Eagles Camp Day 13: Injury Upheaval, Big Play for Darius Slay, LB Clarity
PHILADELPHIA - The full scope of the attrition the Philadelphia Eagles suffered in an 18-18 preseason tie with the Cleveland Browns at home on Thursday night came into focus on Saturday morning.
The Eagles waived/injured three players: receiver Tyrie Cleveland (neck/concussion), defensive tackle Noah Elliss (undisclosed), and cornerback Zech McPhearson (torn Achilles), and released two others: cornerback Greedy Williams and punter Ty Zentner.
Brought in were defensive tackles Marvin Wilson, who spent time with the Eagles in 2021 and 2022, Robert Cooper, and Caleb Sanders, as well as linebackers Tyreek Maddox-Williams and Quinton Bell.
The three players who were waived/injured will revert to injured reserve after they clear waivers.
Cleveland's release might seem callous to some after he was carted off on Thursday but it's largely procedural and he will remain under the organization's care and will be paid once he is officially placed on IR.
Philadelphia had so many injuries against the Browns that the need to create roster spots and sign players to practice in an appropriate fashion was paramount.
Also missing Saturday's practice were receivers Britain Covey (hamstring), Greg Ward (ankle), and Quez Watkins (hamstring), defensive tackles Fletcher Cox (knee soreness), and Moro Oromo (concussion), cornerback Mekhi Garner (ankle), edge rushers Kyron Johnson (appendectomy), Haason Reddick (thumb), and Nolan Smith (shoulder), as well as running back Trey Sermon (ankle).
Edge rusher Patrick Johnson (ankle) returned to practice after missing significant time and right guard Landon Dickerson (foot) also returned after missing one practice.
Here's what we saw in the yellow session that went 68 minutes:
-The churn continues on the back end next to Reed Blankenship with Justin Evans getting the majority of first-team reps in team drills, including in situational four-minute situations.
Sean Desai's offshoot of the Vic Fangio defense relies on coverage players at safety and Evans had the rep of an ascending coverage player in Tampa Bay before injuries derailed his career a bit.
-The first-team linebackers to start the day were Nakobe Dean and Zach Cunningham with Nicholas Morrow and Christian Elliss also getting looks opposite Dean. If you're handicapping the race to be opposite Dean in Foxborough on Sept. 10, Cunningham has taken the lead followed by Elliss and Morrow.
-Without Cox, No. 9 overall pick Jalen Carter got extensive looks with the first team and continues to shine with his rare combination of size and athleticism. All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson compared Carter to a bigger Geno Atkins after practice.
-James Bradberry continued to get some work in the slot as a curve ball from Desai but Mario Goodrich continues to get most of the reps with the second team and could be the replacement for McPhearson.
-Kenny Gainwell continues to get the high-leverage reps at running back and also took the first reps in team drills today. He did draw the ire of the coaching staff a couple of times, first for running out of bounds in a four-minute drill and then for taking a knee after breaking through after what could have been a long touchdown run in the same series.
-The play of the day came from Darius Slay on defense when he deftly undercut a Jalen Hurts pass on a crossing route to DeVonta Smith, tapping the football to himself for an interception.
-Dallas Goedert continues to dominate the middle of the field. His prettiest play today was beating Elliss down the seam for a touchdown in 7-on-7 work.
-Josh Sweat has been the Eagles' best defender this summer with all due respect to Blankenship and the randy defensive end came up with his daily sack today.
-Devon Allen finally got to showcase his Olympic speed thanks to a broken zone coverage. Goodrich dropped Allen with no help from the safeties and the track star caught a Marcus Mariota pass and raced about 65 yards for a touchdown.
-During punt drills, long-time special teams coordinator Brad Seeley was stationed at Nick Sirianni's hip while Michael Clay ran the period. At one point Blankenship was lauded for his read as the personal protector. Arryn Siposs is now unopposed after Zentner was waived and had one poor punt.
-The pre-snap issues continue with Nick Sirianni using some colorful language when the offense didn't get a play off in a four-minute drill and Milton Williams getting caught jumping offside on a fourth down.
-The Eagles ran a long-drive drill to ramp up conditioning with the regular season approaching.
-Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Philadelphia Eagles? Click Here.
Want even more Philadelphia Eagles news? Check out the SI.com team page here
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
