Eagles training camp observations: DeVonta Smith reminds us he’s still really good originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
It was military day at Eagles training camp on Saturday and the Eagles held their longest practice of the summer so far.
On the first day of bright sunshine of camp, the Eagles went 1 hour and 39 minutes before handing over their jerseys to the military members in attendance.
The Eagles will have an off day on Sunday before getting back on the practice fields on Monday and Tuesday to start next week.
Here are today’s observations:
1. As always, we start with housekeeping:
• Just two players didn’t practice on Saturday: LB Oren Burks (knee) and OL Brett Toth (hamstring)
• After leaving Thursday’s practice with cramps in his calf, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. was back on the practice field Saturday morning.
• Landon Dickerson (lacerated toe) was a full participant.
2. Some offensive depth chart notes:
• The Eagles began the day with Parris Campbell as their WR3 so it seems like they’re rotating days between Campbell and John Ross — the two veterans fighting for the job. Ross did eventually get some first-team reps and rookie Johnny Wilson got in there a bit too.
• Tyler Steen began the day as the first-team right guard but he left practice early and was replaced by Darian Kinnard. The Eagles signed Kinnard to a futures deal this offseason and he’s someone to keep an eye on the rest of the summer.
• The Eagles gave Lane Johnson some breathers on Saturday and put Mekhi Becton in as the right tackle. So Becton is still working at tackle and guard this summer. There’s a chance he could be the top backup at four positions.
3. Some defensive depth chart notes:
• The Eagles began today with Kelee Ringo as the starting corner opposite Slay but eventually worked in Isaiah Rodgers. Those two seem to be the top candidates for that job right now. A little later, Eli Ricks got some rare first-team reps.
• Quinyon Mitchell did get some first-team reps on Saturday but in the Eagles’ dime package. That was a position he worked at some in the spring and he has been taking plenty of slot reps this summer. So the Eagles might be working to find ways to get him on the field as a rookie.
• The top linebackers to start Saturday were Devin White and Zack Baun but they did get Nakobe Dean some first team reps and continued to mix and match at the position.
• While the Eagles are always going to rotate on the line, I did notice some extra first-team reps for Nolan Smith on Saturday.
4. The highlight of Saturday’s practice was a tremendous DeVonta Smith catch over Ringo in a competitive period late in practice. Ringo had great position but that didn’t stop Smith from jumping over him and snagging the pass.
“DeVonta’s a great player,” Ringo said. “Great position. Good on good. Sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some.”
Ringo said that facing players like Smith will only help him get better.
This play in particular was highlight-reel worthy and showed off Smith’s incredible body control. We should also mention again that Jalen Hurts continues to look exceptionally sharp in the passing game.
5. Some other notable catches from Saturday:
• Britain Covey had a nice catch over the coverage of Mitchell down the left sideline with the second team in 7-on-7s. It was a perfect pass from backup quarterback Kenny Pickett, who has been showing off his arm some. In general, Covey had a busy day.
• A.J. Brown had a leaping one-handed catch over Ringo early in practice. Again, Ringo was in a great spot but Brown is a Pro Bowl receiver doing what he does.
• Saw a fun timing route on what looked like a tunnel screen to Ross on the right side of the formation. The Eagles timed it perfectly and Lane Johnson emphatically signaled for a first down.
6. Saquon Barkley and Devin White are having some fun battles this training camp. On one play, Barkley was out in front blocking White, who got annoyed and tried to toss him to the side. It was playful but forceful.
There was another play where Barkley caught a quick pass in the flat and had a quick juke move to evade White.
7. Vic Fangio was in his bag a little bit in this practice. We saw the Eagles use some dime, they stacked Josh Sweat and Bryce Huff and it also seemed like they blitzed more on Saturday. On one play in particular, Nakobe Dean flew into the backfield.
Hurts is probably going to be blitzed a ton this season after how awful the Eagles were at handling them in 2023, so it’s a good thing to get some pressure in his face this summer.
8. While Hurts had another really good day, the Eagles’ defensive line did get a couple sacks. Credit one to Milton Williams and one to Josh Sweat. We’ll find out much more when the pads go on Monday.
9. The Eagles held their first 1-on-1s between WRs and DBs on Saturday. Some highlights:
• Nice grab from Campbell down the right sideline after beating Slay by a step. Perfect pass from Hurts.
• Good coverage from Mitchell on Brown on a rep where Brown tripped and Mitchell nearly stepped over him to pick it off. A little later, Brown did break free from Mitchell to pull in a pass.
• Nice PBU from Zech McPhearson working against Austin Watkins down the left sideline. These drills are slanted in favor of offense so anytime a DB makes a play, it’s worth noting.
• Good separation from Johnny Wilson against Ricks. Wilson is a 6-foot-6 receiver who isn’t known as a precise route-runner but he ran a good one here.
• Smith was able to break away from Avonte Maddox out of the slot for an easy reception.
10. The Eagles began practice with a special teams session and Jake Elliott was perfect on all six of his field goal attempts: From 33, 36, 41, 28, 43 and 45 yards.
Stupid Observation of the Day: A.J. Brown should probably stick with his day job.
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