Observations From Eagles First Open OTA

How did Jalen Hurts look and who stood out on both sides of the ball in a short session, plus a look at the changes within the front office

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.