The people that they’ve hired in those roles are really special people and people that are always constantly working and constantly kind of encouraging you. From the little things, like guys here get a lot more reps in practice than other people do and a lot more one-on-one time than other people do. I think it’s important that they feel almost like incentivized to do well in the little that they do, and understand that you may not like your role, but your role can grow.”

“Those guys were huge,” Ojomo added. “Just from like, when you look at something that’s run very well, there’s a couple names that you don’t necessarily hear a bunch about, but those guys are really doing everything from encouraging you to helping you out day-to-day.”

One of the most tangible examples of the Eagles’ emphasis on bringing players on the bottom of the depth chart comes at the end of each training camp practice, when the third-team offense and defense will go through an extra session or two with the coaching staff while the rest of the team breaks for post-practice rituals.

That routine carries into the regular season, something Eagles reserve linebacker Chance Campbell said gives the group of scout-team players a rare opportunity to get reps in the scheme they aspire to break into rather than the one the Eagles are preparing for that week.

“There aren’t a lot of other clubs that devote as much time to guys on a developmental track,” Campbell said. “We get developmental reps running our own defense, which is cool because a lot of times if you’re on the practice squad or the bottom of the roster, the reps you get in a week are doing scout team playing another defense. So it’s cool that you get to work on your own system. You get walkthrough reps and team reps, and a lot of other teams don’t do that.”

Going into Sunday, those are the reps Kendall will be leaning on. Although I’m not sure whether that will be with him at center or at left guard …

2. Conventional wisdom would suggest slotting Kendall in at left guard would be the least invasive way to trek forward without Landon Dickerson, but there is a chance the Eagles elect to move Cam Jurgens over to left guard with Kendall at center instead.

Why? Kendall was a college center and has been credited with doing a nice job on the practice field diagnosing things and making the right calls pre-snap. The Eagles have struggled at times in the last couple seasons sorting things out before the snap, and will now be without Dickerson, who played a meaningful role helping with the calls. There’s also an argument to be made that Jurgens has more experience playing guard in the NFL, although he played just one season at right guard and has looked far more comfortable at center. There’s also an argument that Kendall would be easier to insulate against Titans All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons if he’s at center.

The biggest argument against shuffling the deck any more than totally necessary centers (pun intended) around Jalen Hurts. When asked about whether he’s gotten much time working with Kendall at center in the lead-up to this week, Hurts made it clear that the vast majority of his time has been spent with Jurgens.

“I’ve been working with Cam,” Hurts said. “When Cam has had his off days in camp, he steps in, but yeah, Cam.”

It’s also necessary to acknowledge Fred Johnson took reps at left guard during an early portion of practice open to reporters, although the latter part of that acknowledgement is quite telling. The Eagles have kept this decision incredibly close to the chest all week.

Regardless of the combination and potential for a change at center, Hurts acknowledged it will be a transition for the operation to continue with Dickerson.

“I look at that the same way I look at everything that we’re going through right now,” he said. “It’s all transition and it’s all changing. New voices, new pieces, new faces in new spots and positions. You focus on executing. Focus on mastering what you’re doing, trying to go out there and have a good practice. Just trying to build in that moment and go out there and execute.”

3. Both Jalen Carter and Cooper DeJean started the week sidelined with injuries, but both seem on track to play against the Tennessee Titans Sunday.

Carter injured his wrist trying to punch at the ball in the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders and will likely need to wear the club on his right hand that he sported during Thursday’s practice. Still, the 25-year-old told reporters he would play.

It’s fair to question whether the Eagles need to rethink Carter’s volume of snaps (he played 94% of the defensive snaps in Week 1). Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio pointed out that most of the Commanders’ drives in the first half were quickly thwarted, which meant Carter was really only playing three or four consecutive plays at a time before getting a chance to rest. Still, this is now the second year in a row where Carter’s health has become a factor in the early stages of the year.

DeJean’s in a similar boat after getting dinged in the season-opener. He’s dealing with both a calf injury and an abdomen injury, which makes his matchup against Tennessee slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson more intriguing than it was during Robinson’s time with the New York Giants. DeJean has said before that shifty slot receivers are the ones that give him trouble, and if he’s less than 100%, it’s easy to see the Titans testing him rather than trying their luck on the outside against Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

4. There are two other injuries on the defensive side that are harder to project going into the weekend.

Drew Mukuba popped up on the injury report Thursday, sidelined with a knee injury and was in the locker room after practice with a sleeve on his left leg. Mukuba returned to the practice field at the start of Friday’s session, but being added to the report mid-week can sometimes be a complicating factor.

Jonathan Greenard told reporters he was “super close” to a return after Thursday’s practice, but has been a limited participant in practice for the last two weeks. Even if he is available for Sunday’s game, it’s hard to envision him having the role the Eagles hope he eventually steps into atop the edge-rusher rotation.

5. What’s next for Zack Baun?

The Eagles’ All-Pro linebacker had an interesting perspective on this question earlier in the week. You’ll often hear players recite the same few mantras when asked about past accomplishments and what lies ahead.

Staying where my feet are. Taking it one day at a time. Keeping the main thing the main thing.

Baun’s answer was refreshingly candid.

“I’ve already achieved every dream I could,” Baun said. “Everything else is just the cherry on top.”

So what drives him?

“I’m competitive. I want to be the best.” 

Baun said this a few hours after learning he was named NFC defensive player of the week for his dominant performance in Week 1. It was a performance that was foreshadowed by Eagles linebacker coach Bobby King revealing that Baun battled through “a lot” to stay on the field last season and that he now enters his third year with the Eagles in a much better physical spot.

He’s already entered the conversation with the likes of Fred Werner and Roquan Smith. He was the best player on the field against the Commanders. By the end of the year, is it that farfetched that he’d be recognized as the best off-ball linebacker in the NFL?