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PHILADELPHIA CREAM – The Eagles competed in the pads on Wednesday in their seventh training camp practice at the NovaCare complex.
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While players were not allowed to touch the ground, the thud of the shoulder pads crashing against each other could be heard regularly throughout physical training.
PREVIOUS PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
Here are six observations from Wednesday’s practice:
Nick Sirianni’s team are not holding back
After a first period 11-11 with the second team, WR Jalen Reagor was yelled at by head coach Nick Sirianni. With Jay-Z’s biggest hits coming out of a nearby speaker, it was hard to hear what Sirianni was saying to the former first-round pick, but the head coach looked livid and clearly ripped apart Reagor, who said on Tuesday he enjoyed being held responsible by the new staff.
After Reagor was berated by Sirianni, QB Jalen Hurts took him aside and the two apparently discussed what was wrong and Hurts, presumably, explained it. Hurts looked like a very attentive leader at the time.
The Sirianni-Reagor spat was not uncommon in training camp training. Sirianni got pissed off and yelled at players, both individually and in groups, a few times in the first seven practices. Even when the staff aren’t yelling, the coaches teach the players between reps. The accountability factor so early in the camp has been intense on the pitch. Frankly, the staff have been on top of their players at an unrelenting pace this summer.
Another mixed bag for Hurts
Hurts did a great job bouncing back from his mistakes during training camp. While its performance has been poor so far, its ability to bounce back from bad games is impressive.
On Wednesday, in the 11-11 job, Hurts threw his worst pass of the summer. He targeted (someone?) In midfield and was stopped by rookie safety linebacker JaCoby Stevens near the right seam. From the touchline, it didn’t look like any offensive weapon was in the pass line of sight, as Stevens was simply in the zone and grabbed the ball.
On the next play, Hurts made one of his most impressive pitch shots. Wide receiver John Hightower was battling rookie cornerback Zech McPhearson on the left sideline when Hurts threw a nice ball into the area. Hightower jumped up and caught up with McPhearson, who had perfect cover on the play. As they say, a perfect pass can beat a perfect cover. It was by far Hightower’s most impressive play during camp, and Hurts’ immediate ability to pass picks and throw a reel toss showed glimpses of his tenacity.
Hurts also had some highlights in the 7v7 drills. He connected with TE Dallas Goedert on a pair of touchdowns in the red zone drills. (More on that performance in Chris Franklin’s daily QB report later this afternoon).
READ MORE: New Eagles punter Arryn Siposs offers a conscious assessment of his training camp prospects
Writers aren’t the only ones to notice Zech McPhearson
With Darius Slay taking the day off for scheduled “maintenance,” McPhearson played all of training with the first-team defense against Avonte Maddox (nickel) and Steven Nelson. McPhearson looks like an NFL cornerback. He’s physical, has a nose for the ball and is competitive with every exercise.
On Tuesday, McPhearson said he was studying Slay in practice and on tape. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said after practice Wednesday that he hopes McPhearson learns from Slay’s confidence and ability to move on to the next game after giving up a catch. McPhearson didn’t appear to leave much room for receivers after Hightower’s capture.
The list is moving
The Eagles have removed safety Andrews Adams from the reserve / COVID-19 list ahead of practice. As a result, CB Nate Meadors (Hamstring) was lifted / injured.
Meadors hasn’t practiced at all this summer and will return to the injured reserve if he goes through unclaimed waivers. Adams has spent the last two days working with a coach on opposite ground and has missed the entire first week of training on the reserve roster.
Linebacker Alex Singleton returned to the sidelines but remained on the roster. Defensive end Matt Leo also remains on the list.
Eagles need help from a veteran wide receiver
With DeVonta Smith sidelined, the Eagles wide receiver group has been disappointing.
Quez Watkins and Travis Fulgham offered some highlights, but otherwise the positives were scarce for the position in the camp. Reagor has struggled to open up since returning to work, and Hightower has been hot and cold in team drills. JJ Arcega-Whiteside has a strong camp, but at this point the Eagles need more than “solid”. When reporters are on the sidelines and pondering the possibility of Jhamon Ausbon making the list after taking a few catches against the air, there is an issue with the depth of the wide receiver.
It’s unclear what the scale-up solution would be at this point. The Eagles have four picks in the first two rounds guaranteed for next year, and one more pick in the fifth round, so maybe they can get their hands on their piggy bank and take a step towards some seductive and proven talent. . The Eagles are highly unlikely to dial Alshon Jeffery’s number, and they are probably even less likely to consider bringing Golden Tate back. Thus, they may have to look into the commercial market in the coming weeks.
Smith, Fulgham and Watkins are not enough.
Injury Updates
Slay, DT Fletcher Cox, TE Zach Ertz, DE Brandon Graham, RT Lane Johnson and C Jason Kelce all took a day of maintenance, freeing up reps for the younger ones.
Linebacker Davion Taylor (calf), who left practice early Tuesday, has been listed as weekly by the team. Defensive end Ryan Kerrigan (thumb) worked with limited ability during training.
Wide receiver DeVonta Smith (knee), right guard Brandon Brooks (hamstrings), wide receiver Michael Walker (foot), tight end Jason Croom (knee) and left guard Isaac Seumalo (hamstrings) were still injured.
FS Rodney McLeod (knee) and OT Le’Raven Clark (Achilles) remained on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, but were seen working on another field during training. Second-round lineman Landon Dickerson remains on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list.
QB RATINGS: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
QUICK CUT
– Rookie center Harry Crider seems to be at the end of a lot of failed snaps during the first week of training. Quarterback Joe Flacco couldn’t handle a snap during Wednesday’s second-team drills from Crider.
– Another Practice, Another Drop by RB Miles Sanders. During the 7v7 red zone drills, Hurts threw a little behind Sanders, but the ball should have been caught because he hit it squarely in the hands. Sanders was visibly frustrated after the play.
– For better or worse, Sirianni pays a ton of attention to wide receiver drills. Sirianni is constantly speaking to the Position Group, which rightly needs strict guidance and accountability.
– Andre Dillard has been the butt of criticism throughout camp, but at least in the 11v11 first-team drills he looked competent on Wednesday. Josh Sweat turned out to be a tough job for everyone, but he and Dillard had a great back-and-forth battle in the team drills. NJ Advance Media did not watch the 1v1 pass rush drills as they took place during the 7v7 red zone work.
– DB Andrew Adams, who returned from the reserve / COVID-19 roster, had an impressive ‘tackle for loss’ on a run play in 11-on-11 team drills.
– RB Jason Huntley had another impressive streak against deep defense. His stock appears to be skyrocketing at this point in camp.
– TE Tyree Jackson was finally contained in the highlights of the day. Breathe, Eagles fans.
– After practice, likely left tackle Jordan Mailata worked with likely linebacker Eric Wilson on center court. It’s unclear what they were working on, but Wilson seemed to be talking to Mailata as he blocked progressions in the second layer of defense. This is a great leadership initiative from Wilson.
– Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was in training for a second straight day. He wasn’t wearing any Eagles gear, which is respectable.
– The Eagles faced the Beastie Boys in practice every day this week.
– The Eagles will practice again Thursday at 10 a.m. Players will put on pads and NJ Advance Media will have full live coverage on Additional eagles (Register FREE for two weeks now) throughout the day.
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