As years pass, there’s more focus on NFL player safety, which is understandable. Long-term health of players has taken center stage, and that is something every Philadelphia Eagles fan can appreciate.

There’s a balancing act: getting better while trying to do so in shorts can be tough. You’ve heard players mention that. One only gets better at tackling by tackling, right? So, from the outside, looking in, the goal is to gather as much as we can from whatever we’re seeing or hearing.

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Before the second Eagles training camp practice, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio threw us a bone.

Vic Fangio offers some public praise to Mac McWilliams

As the days, weeks, and months pass, we have moved further away from the most recent NFL Draft. Many of the conversations involving the secondary are similar. Stop us if any of this sounds like a conversation you have had more than once.

Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers, and Avonte Maddox all left in free agency. C.J. Gardner-Johnson was traded. He seems unable to get over that. Meanwhile, Andrew Mukuba is the new guy, and he’s looking pretty good.

Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson are the front-runners to win the starting outside cornerback position vacated by Slay. Then, there’s Sydney Brown and Tristin McCollum. There is hope that the former takes a step forward. The latter was previously mentioned by Coach Fangio unprompted.

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Have you noticed that rookie Mac McWilliams hasn’t been mentioned? Perhaps we should do so more often, as he is expected to make the roster. Still, with Philadelphia taking so many high-profile players during the most recent NFL Draft, it’s understandable why he has taken a bit of a backseat.

That may change as we move through training camp. On Day 2 of practice, he took a couple of snaps with the first-team defense during an 11-on-11 drill. Before the session, Coach Fangio spoke with the Philadelphia media before practice and gave him his flowers, accompanied by some unexpected praise.

McWilliams isn’t competing for a starter’s role, and with that being said, he has time to grow and acclimate himself to a complex but effective defense. Slot him in as Cooper DeJean’s backup for now. Watch him during the preseason. Check back for some important updates.

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This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Unexpected endorsement comes for Eagles rookie Mac McWilliams