The Eagles held their 14th open practice of training camp for the 2025-26 season on Wednesday at NovaCare Complex — the first of two joint practices with the Cleveland Browns. Links to Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. Here are my observations from Day 14:
A.J. sits out
A.J. Brown was held out of practice despite being a limited participant in the three previous workouts. The wide receiver didn’t suffer a setback, a source said. The team decided not to push Brown’s hamstring injury at this stage of camp. His absence meant the first-unit offense was down two starters with guard Landon Dickerson’s recent knee injury. He underwent surgery on Wednesday morning. Dickerson could be back by the season opener, which is 22 days away.
Receiver Elijah Cooks (shoulder) and guard Kenyon Green (shoulder) were the other nonparticipants. The following Eagles were limited: linebacker Zack Baun (back), defensive tackle Gabe Hall (shoulder), tackle Myles Hinton (ankle), running back Montrell Johnson (hamstring), and defensive tackle Byron Young (groin).
» READ MORE: With Landon Dickerson out, Brett Toth has taken the reins at left guard: ‘This world doesn’t stop’
Baun was on the field for seven-on-seven drills. I spent most of that period watching one-on-ones between linemen, but I did catch the first play for the Eagles’ starting defense. Baun dropped into coverage and broke up a pass from underneath. It was like he never missed any time.
Ringo charred
Kelee Ringo was first up with the ones at cornerback. He had some rough moments when the ball came his way. The most egregious came when Brown quarterback Joe Flacco went to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy near the sideline. Ringo was beat on the comeback route, but rather than contain the receiver, he went for the pass breakup and wasn’t close. Jeudy picked up an additional 10-15 yards after the whiff.
It was just one play, and I didn’t watch the Eagles defense in the last portion, but I’m starting to wonder if Ringo can be trusted to start. His highs can be high, but the lows are low. He still has time to make a push because Adoree’ Jackson hasn’t wrestled the job from the competition. Jackson fared well in one-on-ones and broke up two Kenny Pickett passes. He was in coverage when a Flacco throw sailed wide after Jeudy lost his footing. Jackson celebrated as if he caused the slip.
Bennett bites
Cornerback Jakorian Bennett received a fair share of snaps with the first unit and broke up an early pass to Jeudy. He also had tight coverage vs. receiver Jamari Thrash on another play. Later on, Bennett trailed receiver Gage Larvadain when rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel found him free on a crossing route in the end zone. The guess here is that Bennett was expecting the underneath linebacker to either drop or take away the passing lane. It looked like rookie Jihaad Campbell might have been out of position. Nevertheless, Larvadain was wide-open.
Bennett was later beat inside by Jeudy on a deep dig route. And he was flagged for pass interference on rookie receiver Kisean Johnson a set later. I didn’t see much, if any, of cornerbacks Mac McWilliams or Eli Ricks with the first unit.
Steen titan
Tyler Steen has just a few more obstacles to clear before he’s inked into the right guard spot. He had a couple of strong reps against defensive tackle Mason Graham, the Browns’ top draft pick, during one-on-ones. He held up for the most part during the team period.
» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts huddles after the Eagles-Browns workout with another highly scrutinized QB, Shedeur Sanders
Cleveland defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz didn’t exactly empty his bag, but he mixed his calls. Steen and center Cam Jurgens picked up a blitz that allowed Jalen Hurts to find an open DeVonta Smith at one point. Steen had a forgettable moment when veteran Shelby Harris drove the guard back into Hurts’ lap for a would-be sack.
Garrett vs. Mailata/Johnson
While the Eagles’ D-line worked on combo blocks, the O-line had one-on-ones against the Browns’ D-line. I imagine we’ll get the opposite on Day 2. The drill opened with a heavyweight bout between two future Hall of Famers: Lane Johnson and Myles Garrett. Johnson won more than his share later during team drills, but Garrett dusted the right tackle with an inside move during one-on-ones.
Brett Toth, who has been filling in for Dickerson at left guard, fended off Maliek Collins during their first rep, but Harris looped around him on the second. Jordan Mailata saw his share of Garrett in team drills, but in one-on-ones, he pretty much dominated defensive end Isaiah McGuire in their two matchups. Garrett wrecked the Eagles offense two summers ago, but Mailata stood his ground — with the occasional help — this time around.
Of the Eagles’ reserve O-linemen, I thought that Darian Kinnard had the strongest reps during one-on-ones, both at guard and tackle. Rookie center Drew Kendall handled defensive tackle Ralph Holley, but he struggled against the older guys — Harris and Collins.
Azeez pleases
Azeez Ojulari had maybe his best day of the summer. The outside linebacker notched a sack with the first unit and had a would-be tackle for loss on a run play. I also noticed how he effectively set the edge on rushes that didn’t come his way. Ojulari did take the bait on protection that was schemed to move Flacco outside for an easy pass. But as I wrote yesterday, he may just be the type that excels best when the lights are on. It’s not like he’s some newcomer. Ojulari has 22 career NFL sacks in 46 games.
