August 01, 2024
With tens of thousands of fans making the trip to Lincoln Financial Field for the Eagles' first, and only, open practice this summer, the Birds' offense easily got the upper hand on the defense.
Rolling on with PhillyVoice's "game ball" series, I'm pinpointing one offensive and one defensive player who stood out on Thursday evening. Jalen Hurts could've gotten the honors on offense easily, but, hey, he received an entire article of his own.
Let's get to it...
A.J. Brown was, unsurprisingly, a star at Eagles practice once again. It's been a recurring theme for the Birds since Brown's first summer in South Philadelphia back in 2022. It's a situation where his physical tools are matched by his pure skill and no one, not even a perennial Pro Bowler like Darius Slay, can do much to slow him down.
Brown had the first big highlight of the evening, hauling in a pass from Jalen Hurts 35-40 yards down the field with Slay on him in coverage, putting the Eagles inside the defense's five-yard line and on the verge of scoring a touchdown in an 11-on-11 session. He flashed his hands at the perfect moment to make the catch.
Brown is, simply, built differently.
It was an up-and-down night for the Birds' defense, but Jalen Carter did have a nice run "stop" on Saquon Barkley that could've been a big pop in a real game setting.
Let's use this moment to give Carter some praise for how he's performed this summer overall. The Eagles' pass rush dominated in practice back on Monday. Carter picked up a couple of would-be sacks and has no doubt looked improved this camp compared to his first summer in Philly as a rookie in 2023.
With Fletcher Cox gone, the hype surrounding his college game and how strongly Carter opened the 2023 season, the Eagles will be expecting Carter to be the guy for this defense now and, in the hopes of the fan base and organization, for perhaps the next decade.
MORE: Hurts watch at Eagles' open training camp practice
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