PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles’ only public practice of the summer gave the fans at Lincoln Financial Field plenty to cheer about Tuesday night, with a few established names flashing and one rookie making a strong impression.
The biggest defensive splash came from CB Riq Woolen, who was seeing the home crowd for the first time since arriving on a one-year, $15 million deal. Woolen intercepted Jalen Hurts twice, and one of those takeaways went all the way back for a pick-six to finish the first-team offense’s final two-minute drill of the night. Woolen, who will line up opposite Quinyon Mitchell at CB2, said he was surprised not to land a multi-year contract in free agency and is determined to prove himself this season.
On the other side of the ball, Saquon Barkley delivered what might have been the play of the night. Hurts found him on a wheel route out of the backfield and dropped the ball right onto Barkley’s shoulder. Barkley stretched out and secured the touchdown, a reminder that he could have a bigger role as a receiver this season than he did in 2025.
EDGE Jalyx Hunt kept making life miserable for tackle Fred Johnson throughout the night. Hunt has been dominant all camp, and that carried over again Tuesday.
His pressure on Johnson was the final push that helped force Hurts’ pick-six to Woolen. Hunt looks like a player who could make a serious national name for himself this year.
DeVonta Smith also looked fully back after missing almost three weeks with a hamstring injury. The Eagles’ new WR1 returned earlier this week and wasted no time testing the secondary, stringing together multiple catches of 20-plus yards. One of them would have gone for a long touchdown.
Makai Lemon, another receiver who had been sidelined by the same hamstring issue, offered a different kind of spark. The first-round rookie had a more uncertain recovery than Smith because he hasn’t built years of trust with Hurts yet, but offensive coordinator Sean Mannion found a way to get him involved. Lemon caught a pass out of the backfield and cruised into the end zone for a touchdown that drew a loud reaction from the crowd.
Lemon showed the kind of versatility that made him such an intriguing piece at USC, where he was a force in the slot. In Philadelphia, that flexibility could be used all over the field.
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