July 27, 2024
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith runs drills during training camp at the NovaCare Complex on Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
The Eagles' third practice of training camp on the whole wasn't particularly remarkable.
They ran through 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 reps, Jalen Hurts and the offense worked within relatively short-yardage plays, and the defensive units mostly kept those in check to match.
It was about as ho-hum as you could get for a Saturday morning practice in shorts and shells, well, save for one exception...
Smith absolutely Mossed a dude during 1-on-1 route battles.
Matched up against cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, Smith took a go-route straight up the left sideline and to the end zone with Hurts sailing a ball up toward the back pylon for the 50-50 shot.
Both lept up for it as the crowd, and teammates, looked on, and in a highlight reel-worthy display, Smith got above Rodgers and managed to pull the ball down and in as he fell to his back – his heels just scraping within bounds.
It got a reaction out of everyone at the NovaCare Complex, including Rodgers, who realized there was nothing else he could've done. He helped Smith up and gave him a tap on the helmet. It was just an incredible catch.
Later on, in the final 11-on-11 set of the day, he did similar to Kelee Ringo, reaching up and over the second-year defensive back to bring down a ball that Hurts tossed down the sideline on another 50-50 bet.
Once again, it was a highly impressive play by Smith (albeit with a missed tug or two of Ringo's jersey)...It just didn't count because Hurts got tagged for the "sack" by defensive tackle Moro Ojomo before he could get the pass off.
But hey, it's only practice.
Smith has been making those kinds of big-time plays routine for the Eagles for the past three years now, and the star receiver looks to very much keep that going entering year 4 and the prime of his career at 25.
As he would say: "My ball or nobody's."
When practice moved into live scenarios at 11-on-11 to close out the day, that's when the defensive line really turned up the dial, or at least as much as they could without pads on.
They tore right through the offensive line and collapsed the pocket, which forced Hurts to either scramble away and run, dump the ball off to the check down, or force a decision in quickly for much of the final set.
Second-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter, in particular, got especially aggressive in the trenches – again, as much as you could without pads – and was able to break through and tag up Hurts for a "sack" on one of the last plays.
Carter, who was drafted ninth overall by the Eagles out of Georgia last year, recorded six sacks in 2023 and was one of the NFL's standout rookies.
Entering year 2, the 23-year old is going to headline an Eagle D-line that looks different now – Fletcher Cox retired and Haason Reddick was traded away – and for it all to work, he's going to need to keep that mean streak he brought into the league with him going alongside Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff, and Jordan Davis.
Saturday showed it is still very much there.
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