PHILADELPHIA — In what was a morning that resembled a late-September day rather than mid-August, the Philadelphia Eagles embarked on their final week of training camp at the NovaCare Complex. Three consecutive practices remain before the final preseason game and roster cuts next Tuesday, making this week a crucial one for players on the roster bubble.
The Eagles were in shells and shorts on Tuesday, but there still was plenty to unpack in the 1-hour, 47-minute practice. Some of the bubble players rose to the occasion to start the week, putting themselves in consideration for a late push at a roster spot.
Let’s get to the Day 15 observations.
Injuries
A walkthrough on Monday significantly shortened the list of injuries from Sunday’s practice.
Did not practice: OL Matt Hennessy (back), TE Albert Okwuegbunam (abdomen), S Caden Sterns (knee), WR John Ross (concussion), OL Tyler Steen (ankle), WR Johnny Wilson (concussion).
Returned to practice: DT Gabe Hall (hamstring), TE E.J. Jenkins (knee), WR Joseph Ngata (ankle), DT Moro Ojomo (hip)
Guard Mekhi Becton did not miss a practice after leaving Sunday’s practice with what appeared to be a leg injury. He was taking the first-team reps at right guard. Guard Landon Dickerson also didn’t miss any time after he appeared to be favoring his knee Sunday. Dickerson did end up finishing Sunday’s practice and was back on the field Tuesday.
Running back Saquon Barkley was not present for the final period of team drills. Barkley was getting his lower back worked on toward the end of practice, but was signing autographs at the end of practice.
Tight end Dallas Goedert was out there for the individual period, but not for the team portion. Unclear what happened to Goedert during the session.
1-on-1s
The receivers and defensive backs squared off in 1-on-1s on the main field the Eagles were using today (they were on the far field). There were quite a few battles on hand:
- Wide receiver A.J. Brown beat cornerback Darius Slay on a go route.
- Cornerback Quinyon Mitchell had strong coverage on DeVonta Smith and forced an incompletion.
- On the next play, Smith beat Mitchell on a crossing route. Mitchell responded “that’s a route right there,” as Smith used one of his best moves to easily get himself open from Mitchell.
- Cornerback Cooper DeJean had soft coverage on Britain Covey, as Covey easily exploited it and had an easy completion.
- On the next play, DeJean had tighter coverage on Covey but Covey easily got open again. Covey didn’t make the catch, but he still blew past DeJean.
- Wide receiver Ainias Smith beat safety Avonte Maddox and cornerback Eli Ricks on consecutive reps. Both were on a crossing route.
- Brown beat cornerback Josh Jobe on a timed catch. Brown jumped when Jobe was pedaling back and just leaped up and caught the pass. No cornerback could have stopped the play.
- Defensive back Parry Nickerson should have picked off Jalen Hurts, who had a communication issue with Brown. Hurts may have delivered the pass too early.
- For the third rep between DeJean and Covey, the wide receiver easily beat DeJean on a crossing route. This wasn’t DeJean’s best day in coverage.
- Quarterback Tanner McKee found a jumping Jacob Harris for a completion off Ricks. Harris set himself up to make the play even though Ricks appeared to be in position.
- Smith beat Mitchell on a quick slant to end the 1-on-1s.
Player observations
- This was not a good day for Cooper DeJean, as the 1-on-1 reps clearly indicate how much catching up he has to do. Britain Covey had his way with DeJean in the 1-on-1 periods, as DeJean made the early mistake of starting in soft coverage before figuring out he needed to be playing press in over to have a shot on stopping a player with Covey’s speed. DeVonta Smith also beat DeJean easily on a curl route in 11-on-11s. Remember DeJean just returned to practice last week, so he’s still catching up to the speed of things.
- Ainias Smith easily had his best practice of the summer, a very encouraging sign for the fifth-round pick who is fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster. Smith was confident in is 1-on-1 opportunities, using his speed to gain easy separation and make a few catches. That carried over to the 11-on-11s, as he got by linebacker Devin White on a quick slant and beat cornerback Eli Ricks on a crossing route. With John Ross and Johnny Wilson out, the reps are going to Smith. He’s taking advantage of the opportunity, but needs to have a strong rest of the week and preseason finale to make this team.
- Pass rusher Julian Okwara has some highlights on Tuesday. In the early portion of 11-on-11s, Okwara pressured Kenny Pickett and flushed Pickett to his right to force an incompletion. He forced another pressure later in practice that led to a throw away. Okwara seems to have a spot on the practice squad, but is still a long shot to make the 53-man roster. There’s a lot of depth at pass rusher.
- A.J. Brown is a cheat code. Brown made several highlight plays on Tuesday, the biggest one was on a deep ball from Jalen Hurts for a long touchdown. Brown had two steps on Quinyon Mitchell as Hurts threw a perfect pass to him for the score. Brown then managed to punt the football in celebration, but shanked the kick. Good thing the Eagles aren’t paying Brown to do that.
- DeVonta Smith just finds ways to get open. The biggest revelation Kellen Moore may have done for the Eagles is put Smith in the slot, because he is nearly unstoppable when inside. Quinyon Mitchell has given Smith strong coverage when facing Smith — and wins some battles — but Smith is consistently good with his route running. Mitchell even pointed that out when Smith beat him by saying “that’s a route right there” during 1-on-1s. Smith’s best play was falling backwards while corralling a catch in the end zone for a score, and there was pass interference by Kelee Ringo on the play. There’s a case to be made Smith is having the best camp out of anybody on the Eagles roster.
- The Eagles ran an interesting play where Jordan Mailata was lined up next to Lane Johnson on the right side. Mekhi Becton was on Johnson’s left, creating a massive wall on the offensive line. A sweep to Saquon Barkley was called, but Quinyon Mitchell blew it up and emerged into the backfield. Maybe this offensive line formation will work better in a game, but it was a creative idea.
- Tight end E.J. Jenkins caught a deep pass from Tanner McKee and Nick Sirianni followed with a “Good job, E.J.” after the play. Jenkins is fighting for a roster spot at tight end and was the TE2 with Goedert missing the team portion.
- C.J. Gardner-Johnson likes to hit. He popped Smith on a quick out and stood up Kenneth Gainwell in the flat. He also had some words after Nolan Smith was in coverage on an overthrow to C.J. Uzomah. Gardner-Johnson is never at a loss for words.
- Fred Johnson had a good practice. He destroyed Eli Ricks on a run and was in position on several blocks. This was Johnson’s best practice in a bit, as he’s been getting beaten in pass protection pretty easily through the duration of camp. There’s a noticeable difference when Lane Johnson isn’t around, but Johnson can hold his own as a veteran. He was efficient in run blocking and pass protection Tuesday.
