Eagles Training Camp Practice Notes: Jeremiah Trotter Jr. isn’t going down without a fight

Today marked the fifth Philadelphia Eagles training camp practice ahead of the 2025 NFL season. The fully padded session (first of the summer), which started an hour earlier than originally scheduled due to heat concerns, lasted for about two hours. Here’s what I observed at the NovaCare Complex.

EAGLES PRACTICE NOTES

• JALEN HURTS UPDATE: The defense as a whole bested the offense in this practice. Not all of that was on Hurts as much it was a team effort (drops, miscues, penalties, etc.) Case in point, Hurts threw two would-be touchdown passes that weren’t caught by his end zone targets. Hurts didn’t help himself by slightly overthrowing some downfield targets. He also fumbled in the pocket at one point. His best completion was an accurate ball to A.J. Brown along the right sideline. He also did throw a 10-yard touchdown to an open Will Shipley on an angle route. Hurts wasn’t as sharp as he was in his first two practices but he wasn’t as bad as his last two.
• Hurts had to deal with yet another bad snap by Brett Toth (shocker). This one was low and caused him to immediately start running to his right (he may have been tackled by Jalyx Hunt in a game situation) all the way to the end zone. Hurts then flicked the ball to a nearby fan wearing a Kelly Green Hurts jersey. The unsuspecting fan made the grab … but not without a cost:

DID NOT PRACTICE

LB Zack Baun (back contusion)
WR Danny Gray (finger)
S Andrew Mukuba (shoulder)
WR DeVonta Smith (back tightness)
LB Nolan Smith (concussion)

Baun’s injury explains why he wasn’t participating in team drills later in Monday’s practice.

DeVonta, Mukuba, and Gray all missed their second straight practice.

Nolan’s concussion is new. He’ll need to be independently cleared before he’s allowed to practice again.

Nakobe Dean is still on the active/PUP list.

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

LB Jihaad Campbell (shoulder)
DT Jalen Carter (shoulder)
C Cam Jurgens (back)
LB Smael Mondon Jr. (illness)

Campbell doesn’t appear to be limited despite being listed as such.

Carter has yet to take part in team drills.

Jurgens’ workload continues to be limited with Brett Toth rotating in at first-team center.

Mondon Jr. returned to action after sitting out on Monday.

IN-PRACTICE INJURY

WR Terrace Marshall Jr. was down in pain after an 11-on-11 rep. He slowly walked to the medical tent with trainers and did not return to practice.

• POSITION BATTLE UPDATE — LINEBACKER: Jeremiah Trotter Jr. isn’t going down without a fight. The second-year defender broke up a Hurts pass for the second day in a row. This time it was him having tight coverage from a trailing position on Goedert in the end zone. Trot Jr. is regularly in good position to defend the run. At the same time, Jihaad Campbell is pushing for playing time. The rookie first-round pick saw more first-team reps due to Baun not practicing. He had some good moments against the run and blew up a short throw to Dallas Goedert. Campbell thudded the tight end to the ground and then helped him up since the starters aren’t supposed to actually live tackle each other in practice.

• POSITION BATTLE UPDATE — CORNERBACK: For the first time since the first day of training camp, Kelee Ringo took the first first-team cornerback reps in the first 11-on-11 period. He was lined up at left cornerback instead of right cornerback. However, Adoree’ Jackson rotated in for Ringo during the same period. Jackson played at both left and right corner. Ringo had success in 1-on-1s, where he broke up a pass and also ran Terrace Marshall Jr.’s route better than the wide receiver did to have a chance at what would’ve been an incredible interception but reasonably wasn’t caught. Ringo did later give up a short reception to undrafted rookie Darius Cooper in team drills. But he also blew up a bubble screen attempt. Jackson lost a 1-on-1 rep to Jahan Dotson, who did well to create just enough separation on a curl route. Jackson lost again to Dotson in 11-on-11 where the receiver drew a defensive pass interference penalty. Prior to practice, Fangio noted Jackson had “a very good day” on Monday but also said that the veteran needs to “show who he is, or who he isn’t.” All told, there isn’t a clear cut front-runner at the moment but Jackson seems to have a better chance at starting than it previously seemed. Still a long time to go until Week 1 rolls around.
• Josh Uche flashed on Tuesday. The 26-year-old edge rusher saw some first-team edge reps on the left side with Nolan Smith out. He either had a forced fumble or a pressure that contributed to the ball slipping of Hurts’ hands in the pocket (unclear which but good for him either way). Uche logged a “sack” while working with the second-team defense after having another on Monday. Dropping into coverage, he was in position to light up Saquon Barkley after the running back made a short one-handed grab. I’m more intrigued by Uche than Azeez Ojulari at the moment.
• Tyler Steen picked up a stunting Uche nicely in OL vs. DL drills. In team drills, Steen got penalized for an illegal hands to face penalty that resulted in him knocking Moro Ojomo’s helmet off. After practice, Jeff Stoutland praised Steen’s Tuesday performance.

