Eagles Camp Day 2: A.J. Brown Dominates, Nolan Smith Impresses & Nick Sirianni Fights Complacency

The Philadelphia Eagles were back on the practice fight Friday fighting through an oppressive heat.

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles went “yellow” on Friday as their second open practice of the summer.

The color designation refers to the intensity of the practice, which is scaled down a bit from Day 1’s “green” practice and a walkthrough on Thursday (red), The allotment for a yellow session is 65 minutes plus developmental work in sweltering heat and humidity that reached past 90 and the heat index approaching 100 despite the mid-morning start time.

Here’s what we observed:

-The injury list remains slight with star edge rusher Hasson Reddick sitting out his second consecutive session with a sore groin while Avonte Maddox (toe) and Derek Barnett (ACL), fresh off a restructured contract, continue to be limited as they come off offseason surgeries. Maddox did ramp up a bit in 7-on-7s but continues to sit out team drills.

-The University of Maryland's coaching staff was observing the practice. Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley coached Jalen Hurts when the two were together at the University of Alabama.

-Rookie first-round pick Nolan Smith had an impressive session and was able to show off his unique skill set because of Reddick’s absence. Mainly playing as an overhang player coming off the left side, Smith showed his ability to generate pressure on one play and quickly followed that with solid coverage skills against Dallas Godert and Boston Scott.

-The biggest wow plays were Greg Ward getting deep down the post and catching a nice ball from Marcus Mariota with Josh Jobe being victimized, while D'Andre Swift in the open field was exciting for the fans in attendance.

-Jobe did make a big play on a 50/50 ball from Jalen Hurts to DeVonta Smith.

-Receiver A.J. Brown has been his dominant self right away, first physically dominating Josiah Scott from the slot for about a 30-yeard gain and then showing his big-bodied ability on slant passes.

-WR3 hopeful Olamide Zacchaeus showed some juice with the second team,  especially on a crossing route in which he came across the formation.

-For the second straight practice, Nick Sirianni let his team have it, this time early in the session during ball-security drills. The coach also did it right in front of the cameras and for all the fans to see. While Sirianni is very passionate in general, this is clearly at least partially a calculated effort in an attempt to get his team away from any potential complacency.

Fired up Nick. #Eagles pic.twitter.com/pEALnEnX6G

— John McMullen (@JFMcMullen) July 28, 2023

-After practice, Darius Slay did confirm that the Eagles talked to him before hiring Matt Patricia as a senior defensive assistant. The Pro Bowl cornerback and Patricia butted heads when they were in Detroit together.

"Me and him talked man-to-man,” Slay said. “We have a great understanding. We both want to win. He’s here to help me get better, he wants to get better as a coach."

-Some depth chart notes. Veteran Dennis Kelly was already elevated to second-team left tackle behind Jordan Mailata, which will likely be his home on the 53-man roster. K’Von Wallace got the first rep at safety opposite Reed Blankenship with the first team but Terrell Edmunds was back in that position as the practice closed.

-With no Maddox in team drills, it was Scott, not Zech McPhearson, who began with the ones but McPhearson finished the day on the first team.

-Rookie safety Sydney Brown continues to run with the third team and his running mate, Tristin McCollum, has been pretty impressive with his opportunities.

-Wallace had the first “big hit” of the camp on running back Kenny Gainwell.

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-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