The Philadelphia Eagles held a one-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, June 10. Prior to taking the field, head coach Nick Sirianni addressed the media and provided some housekeeping items, including an injury update on Jihaad Campbell.
The Eagles’ first-round pick was sidelined during the team’s two-day rookie minicamp, participating in stretches but missing practices, in early May. Campbell underwent shoulder surgery to repair a “slight tear” in his labrum after the NFL Scouting Combine, according to ESPN’s Jordan Reid. He was seen doing some low-impact individual drills on a side field with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio at OTAs.
Fangio revealed that Campbell has been working at inside linebacker, adding that the majority of his work has come in the meeting rooms. The Eagles are reportedly targeting August for Campbell to be ready — although Sirianni wouldn’t commit to that timeline when asked.
“I don’t ever want to put a timetable on anybody,” Sirianni said. “Some guys get through things quicker than others and vice versa. So, no timetable on that as far as when he’ll be ready. I know he’s doing everything he can to get himself ready.”
“Making sure that he gets all the mental reps that he possibly can get at this particular time. I think we’re probably the only sport that practices more than they play, and then also that has more walkthrough even than you have practice reps.”
Campbell was a chess piece at Alabama where he starred at linebacker and edge rusher. The Eagles don’t want to pigeon-hole him into any one position.
“Looking forward to getting our hands on him and when he is able to start practicing. But he’s a good football player,” Sirianni said. “We drafted him because he is a really, really good football player and excited to have him in whatever role that he’s going to execute, and we know that he’s versatile and is able to do multiple things.”
Saquon Barkley: Not Planning to Retire This Year
Saquon Barkley raised some eyebrows the other day after openly contemplating retirement. Speaking to Chris Long on the “Green Light” podcast, the 28-year-old running back hinted that he might pull a Barry Sanders. (Sanders retired in the prime of his NFL career, ditching the Detroit Lions at age 30). Barkley, not laughing, commented that he might follow a similar path.
“I’ll probably be one of those guys that it’ll be out of nowhere,” Barkley told Long, via Pro Football Talk. “I’ll probably just wake up one day, whether it’s next year or two years or four years, and just be like, ‘Yeah, it’s over.’”
When asked about Barkley’s comments, Sirianni got a bit buttoned up and nervously downplayed a potential Barkley exit.
“I just know he’s got a lot of good football left in him,” Sirianni said. “Again, I have interactions with these guys every single day and I’m excited that he’s on our football team and he’ll be on our football team for the 2025 season and I really don’t let myself get wrapped up into anything else beyond that … as long as I’m the head coach here, I’d always want to Saquan Barkley on this football team.“
Barkley logged a career-high 345 carries for the Super Bowl champions in 2024 yet avoided major injury or fatigue. He looked just as fresh in the playoffs as he did in Week 1 as he set a new Eagles’ franchise record for rushing yards in a single season (2,005). According to Sirianni, Barkley has shown no wear and tear this summer.
“We kind of monitored everybody as we went,” Sirianni said. “We got a lot of good work in, Saquon got a lot of good work in and yeah, I’m pleased with how the offseason program has went.“
Just to recap: new season, same Saquon.
“That’s what’s great about this football team is you see the same humbleness and the hunger that I saw going into the last season, and that’s Saquon, that’s all the players on this football team,” Sirianni said.
New Eagles’ Offensive Coordinator Commanding the Room
The Eagles are rolling with their fourth different offensive coordinator in five seasons after Kellen Moore took the head-coaching gig in New Orleans. Prior to Moore, Brian Johnson was running the show … and Shane Steichen before Johnson. The revolving door has caused a bit of a continuity problem — the offense looked noticeably stale in 2023 — but it hasn’t prevented the team from winning games.
Now, Kevin Patullo has taken the reins and quickly earned praise from both players and coaches. The 43-year-old has been on Sirianni’s staff since the beginning of his Eagles’ tenure, serving as passing-game coordinator (2021-24) before adding the title of associate head coach (2023-24). He brings a familiarity and comfortability not seen in his predecessors. That has been a huge win for everyone so far.
“Kevin’s doing a great job,” Sirianni said. “One of the many things that I think he’s doing really well is he only had an opportunity when Shane [Steichen] or Brian [Johnson] and Kellen [Moore] were the coordinators to present in front of the room a section or two. I just think he does a phenomenal job teaching the room when he’s the main guy up here doing that.“
Patullo promised there would be “some new wrinkles here and there” in the Eagles’ offense when he spoke to the media on May 28. He didn’t elaborate on what he might add — the Tush Push isn’t banned — but it’s clear that his number one asset is his ability to connect with the players.
“He’s got the player’s attention, he’s got a great plan, he’s got a great process, and that’s where I’ve noticed that he’s done a really nice job of and can’t say enough about how good of a job I think he’s doing to this point and he’s got a relationship with these players,” Sirianni said. “Whereas Kellen came in and had to build relationships, Kevin’s been around these players for going on five years now. I see Kevin pushing those guys out there, being able to get those guys going, whether it’s a high five to him or hey ‘get your butt going,’ because he has that relationship with the guys that he’s been building.“
Speaking on the Tush Push, Eagles HC Nick Sirianni vowed to “grow that play” in 2025. It isn’t going anywhere.
“Excited about being able to continue to grow that play,” Sirianni said. “The same work that we needed to put into it last year, we’ll even have to be better because we know teams are going to focus on it to try to stop it and we’ll even have to be better at how we coach it and how we perform it and how we execute.”
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