• Cool post-practice moment for Jeff Stoutland, who received the PFWA’s Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman Award that recognizes lifetime achievement as an assistant coach in the NFL. Previous recipients notably include Jim Johnson, Howard Mudd, Steve Spagnuolo, and Bud Carson.

• Lane Johnson yelled a celebratory expletive and gave two middle fingers to the defense after a Barkley touchdown run. Vic Fangio’s group hasn’t been making it easy for the Eagles’ offense.
• Quinyon Mitchell’s coverage ability matters most and he’s been pretty great in that regard. But he also had a nice run fit today that stood out.
• Jalyx Hunt earned praise from the defensive sideline for stuffing a Saquon Barkley run up the middle.
• It was an active day for Will Shipley as a pass-catcher. In addition to his touchdown reception, he made a nice diving grab along the left sideline.
• Tanner McKee had a pass deflected at the line of scrimmage (couldn’t see who did it). That’s been happening a little too often for a quarterback who’s listed at 6’6”. McKee did have a really good ball on a red zone touchdown throw to Elijah Cooks (see two bullet points down).
• Johnny Wilson continues to struggle. He had a pass go through his hands in 1-on-1s. In team drills, he pancaked Adoree’ Jackson on what could’ve been offensive pass interference. No flag was thrown but Jackson was pretty heated at the nearby ref for not calling it.
• Elijah Cooks, meanwhile, continues to cook. For the third practice in a row, the 26-year-old made a flashy catch. This time it was him making a grab above his head while moving through traffic in the back of the end zone. Cooks also beat Jackson for a catch in 1-on-1, caught a 10-yard ball from Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and had a step on Mac McWilliams for a deep completion along the right sideline but got overthrown. Beware the training camp darling who doesn’t materialize into much of anything … but it’s hard to say Cooks isn’t intriguing.
• Ainias Smith has looked at his best in 1-on-1s. He’s not as present in team drills. Jalen Reagor also fit that description in the past. Not saying they’re the same exact player but I’m not putting a ton of stock into 1-on-1 performance alone. Smith dropped what wouldn’t have been an easy catch but still could’ve been made for a touchdown from Hurts.
• The aforementioned Terrace Marshall Jr., who left practice early due to injury, failed to make a catch on a ball thrown a little behind him. He also called for offensive pass interference at one point.
• Third good practice for Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He’s been at his best as a passer when he’s making a quick decision and letting it rip. He threw a short touchdown pass to ShunDerrick Powell. Maybe the QB3 competition is not yet decided after all? Or maybe the Eagles are sticking with Kyle McCord and DTR could return some value in a trade.
• Harrison Bryant was flagged for a blatant false start. Just one of the many flags thrown during Tuesday’s practice.
• Undrafted rookie receiver Darius Cooper made a short catch against Ringo but then got shut down by Eli Ricks on a jump ball in the front right corner of the end zone. A crossing Cooper then made a catch over the middle but the ball squirted out as he went to the ground. The side judge ruled him down but that didn’t stop wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead from chewing out the rookie and pulling him off the field.
• Tariq Castro-Fields was flagged for DPI in 1-on-1s. He might lead the Eagles in penalties this offseason. Very grabby defender.
• Vic Fangio, who is a big Phillies fan, showed off some new gear prior to practice:

The Phillies better make some good trades before Thursday’s deadline. Hope to be reading about them on The Good Phight

Speaking of the Phils …

UP NEXT: The Eagles are holding a walkthrough closed to media access on Wednesday. They’ll return to practice at 10:00 AM Eastern on Thursday morning. You can find more of the Eagles’ training camp schedule by clicking here.