Joshua Uche registered a sack, as well, and probably logged the most snaps with the starters on the edge. He got to Flacco courtesy of a blitz stunt that freed him up. Ogbo Okoronkwo continued his string of practices with a least one highlight when he pressured Gabriel into scrambling.
Hurts a lot
Hurts had an uneven day. I didn’t see much positive during one-on-ones. His first toss to DeVonta Smith on a fade into the end zone was broken up by Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward. Hurts’ next pass to receiver Ainias Smith was intercepted by corner Myles Harden. The third went to receiver Johnny Wilson and was broken up. Wilson initially got separation from corner Tony Brown with a slight bump, but he failed to snag an accurately thrown ball.
The 6-foot-6 Wilson, to his credit, rebounded during seven-on-seven and team drills by winning two jump balls. Hurts tossed a couple more interceptions — one that I missed during seven-on-sevens and another in the last team period. On the latter, he was late to receiver Jahan Dotson over the middle and safety Ronnie Hickman easily jumped the route and went the other way. Hurts might have technically been sacked, but it was an ill-advised decision.
Dozen Hurts
Hurts and the pass offense did have their productive moments. Tight end Dallas Goedert was the benefactor when schemed open on a crosser. DeVonta Smith had several receptions — a few on option routes vs. man coverage — and scored a touchdown on a quick out route.
Running back AJ Dillon caught a pass out of the backfield and nearly scored. Goedert and fellow tight Grant Calcaterra were targeted on a couple of short routes. Dotson found a soft spot in the zone inside the 20-yard line.
» READ MORE: Joint practices provide DeVonta Smith and Denzel Ward a chance to trade tips and ‘better our games’
But the later the practice went, the worse it got for Hurts and Co. I don’t want to suggest it was one-sided because Saquon Barkley, Will Shipley, and Dillon had some nice gains on the ground. There wasn’t tackling to the ground, so it’s difficult to make judgment calls. There were several carries that had the running backs getting to the second level without being touched.
But there was a lot of Hurts eating plays, throwing balls away, or missing his targets entirely, particularly in the last period. I should also note that Johnson, Jurgens, and, of course, Dickerson, weren’t on the line during that stint. And Brown was missing, too.
Defending Eagles
Vic Fangio’s defense, meanwhile, had more success against a Browns offense that’s still searching for its quarterback. Flacco had some nice throws, as did Gabriel. Pickett didn’t participate in team drills. And rookie Shedeur Sanders was held out after suffering an oblique injury early during the workout.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. was around the ball on multiple occasions. He blew up an inside zone run early on. Cornerback Cooper DeJean stayed home and disrupted a misdirection screen. Cornerback Quinyon Mitchell tangled up Jeudy on a Flacco pass that sailed incomplete. Linebacker Smael Mondon, who’s still in the first-team mix, recorded a run stop at the line.
Defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter shot into the backfield for tackle for losses on separate occasions.
The verdict
So who won the day? You won’t find that answer here. There’s too much to decipher on separate fields to give an accurate assessment, let alone without the benefit of replay, or really knowing what each team was trying to accomplish. It’s a fool’s errand.
I will say this: the Browns had a lot more to prove against the defending champions. This is the third time in the last four years they’ve had joint practices with the Eagles. Schwartz has been there for the last two and, knowing him, he’s going to challenge his players to compete. And his defense did.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and Browns coach Kevin Stefanski have kept fighting out of the practices with a simple rule: you fight, you’re gone. But there was one scuffle after Eagles gunner Andre’ Sam got double-teamed by Harden and Tony Brown during punt drills. Brown hit him a little late and Sam responded. Most of the Eagles bench emptied, while the Browns’ didn’t — maybe out of fear of being kicked out. Nevertheless, it showed the Eagles had some juice.
» READ MORE: The Eagles defense has ‘some dudes up front,’ says Joe Flacco: ‘They’ve got a lot of things going’
Extra points
The Eagles’ second unit ran about half the amount of plays as the first unit. The third group had to wait until the post-practice development period to get on the field. No. 2 quarterback Tanner McKee, like Hurts, had his ups and downs. Tight end Kylen Granson continued to be one of his favorite targets. Rookie receiver Darius Cooper had a couple grabs. … Joint practices brought a slew of Eagles and local dignitaries to watch the action, including former players Brandon Graham, Malcolm Jenkins, Jason Kelce, Ron Jaworski, former coach Dick Vermeil, former Sixers general manager and father of Kevin, Ed Stefanski, Mr. Big 5 Fran Dunphy, father of Jason, Ed Kelce, and rapper, podcaster, and noted Eagles fan Gillie da Kid. … Former Eagles running back and coach Duce Staley is currently a Browns assistant. … The second and last joint practice with the Browns will be on Thursday. Friday will be a closed walk-through. The two teams face each other in the preseason on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field at 1 p.m.
Source link
