Eagles Camp Day 11: DeVonta vs. Quinyon, Trash Talk and Rookies Under Pressure

The Eagles returned to the practice field for the first time since topping Baltimore in the preseason opener on Friday night.

Eagles WR DeVonta Smith arrives at practice on Aug. 11, 2024 / John McMullen/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles returned to the practice field for the first time since topping Baltimore in the preseason opener on Friday night.

With a joint practice looming with New England on Tuesday, Nick Sirianni scheduled a “yellow” session that went about an hour and 40 minutes.

The highlight came at the end when there was a charged 1-on-1 session in which some of the Eagles' younger players were tested with the entire team watching.

The trash-talking of injured safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson whipped his defensive teammates into a frenzy after undrafted rookie safety Andre’ Sam was able to pry the football away from fifth-round rookie Ainias Smith on an out route from Tanner McKee. It was a bang-bang play but the always vocal CJGJ didn’t take it easy on Smith, who has had a tough camp.

The other matchups were fifth-round rookie guard Trevor Keegan holding his own in pass protection against defensive tackle Thomas Booker and second-year linebacker Ben VanSumeren getting home against undrafted rookie running back Kendall Milton.

In the other passing rep, sixth-round rookie Johnny Wilson got a step on Quinyon Mitchell at the line and used his 6-foot-6 frame to shield the football from the first-round pick on a go route from Will Grier.

It was a nice bounce back for Wilson, who bobbled two passes earlier in the practice.

Mitchell, meanwhile, continued to get first-team reps in the slot and caused a bit of a scare defending an out route to Dallas Goedert. Mitchell was forced to leave practice briefly before testing his right leg on a side field with a trainer. 

Mitchell was cleared to return and finished the session.

-In Sunday's bookkeeping, tight ends Grant Calcaterra (shoulder) and Albert Okwuegbunam (abdomen) were banged up in the preseason game against the Ravens and did not practice.

LB Oren Burks (knee), WR Parris Campbell (groin), and Gardner-Johnson (shoulder) remained out.

Edge rusher Patrick Johnson, who helped win the game against the Ravens with a late-game strip sack was limited with a lower leg contusion. At the same time, Mekhi Garner (hamstring) made a return to some individual work as did linebacker Brandon Smith (concussion).

-The Eagles made a roster move before practice, signing safety Caden Sterns and releasing LB Shaq Quarterman.

Sterns was a 2021 fifth-round pick in Denver when Vic Fangio was the head coach there. He was recently waived by the Broncos and claimed by Carolina, which had the No. 1 priority on the waiver wire. Sterns failed his physical with the Panthers, however.

Sterns was at camp and wearing a hoodie with No. 37 working on a side field with a compression sleeve on his right leg. My understanding is that Sterns will need a bit of a ramp-up period before practicing.

-The practice started with an extended period working on tackling fundamentals to go along with the typical individual work and ball security drills the team goes through each practice.

-Once team drills began, the session was marred  bit but as at least five pre-snap penalties.

-There were no serious changes to the depth chart after the Ravens game with Mekhi Becton starting at RG and the defense defaulting to Devon White and Zack Baun at LB with Isaiah Rodgers handling right cornerback, Mitchell at the slot and Avonte Maddox filling in for Gardner-Johnson opposite Reed Blankenship at safety.

Nakobe Dean did seem to get more first-team reps mixing in at LB after a strong performance in Baltimore. The mixing and matching by Fangio continued with different duos at the position.

Others getting first-team reps were James Bradberry at safety and Kelee Ringo at RCB.

-Britain Covey continues to have an impressive camp and the Eagles’ slot defenders are having a difficult time with his sharp route-running.   

-Three different 1-on-1 reps were pitting DeVonta Smith against Mitchell were a highlight. The savvy veteran decisively won the first before Mitchell responded with two reps in which he was in Smith’s hip pocket, forcing two incompletions. 

-In one red-zone situational drill with the game on the line and the offense needing a TD, Jalen Hurts found A.J. Brown in the left corner but the All-Pro receiver was ruled out of bounds prompting a frustrated Hurts to let fly a rare expletive. 

-WR Jacob Harris is opening some eyes as a special teams player and also got backup corner Zech McPhearson to bite on a double move resulting in a big gain on a throw from Kenny Pickett down the left sideline.

-In special teams work, the Eagles were working on downing Braden Mann short-field punts where the gunners have an opportunity to run under it and catch it. Ringo, Josh Jobe, and Harris got reps doing that.

-There was also a blocked punt in which both Baun and Jalyx Hunt busted through the protection. My straw poll of reporters gave the block to Baun.

-In a hurry-up drill Fangio took the interesting tack of rotating his first-, second- and third-team defenses on consecutive reps.

MORE NFL: Eagles Rookie Class Off To Good Start After Shedding Butterflies In Preseason Opener