The Eagles will have their first joint practice of the preseason late Tuesday morning as they visit the New England Patriots this week as the two teams gear up for their Week 2 preseason game this Thursday. Head Coach Nick Sirianni spoke with the media prior to the practice starting and emphasized that it’s a time to focus on what the team is looking to instill on both sides of the ball while maintaining composure.
“We get to go against another team that we’ve had joint practices with before. I have a lot of respect for Coach (Jerod) Mayo and his staff and look to work on different phases. We are coming out here to work and to get good reps.”
When asked about possible fights which tend to be a common theme across joint practices over the years, Sirianni was stern about his thoughts on any type of altercation for the Eagles.
“No fights. You don’t have huge brawls in games, but for some reason you see them at practices. Our job is to come out here and handle it like a game. Same thing with composure, if you want good composure you need to do it in practice. There will be repercussions.”
Patriots’ first-year head coach Jerod Mayo also relayed same sentiment with quite a statement to his players.
Eagles’ rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean was spotted wearing pads as this year’s second round pick looks to work his way back from injury. Sirianni said DeJean will be working on individual drills to get going.
Nick Sirianni clarified what DeJean will be doing today.
“He’s going to get individual work today and see how he feels. Not sure about team stuff, but he’s getting a lot of reps in walkthrough on the side so every rep that happens, he’s getting one mentally. Other than that, he’s got to get caught up to get his body to go.”
Sticking on the defensive side of the ball, Sirianni praised the way some of the Eagles’ players are expected to serve as depth in the linebacking position played in the first preseason game and in practice.
“We are excited about depth and the guys we have there. Made note about Patrick Johnson, Jaylx Hunt and Nolan Smith’s toughness. BG we know his toughness. Same with Sweat and Bryce, those back end guys I’m just really happy with the toughness. I don’t want to say back-end guys, they are competing to get reps.”
Offensively, it was Britain Covey once again lauded for his early performances from the fourth year head coach.
“We have been around Britain a long time and can really see his ability with ball in hands. He has sure hands with how he catches punts, how he maneuvers around defenders in open space. When I look at college guys, I look at yards after catch and that translates to how they will be at line of scrimmage, top of the route, accelerations He’s had a really nice camp, but not surprising to anyone of us. He has been so consistently himself over last two plus years he’s helped us win a lot of games.”
In the trenches, the Eagles’ offensive line will continue to work on its continuity, while some players will continue to rotate in different positions, but Sirianni has been pleased with the early signs of depth within the offensive line.
“You always want your offensive line to have flexibility. Especially guys who can be backups. Mekhi (Becton) has flexibility playing tackle and getting a lot of work at guard…same thing for (Tyler) Steen. We want versatility for those guys. Usually, you can only have three backups for a game. Five starters and three backups so need them to play multiple positions. No matter what you need that extra work to be versatile.”
The Eagles and Patriots will kick off their Week 2 preseason game on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
