Observations From Eagles First Open OTA
PHILADELPHIA – It was the Eagles’ first open practice of the offseason on Friday.
It didn’t last long. About 50 minutes.
Even as abbreviated as it was, there was some buzz. It was, after all, a chance to see some individual drills as well as some seven-on-seven.
Attendance was far from 100%.
Some of the players not on the field – and remember, OTAs are optional – were offensive linemen Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata. Perhaps they were of attending the wedding of their OL teammate Brett Toth since Toth is supposed to be getting married this weekend.
Also not on the field were receivers Jalen Reagor, Quez Watkins, and Zach Pascal. On the defensive side of the ball, Haason Reddick and Fletcher Cox were absent.
Really, though, it was about the players who were there.
None bigger, perhaps, than Jalen Hurts, and the quarterback looked good.
OK, it was 50 minutes. It was seven-on-seven.
Still, Hurts threw the ball with confidence, accuracy, and strength.
He hit DeVonta Smith twice for deep gains down each sideline after Smith had gotten behind James Bradberry and Marcus Epps on one and Darius Slay on the other. Hurts hit Smith in stride on both throws, too, which the WR easily turned into touchdowns.
This time together for Slay and Bradberry is only one step in getting better together.
“We’ll continue to keep working, get better,” said Slay about him and Bradberry. “We’ve only been together for about two weeks, so coach is probably still studying him, finding out what he likes better and how he feels comfortable. So, we’re all here as a group to help each other get better, and we’ll help him get to where he needs to be.”
Hurts also threw a beautiful pass down the middle of the field to Deon Cain, who was being closely guarded on the play. Cain made the catch and took a bump from two different defenders in the area but stayed on his feet and stumbled into the end zone.
It wasn’t Cain’s only flash play. He stood out a few other times on shorter patterns.
Again, 50 minutes. Seven-on-seven.
Still, Cain, a 6-2, 202-pound target, has put himself in the keep-an-eye-on category this summer following a season spent on the team’s practice squad after being signed there on Oct. 18 last year. He is a former sixth-round pick of the Colts in 2018.
Josh Hammond (left) and Britain Covey during Eagles OTA on June 3, 2022
Ed Kracz/SI Fan Nation Eagles Today
As for Hurts and A.J. Brown, it’s a work in progress, which is to be expected. Hurts underthrew Brown once and Brown had to make a defensive play to prevent Slay from picking it off. Another time, Hurts overthrew Brown.
Of building chemistry with Brown, Hurts said: “It’s just been conversations, getting on the same page, reps and reps and reps. I think it’s been good for us to be out here doing some competitive drills. I think that’ll help us in the end.”
Smith, of course, is in Year 2 with his QB, and Hurts said about that relationship: “I think the time we’ve put in, and the reps we’ve had, I think that is definitely beneficial for our connection.
"And I think it’ll be good for the football team. I think it’s important to continue to stack days on days, whether that be me throwing with Zach, me throwing with AJ, throwing with DeVonta, Quez, whoever.”
On defense, put a little check mark next to safety Jared Mayden, who made two pass breakups.
Mayden has size at 6-0, 205, and pedigree, having played at the University of Alabama. He is a must-watch at a position where depth needs to be identified.
CB Zech McPhearson also had a nice pass breakup on a pass from Gardner Minshew to Greg Ward.
Off the field, there was also some news as the Eagles announced some changes to its front office structure.
The moves are here:
TITLE CHANGES
Football Operations
Jon Ferrari – Assistant General Manager
Alec Halaby – Assistant General Manager
Dom DiSandro – Senior Advisor to the General Manager/Chief Security Officer
Bryce Johnston – Vice President of Football Transactions and Strategic Planning
Paul Lancaster – Senior Director of Player Engagement
Connor Barwin – Director of Player Development
James Gilman – Director of Football Analytics
Jeff Scott – Director of Football Operations
Jon Liu – Assistant Director of Football Analytics
Kathy Mair – Player Resource Coordinator/Assistant Director of Player Engagement
Patrick McDowell – Player Development Assistant/Scout
Nick Still – Assistant Equipment Manager
Scouting
Dave Caldwell – Senior Personnel Director/Advisor to the General Manager
Alan Wolking – Director of Player Personnel
Phil Bhaya – Director of Draft Management
Max Gruder – Director of Pro Scouting
Ameena Soliman – Director of Personnel Operations/Pro Scout
Ryan Myers – Assistant Director of College Scouting
Matt Holland – Senior College/Pro Scout
NEW HIRES
Football Operations
Zach Drapkin – Quantitative Analyst
Marlon Sanders – Video Assistant
Elsie Reyes – Administrative Assistant, Football Operations
Scouting
Matt Russell – Senior Personnel Director/Advisor to the General Manager
Brandon Hunt – Director of Scouting
Charles Walls – Director of Player Personnel
Jeremy Gray – Assistant Director of Pro Personnel
Jordon Dizon – National Scout
Jarrod Kilburn – College/Pro Scout
Rod Streater – Northeast Area Scout
Ben Ijalana – Scouting Assistant
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
