The Philadelphia Eagles are back. After a long wait, the Super Bowl Champions took to the field for their first Training Camp practice of 2025. Here’s all you need to know:
Eagles injury updates
There is one big injury update which I’ll expand on shortly, but a few key players missed the opening practice of camp. Jalen Carter was absent with a shoulder setback. It’s worth noting that Carter missed some time in the Spring too, but it doesn’t appear too noteworthy.
Kenyon Green also missed the first practice of the Summer, which isn’t ideal. Acquired in the trade that sent CJGJ to Houston, the veteran lineman figured to be a key cog as a backup guard/insurance policy for Tyler Steen.
However, this does open things up for a few other players. Notably, Brandon Lee-Gowton noted that Brett Toth has shuffled over to LG with the second-team, while rookie Drew Kendall is taking backup C reps behind Cam Jurgens. The Pro-Bowler was limited today along with Jihaad Campbell.
Nakobe Dean begins training Camp on PUP list
This was expected. The young linebacker tore his patellar tendon in the playoff win over Green Bay, shortening his impressive season right before the eventual Super Bowl. The likelihood of being healthy for Training Camp was always minimal, but the PUP list means the Eagles can call him up at any time, and until then, he doesn’t take up a roster spot.
It’s a big year for the Georgia product, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Only compounding the pressure is the arrival of first-round pick Jihaad Campbell, who did take to the field today despite having some injury concerns heading into the draft.
It will be interesting to see how the linebacker position shakes out over the next month or so, and whether or not Dean can get back on the field in time for the regular season to force his way into the conversation.
Jihaad Campbell takes the field
First-round selection, Jihaad Campbell, is officially practicing in Philadelphia. A talent many deemed to be top-10 worthy somehow fell to the Eagles in the heart of the first round, giving Howie Roseman a great risk-reward play on an incredibly talented player who had some injury setbacks going into the Draft process.
“You’re going to see him out there today.” Nick Sirianni told reporters this morning. “It will be fun to get him out there and start working with him. He looks like he had a great summer, and excited to have him out there working.”
While it might be a while before we see him padded up and live tackling, it’s really encouraging to see Campbell on the field with his new teammates.
Jalyx Hunt breakout incoming?
One of the late bloomers in Fangio’s defense last year was rookie OLB Jalyx Hunt. The small-school sleeper turned heads with some expanded defensive opportunities on the biggest of stages, and is carrying that momentum into Training Camp.
His role could well be a hybrid one moving forward, but with question marks over the second and third parings at EDGE, Hunt could have a huge role to play in 2025 if he can sustain this momentum.
Secondary shakeup
The CB2 battle might be among the most prominent on the roster going into Training Camp. Kelee Ringo looks poised to give veteran CB Adoree Jackson a run for that final starting spot, and opened up camp with the first-team, reinforcing the teams’ belief in him. Although he did give up a touchdown to newly-signed wideout Terrence Marshall not long into 7-on-7 drills.
Ringo also gave up a pass to A.J Brown, although ESP noted that the Georgia product had good coverage. One perk of playing against such a strong receiving corps is that corners are going against some of the very best in the league every single day, giving them plenty of opportunities to learn and enhance their skillset.
This is bound to be a fluid battle as preseason approaches, but it’s clear that the team are at least willing to give Ringo the opportunity to fight for that role as they continue to prioritize long-term growth.
Another wildcard was Cooper DeJean getting first-team reps at Safety. This is something I’ve spoken about extensively in the past. During his first Summer with the Birds, DeJean missed a lot of time, and Vic Fangio insisted on keeping things simple and allowing Coop to test the waters at Nickel instead of overloading him with Safety responsibilities.
CDJ enjoyed a dominant rookie campaign after he finally joined the Eagles in the heart of the season, so it begged the question whether or not moving him to Safety made sense, especially with rookie Andrew Mukuba now in the wings. But with depth still a little light, being able to move a player as valuable as Cooper DeJean around to create more dangerous looks for offenses certainly makes sense. It will certainly be a topic to keep an eye on as the Summer progresses.
Sydney Brown and Andrew Mukuba split the remaining first-team reps, so to say Vic Fangio is exploring every possibility would be an understatement.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
