August 23, 2021

Eagles training camp notes, Day 15: A lively bubble practice

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Matt Slocum/Eagles pool photos

Nick Sirianni smashes his hands together, making a clapping sound.

Day 15 of Philadelphia Eagles training camp — originally scheduled to be held in front of fans at Lincoln Financial Field — took place in the team's practice bubble, after Tropical Storm Henri came and went over the weekend. Bubble practices usually kinda suck, but it was actually pretty lively on Sunday evening. As always, we have notes.

• First, let's catch up on the injuries.

MONTH-TO-MONTH

TE Tyree Jackson - back

WEEK-TO-WEEK

LB Davion Taylor – calf

DAY-TO-DAY

LB Genard Avery – groin – This is a new injury to his other side
DE Derek Barnett - shoulder
DT Javon Hargrave - ankle
RB Jason Huntley - ribs
DE Ryan Kerrigan – thumb
LB Joe Ostman - concussion
S K'Von Wallace – groin

LIMITED

LB Shaun Bradley - groin
OL Le'Raven Clark – ramping back up
DT Fletcher Cox - groin
LT Andre Dillard - knee
CB Craig James – foot
LB JaCoby Stevens – hamstring

The most notable development is that Dillard was a limited practice participant for the first time in a couple of weeks. We'll see if he's fully good to go against the Jets in joint practices on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then the game on Friday.

DeVonta Smith had a little injury scare on Sunday, as he limped off the field and got looked at by trainers, but he eventually got back on the field.

Also, Jalen Hurts practiced, in case there was any doubt, after he was hospitalized with an illness just before the Eagles' second preseason game against the Patriots.

• The highlight of practice was near the end of the day, in a competitive game situation scenario in which the offense had the ball at around the defense's 35 yard line with 45 seconds to play, no timeouts, and they needed a TD. In first-team offense vs. first-team defense, the D won, as a last second TD throw from the 10 from Hurts was fired through the back of the end zone. The 2's vs. the 2's was won by the offense, with a drive that ended with Joe Flacco finding John Hightower in the back of the end zone.

Nick Sirianni does a good job getting spirited effort out of his players during those competitive sessions.

• The play of the day was probably when Hurts found Zach Ertz deep down the sideline. I know we've mentioned this several times already, but Ertz has had a good camp.

• Travis Fulgham has not had a good camp, and he had another lackluster practice on Sunday. On a 50-50 ball down the sideline, he did not attack the ball in the air, instead hoping it would get to him, and Zech McPhearson was able to easily swat it away. Later, he had a diving catch opportunity, but could not come up with the reception. Neither play would have been particularly easy, but he hasn't made many difficult catches at all over the last four weeks.

• We haven't often mentioned Greg Ward, but he racked up a bunch of catches today. Outplaying Ward should have been an attainable bar for Fulgham this summer, but Ward has clearly had a better camp.

• One of the odd things that I've been asked about quite a bit, whether that be on guest radio appearances, or by readers, is whether the Eagles should look for a veteran wide receiver, and I don't really understand why that has become "a thing." The Eagles have three very young wide receivers in DeVonta Smith (22), Jalen Reagor (22), and Quez Watkins (23), who all have intriguing traits and offer legitimate promise.

If I'm the Eagles, I want to see what those players can do this season, not bring in some mediocre veteran to siphon off their snaps, like we saw with Alshon Jeffery stunting Fulgham's growth last season. What does that accomplish?

If the team were to acquire some young receiver with theoretical upside to add to the mix, like a Dillard for N'Keal Harry bust-for-bust swap, for example, then sure, go right ahead.

• Another drop for Miles Sanders.

• The second-team offensive line had a bit of a shakeup. It looked like this on Sunday night:

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Le'Raven Clark	Brett Toth	Nate Herbig	Sua Opeta	Jack Driscoll

Some thoughts on each of those guys:

Clark was recently activated off the PUP list, and this was his first action in team drills. I didn't focus on him during practice, but he looked fine. He'll be a player to watch in joint practices against the Jets.
Toth has gotten some looks at guard in addition to his regular position at OT. I think that's a good sign for him, in that the Eagles are seeing what he could look like as a versatile reserve.
Herbig has struggled at center, both in games and in practice. His snapping has been an issue, and his blocking has suffered. He was a capable reserve at both guard spots last season, but if he has to play center in a real game this year, that could be an adventure. There will be some window between the start of the season and whenever Landon Dickerson is ready to play that the Eagles' backup center spot could be dicey. Isaac Seumalo should probably remain the backup center during that window, though it's worth noting that he hasn't gotten many (if any) reps there this summer.
Opeta has gotten a lot of work at LG, but he flipped to RG. He has appealing physical traits but is still learning how to play. He's worth keeping around, in my opinion.
Driscoll had gotten work at guard, but I think he's a little out of place there, for now. While he looks smooth as a pass protector on the edge at RT, he does not have the strength to move defenders off the ball in the run game, and he'll struggle against power on the interior. In my opinion, if you're going to cross-train him, I would do so as a swing tackle.

The first team OL looked as you would expect.

• One of the players on the bubble in the secondary is Josiah Scott, who the Eagles traded a sixth-round pick to acquire this offseason. He is a slot corner only, which isn't ideal for a bench player. Scott had a nice INT over the middle off of Flacco today, and he jarred another ball free on hit on Jack Stoll, who otherwise would have made the catch.

• We're nearing the end of training camp. The Eagles will have a "travel day" on Monday, followed by joint practices at the Jets' facilities in Florham Park, NJ on Tuesday and Wednesday, a walkthrough on Thursday, and preseason game No. 3 at MetLife Stadium on Friday. And then final cuts are next Tuesday.

• Stay tuned for a practice wrap-up podcast soon, which will appear here whenever it is recorded and published. Or catch up on some previous recaps: