Eagles Shuffle Linebackers, With Two Intercepting Patriots QBs In Joint Practice

Nakobe Dean gets first crack with first team while rookie Jeremiah Trotter and Zack Baun notch interceptions.

Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., had an interception against the Patriots in their joint practice. / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

Interceptions have been hard to come by for the Eagles defense when they have played the Eagles offense in the first 11 days of training camp. They’ve had two – one from Eli Ricks, the other from Shon Stephens.

That changed on Tuesday when the Eagles went to Foxborough and had a joint practice against the New England Patriots. It’s the only practice the teams will have against each before meeting in the second preseason game of summer on Thursday (7 p.m.). It was also the only joint practice the Eagles will have this summer.

The change of scenery, and quarterbacks not named Jalen Hurts, brought some interceptions.

One came from rookie linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., who continues to elevate his level of play. He picked off Jacoby Brissett who was trying to get the ball to K.J. Osborn. The other came from linebacker Zack Baun.

“I try to prove things every single day,” said Trotter after collecting five tackles in Friday night’s first preseason game. “For me, I’m really critical of myself. I think I had a pretty good game, first game, but I have to get back in the film room, watch the tape, make the corrections and try to get better every day.”

He is seemingly doing that.

“I see him every day, this boy comes to work,” said Brandon Graham to reporters after practice ended in just over two hours. “You can already tell what he does in the offseason with his dad (Jeremiah Trotter, Sr.), but I know for him, I was happy to see him get an interception, happy to see everything starting to slow down a little bit.”

Nakobe Dean’s stock seems to be on the rise, too, because the change of scenery also brought a change at linebacker. Dean lined up for the first set of 11-on-11 opposite Devin White. He has gotten first-team reps in previous practices, but it was the first time Baun didn’t get the first crack.

It was Dean, per reporters on site, that whose end zone deflection led to Baun’s interception.

“For him, just know that even then when you do make good plays, the work’s not done until you’re holding that trophy,” said Graham. “You have to start with the work you put in during the offseason. You gotta stay consistent and just block out the noise.

“I know how hard it is sometimes, being young, to block out the noise, but it’s like if you can use it as motivation, use it as motivation. Ain’t nothing changes until you do what you gotta do out here and that's putting the work in one day at a time.”

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