August 18, 2024

Eagles 2024 training camp practice notes, Day 14: Nakobe Dean and the defense dominate

Jimmy Kempski saw a lot he liked from the Eagles defense Sunday.

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice

Nakobe Dean

Day 14 of Philadelphia Eagles training camp is in the books, and it was probably the most physical practice of camp, with the defense decisively winning the day. Let's get right to the notes.

• Did not practice:

RT Lane Johnson: Old guy day
RG Tyler Steen: Ankle
DT Moro Ojomo: Hip
WR Johnny Wilson: Concussion
WR Joseph Ngata: Ankle
WR John Ross: Concussion
TE Albert Okwuegbunam: Abdomen
TE E.J. Jenkins: Knee
S Caden Sterns: Knee
DT Gabe Hall: Hamstring
OL Matt Hennessy: Back

Limited:

S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson: Shoulder
DB Cooper DeJean: Hamstring
TE Grant Calcaterra: Shoulder
LB Oren Burks: Knee

• Starting RG Mekhi Becton got hurt today. Trainers looked his right leg, before determining that his day was over and having him head inside. He did not return. Be on the lookout for whatever national reporter Becton's agent gets to carry his water on the severity of the injury.

Because Tyler Steen is already out with an ankle injury, Brett Toth filled in at RG.

• Jalen Hurts has still not thrown an INT this camp.

As noted in the headline of this article, the defense dominated, but I still thought Hurts had a decent day. With Lane Johnson, Mekhi Becton, and Tyler Steen all out, the pass rush got consistent pressure on Hurts all day. I thought Hurts had three shaky moments today:

He dropped a shotgun snap that was picked up by Saquon Barkley, who then just did whatever he could to get some positive yardage.
He threw to a covered DeVonta Smith, and was fortunate to not be intercepted by Nakobe Dean.
He threw a hospital ball in the middle of the field to A.J. Brown, that was incomplete.

Otherwise, I thought he was good, and made several really nice throws.

He hit A.J. Brown in the "turkey hole" down the left sideline in between Isaiah Rodgers and Avonte Maddox. In a real game, Maddox would have had a chance to light up Brown, but he pulled up.
Hurts had a similar throw on the right side of the field to Dallas Goedert, who sort of hesitated on the play, and could not make the catch, but I thought the ball placement was good.
He also hit Goedert in the end zone for a score on a good throw.

The linebackers and defensive backs also just made good plays all day with the ball in the air. I still thought it was a thumbs up day for Hurts, when he could have been bad, given the non-stop pressure. Our Jalen Hurts thumbs up / thumbs down tracker:

🏈 Day 1: 👍
🏈 Day 2: 👍
🏈 Day 3: 👍
🏈 Day 4: 👎
🏈 Day 5: 👍
🏈 Day 6: 👍
🏈 Day 7: 👍
🏈 Day 8: 👍
🏈 Day 9: 👍
🏈 Day 10: 👍
🏈 Day 11: 👍
🏈 Day 12: 👍
🏈 Day 13: 👍
🏈 Day 14: 👍

• The other quarterbacks had rough days. Let's start with the (cough) QB2, Kenny Pickett, who had his share of bad moments.

On a sideline throw to Britain Covey, Pickett left the ball way inside, and Cooper DeJean had a chance for an INT. However, the throw was so far off that DeJean didn't recognize until it was too late how far inside it was. It bounced off of DeJean while DeJean crashed into Covey, and the ball fell to the ground.
He wasn't on the same page with Austin Watkins, and threw to a spot where Watkins wasn't. That ball was almost intercepted by Zech McPhearson.
And as usual, the ball just didn't come out very quickly.

Everyone's favorite QB3, Tanner McKee, also had a bad practice after a great game Thursday night and a good practice on Saturday. He threw two interceptions. The first was a ball tipped at the line by Julian Okwara that was picked by Ben VanSumeren. That was tough luck, in my opinion.

However, on his other INT, McKee stared down Covey, and Parry Nickerson read McKee like a book. Nickerson broke on the throw, snatched it, and returned it for something like a 95-yard pick-6. That was easily the play of the day.

The second- and third-team offenses got owned today by the defense.

• Parry Nickerson is an interesting player to file away in your memory. He was a sixth-round pick in 2018 who is on his sixth team, and he turns 30 in October. He played for Vic Fangio in Miami last season, and could be a practice squad guy who could be called up in a pinch.

• LB Nakobe Dean was the player of the day.

He had a pass breakup on a short throw to DeVonta Smith.
He made a difficult tackle on Will Shipley in open space on a play in which Shipley had all kinds of room to make a move. And by "tackle," I mean he actually tackled Shipley to the ground. (Dean has been more physical than the team would probably prefer during practice, honestly.)
He had a tackle for no gain on Shipley, and then a good dance thereafter.
He had a sack of Jalen Hurts on a blitz.

Dean's motor is always running hot, and he has looked faster this summer than he did in 2022 and 2023. He's beginning to make plays in bulk every day, and he's making a strong push to start.

• Defenders in general got hands on passes all day. Guys who had pass breakups today:

Jeremiah Trotter x2 (one was in the end zone to finish the day)
Nakobe Dean
Darius Slay (nice play vs. DeVonta)
Cooper DeJean
Brandon Smith (dropped INT, but in good position)

A bunch of pass rushers also decisively won reps and either got home for sacks or quick pressures. Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham both beat Fred Johnson, and Jalen Carter was in the backfield all day. Jalyx Hunt also had a few nice rushes, and continues to get better.

• DeVonta Smith had a highlight reel play. He caught a short pass, and with his back to Quinyon Mitchell, faked to the outside, and cut back inside leaving Mitchell in the dust and gobbling up 20 or so yards after the catch.

• Ainias Smith made a nice play on an underthrown deep ball by Pickett. He came back for the ball and made the catch. He's been better the last few days.

• The team had a "live" game situation series, AKA they tackled to the ground. That was limited to the deep backups, as they sure as hell don't want guys like Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith getting hit during practice.

Lew Nichols and undrafted rookie Kendall Milton were the sacrificial running backs during that session. Interestingly, Tyrion Davis-Price didn't play during the live period. While I believe that all the backs beyond Barkley, Kenny Gainwell, and Shipley are longshots to make the team, Davis-Price has looked the best as a runner among them during the preseason games. If the Eagles are going to try to keep one of them on the practice squad, it'll likely be him.

• Stock down 📉 for me. I tweeted this during practice: