The Philadelphia Eagles are officially in enemy territory. Ahead of their preseason clash with the Patriots, Nick Sirianni’s men took part in a joint practice with their opponents to get some more intense training camp reps. It’s always good to test yourself against another NFL team, so this was always going to be a strong benchmark for the Birds. Here’s everything we learned during the practice.
Eagles Injury report
Philadelphia is still dealing with a few lingering injuries after their preseason opener with Baltimore, but there were some positives to note today. The main being that Cooper DeJean returned to practice with the team.
The rookie safety has missed the majority of Training Camp so far with a hamstring injury but spoke with reporters today, hinting at a potential preseason debut in the teams’ finale against the Vikings. This is encouraging for the Eagles given their current lack of depth at the position, although DeJean mentioned that the plan seems to be for him to continue working in the nickel for the time being. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles do use Blankenship once he gets up to speed, but keeping things simple would definitely be the best bet given how much time he’s missed.
Offense picks up speed
On a day where the Eagles seemed to get the better of New England in just about every area, it was Kellen Moore’s offense that drew plenty of praise. We saw glimpses of Moore’s scheme in the preseason opener, but the team seemed more comfortable experimenting with a few new looks on Tuesday, which was only ever going to be met with a positive response after how stale the group was under Brian Johnson.
The highlight (as someone that wasn’t there) was seeing that Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley connected on a wheel route for a touchdown. BLG’s tweet is the stuff of dreams. Beating a dominant player in Matt Judson, Hurts and Barkley syncing up for a beautifully constructed wheel-route is the kind of thing that should be published on OnlyFans. Absolutely sensual, and hopefully a sign of things to come.
Linebackers with a new lease of life
Devin White and Zack Baun look to be entrenched as the starters, while Nakobe Dean and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. continue to develop as rotational pieces. Both players had strong flashes against Baltimore, but pass-coverage remained an issue. There were at least glimpses of promise in that area today, with Dean presenting a mixed bag in pass-coverage, including a big-time PBU.
The Eagles can afford to let their guys develop, but I also think that there will be less emphasis on pass-coverage in a 3-4, with OLB’s and DB’s filling a lot more of those gaps and taking pressure off of the younger linebackers as a result.
WR3 update
The battle for WR3 has been one of the most notable in Philadelphia this summer. Britain Covey has at the very least secured a spot in the rotation, but how many other players will mount a challenge? Parris Campbell has missed some considerable time with an injury now, and Ainias Smith has endured a wobbly start to camp.
John Ross, however, put together a very strong day. After he too looked a little out of sorts against the Ravens, it was intriguing to see him turning heads for the first time in a long time during his stint this year. Ross will need to make a few big catches over the coming preseason games if he is to secure a roster spot, and the Eagles could benefit from his blazing speed. But he will need to prove he can get off the lin cleanly in a game situation first.
EDGE of greatness
Just one day after Hasaan Reddick’s antics, Bryce Huff hit the field with haste to prove that the Eagles made the right decision. He was backed up by a couple of big plays from the likes of Nolan smith and a lot of defensive pressure throughout the day. I’m very intrigued as to how this front-3 will look on gameday and how the blitzes will be disguised under Fangio, but if they can find ways to scheme the explosive Huff into space and allow him to storm off the edge, it could be a really exciting season for the defense.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
