Eagles Camp Day 1 Observations: Summer in Parris, Dallas Delivers, and Default Settings

The Eagles kicked off preparation for the 2024 season with the first day of training camp at the NovaCare Complex.

Jalen Hurts ready to take a snap at practice on July 24, 2024 / John McMullen/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles’ first 2024 training camp practice went for 70 minutes in overcast and humid conditions in South Philadelphia on Wednesday.

The session provided a glimpse at where the two new coordinators – Kellen Moore on offense and Vic Fangio on defense – are going with the personnel assembled.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts, who struggled at times during the spring, seemed sharper on Day 1 of camp, uncorking the play of the day, a 35-yeard touchdown to tight end Dallas Goedert with second-year cornerback Kelee Ringo trailing in coverage and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson coming over late with the help.

There were a handful of similar plays to be made in the spring to Goedert but Hurts was generally off target so the downfield connection was notable and an early positive sign for Hurts integrating into Moore’s version of the Eagles offense.

This Goedert TD?! 👀 https://t.co/j8HTxLCrQd pic.twitter.com/72kyjpSPKG

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) July 24, 2024

-First, the bookkeeping for the day. The Eagles placed rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean (hamstring), undrafted rookie OL Gottlieb Ayedze, and receiver on the Active/Non-Football Injury List and safety Sydney Brown on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform List. 

DeJean is expected to miss about three weeks while Brown is still rehabbing from the torn ACL suffered in Week 18 last season.

Starting left guard Landon Dickerson (lacerated toe) and backup offensive lineman Brett Toth (hamstring) also missed the practice. Each is considered day-to-day and if things were more serious, they would have also started on the NFI list.

Veteran linebacker Oren Burks was out on the field but not working in team drills so he may have tweaked something earlier in practice.

-With Dickerson out, Mekhi Becton stepped in at left guard with the first unit. The same look was used in minicamp when Dickerson was excused. Toth had been working as the second-team center in the spring and Veteran Matt Hennessy got that work on Wednesday while sixth-rounder Dylan McMahon, a natural center, stayed with the third team.

-Veteran James Bradberry reported and did indeed work at safety on the second team with Tristin McCollum. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship remain entrenched as the starters on the back end.

-Isaiah Rodgers got the first rep at right cornerback opposite Darius Slay but there was mixing and matching with Ringo also getting first-team looks. 

Fangio seemed to have a base look where Devin White and Zack Baun were the linebackers with Slay and Rodgers at outside cornerback and Avonte Maddox in the slot. 

The pass-defense tweak had White teaming with Nakobe Dean with Slay and Ringo outside. Maddox remained in the slot.

-Maddox also got third-team work at safety alongside Mekhi Garner.

-The absence of Dickerson and Toth had an impact on the backup offensive line with Becton being elevated to starting left guard instead of the left tackle on the second unit. From left to right the second group was Fred Johnson, Trevor Keegan,  Matt Hennessy, Darian Kinnard, and Max Scharping.

-There was a rare drop by DeVonta Smith on a crossing route early in practice.

 -In the race for WR3, Parris Campbell is off and running and if he can turn his Day 1 into a consistent performance, it will be called quickly. The veteran had his way with some of the young corners while running violent comeback routes. 

-Rookie first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell got reps at all three corner positions. Most of his day was spent as the backup to Slay at left corner but he was also used inside and on the right side by the time things wrapped up.

-In special teams drills, the punt return rotation was: Britain Covey, Ainias Smith, Isaiah Rodgers, and John Ross.

-Undrafted rookie running back Kendall Milton keeps showing more chops as a receiver than expected, making a one-handed grab downfield on a Tanner McKee throw.

-Star running back Saquon Barkley got a little more involved than he had been in spring. That said, on one wheel route down the right sideline, White again put Barkley in his hip pocket, something he did on a few occasions during the spring.

-There weren’t many splash plays on defense but Baun did show up with a nice pass breakup when Kenny Pickett was trying to hit tight end C.J. Uzomah on a seam route down the middle of the field. 

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