PHILADELPHIA - Day 2 of Eagles training camp brought the kind of uneven work Nick Sirianni said to expect.
After a sharp opening day for the new offense, Thursday tilted the other way. The session was a “green” practice scheduled for an hour and 38 minutes, and it wrapped up just under that mark. Conditioning was baked into the day, with players running into the end zone to finish plays and drives.
Sirianni had already warned that camp would come with bumps.
“I think training camp has growing pains throughout both sides of the ball,” the head coach warned.
The offense felt those growing pains early. In the first team-drill period, Jalen Hurts was forced to hold the ball twice, which essentially wiped out the reps.
There were some flashes, though not all of them clean ones. Tank Bigsby showed his usual burst at times, but some of the bigger-looking gains were helped by the conditioning element of the practice.
Vic Fangio’s defense also had some success with misdirection looks as it worked to sharpen its discipline against the “eye candy” being thrown its way. After the first ones-on-ones period, the Eagles shifted to ones against twos and twos against ones to get a better read on depth players.
Hurts’ best throw of the day was an underthrown deep ball down the left sideline that Dontayvion Wicks adjusted to and caught with Jakorian Bennett and rookie safety Cole Wisniewski in coverage. Another shot to DeVonta Smith had touchdown written all over it, and maybe interception written on it too, but the underthrow let Jonathan Jones and Andre’ Sam recover and knock the play incomplete.
Hurts did connect a couple of times with Smith and added a solid 15-yard gain or so to Dallas Goedert, but he was under heavy interior pressure, especially from Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter.
On the other side, A.J. Epenesa made one of the day’s biggest plays.
The recent signing dropped as a flex player and picked off rookie quarterback Cole Payton on a deflected ball. Fangio had said before practice that he was impressed by Epenesa doing things he hasn’t been asked to do much, including dropping into coverage.
That interception kicked off a rough stretch for Payton, who was picked off again on the very next play by linebacker Chance Campbell. Campbell was running the rail against undrafted rookie tight end Dae’Quon Wright and stayed with the route. Payton, who gets limited reps and has to make them count, later threw his third interception when rookie edge rusher Keyshawn James-Newby got involved.
There was also a concerning note on veteran edge defender Jonathan Greenard. Fangio said Greenard may not be back for camp, and Jalyx Hunt again worked with the first team as the right overhang player with Epenesa behind him. The Eagles are beginning to cross-train more, too, with Hunt getting snaps on the left side and Arnold Ebiketie working on both sides.
The first injury of the day came when second-year offensive tackle Cameron Williams went down with a leg injury. The cart came out, but Williams was able to make his way off the field on his own, though he was clearly laboring as he headed to the trainer’s tent and favored his left leg.
Andy Dalton handled the bulk of the QB2 work ahead of Tanner McKee and put together a solid sequence, including a slant to Eli Stowers and an out to Quez Watkins. Mac McWilliams answered with a pass breakup for the defense.
Brian Dawkins was in attendance and spent time on the sideline in a reunion of sorts with Mike Quick, Ike Reese and Jon Ritchie.
Special teams coordinator Michael Clay was also noticeable with a large brace on his left arm. Clay, who is an avid golfer, had an ulnar nerve issue addressed in a pre-scheduled procedure.
Practice finished with a catching circuit rather than a developmental period.
In Other News...
Eagles Offense Is Already Hinting At A Major Shift For Hurts
The first day of Eagles training camp offered an early look at how much Sean Mannions offense could change the feel of this group. Lane Johnson said the new setup is designed to make life harder on defenses while keeping things cleaner for the offense, and the early returns leaned into that idea with under-center work, play-action, wide-zone runs, motion and misdirection all showing up in practice. There were some first-day growing pains, but the overall structure looked built to suit the line and give Jalen Hurts a different kind of framework to work from.
Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley both sounded encouraged by what they saw, and Barkleys fit may be one of the more interesting parts of this shift. The scheme appears to give him a chance to do more as both a runner and a receiver, which matters for an offense trying to stay multiple without becoming complicated for its own players. If the Eagles keep stacking clean execution on top of those early concepts, this could become one of the more important adjustments of camp. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Defense Has 3 Lingering Flaws Fangio Must Fix In 2026
Vic Fangios third season in Philadelphia arrives with the defense in a much better place than it was when he first took over, but not quite where the Eagles want it to be. The unit has taken clear steps forward over the past two years, and the front office has kept working to support that progress, including a move to bolster the pass rush and a new deal that keeps Jalen Carter in place for the long haul.
Still, the Eagles know the defense has a few stubborn issues that can show up in the biggest moments. Run defense and third-down stops remain the most obvious pressure points, and Fangios challenge now is turning a good defense into one that can hold up against the leagues best offenses when the games get tight. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Day 1 Put Jalen Hurts And The Edge Depth Under Pressure
The Eagles opened training camp with the usual first-day mix of optimism and evaluation, but Jalen Hurts immediately drew attention for the kind of throws Philadelphia has wanted to see more often. Between the hashmarks, he looked comfortable and decisive, a promising sign as the offense begins sorting out timing and rhythm after a long offseason.
On the other side of the ball, the edge group already has a different feel because of Jonathan Greenard's absence, and that has pushed Josh Hunt into work on the right side of the line for now. Boogie Epenesa also stood out with a busy day and should keep seeing more chances as camp unfolds, giving the Eagles an early look at how much depth they really have when the rotations start to matter. [Read more 🡒]