The Eagles are about to get a real-time report card.
With two joint practices against the New England Patriots on deck, Philadelphia has a chance to measure itself against a team coming off an AFC championship and to see where it stands with the regular season opener just three weeks away. These aren’t throwaway camp reps. They’re the kind that expose what’s working, what still needs work, and which parts of the roster can hold up when the pace and pressure jump.
One of the biggest tests starts at receiver, where the Eagles no longer have the kind of top-end duo they leaned on for the last four years. A.J.
Brown will be on the other sideline during these practices, which leaves DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks as Philadelphia’s top two wideouts for the week. Makai Lemon is working toward a return, but he is not expected to be out there, which leaves the Eagles sorting through the WR3 spot.
Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore, and Darius Cooper are all in the mix. However it shakes out, this group is being asked to answer a tough question: can a receiver room that is not as good or as deep as last year stand up to Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, and Marcus Jones?
Brown’s presence makes the matchup even sharper. The Eagles know him well from the last few seasons, when he became the only wide receiver in franchise history to post 5,000-plus receiving yards over a four-year stretch with the team.
Now he gets another round of battles with Quinyon Mitchell, after the two spent training camp going at it in past years. This time, it’s Patriots colors against Eagles colors, and New England is going to see whether Brown can beat one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks.
Cooper DeJean will also get a crack at him over the next two days. And with Romeo Doubs added to the Patriots this offseason, their receiver room looks different too.
Brown is going to see plenty of work.
Jalen Hurts is also walking into a useful test. Through 12 training camp practices, he has been willing to attack the middle of the field against an Eagles pass defense that has been excellent.
The same area is worth watching closely against New England, though, because a number of Hurts’ interceptions in camp have come on throws between the hashmarks. That’s part of the adjustment as he works on that part of the offense under Sean Mannion.
The question now is simple: does Philadelphia keep pushing that area of the field, or does it play safe and try to “win” practice? If the Eagles are serious about changing the offense, they should keep throwing there.
Hurts has been effective on the limited chances he’s had between the hashmarks, and the staff needs to stay with the plan.
There’s plenty at stake on the other side of the ball, too. Philadelphia went looking for a No. 1 pass rusher this offseason because its pass rush was inefficient over the first eight games last year.
After adding Jaelan Phillips at the trade deadline, the group turned into one of the league’s best. That’s why the Eagles paid top money to Jonathan Greenard, pairing him with Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith.
Hunt has been one of the team’s best players in camp and looks like a player who could finish with double-digit sacks this season. Greenard would make the picture look even better, but he is on the PUP list as the Eagles work to get him ready for Week 1.
That means the depth gets tested this week, with Arnold Ebiketie and A.J. Epenesa backing up Hunt and Smith - a better situation than what the Eagles had behind them last year with Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche.
New England’s upgraded offensive line should provide a fair challenge. Drake Maye is going to be the quarterback under the spotlight, and Philadelphia’s top four rushers need to get to him this week if they want to quiet any doubts about how this pass rush will function without Greenard.
Up front on offense, the Eagles have a different kind of challenge: stay healthy and keep the line intact. That five-man group has been relatively healthy throughout camp, and it’s about to be tested by a Patriots front that includes Christian Barmore, Milton Williams, Dre’Mont Jones, and Harold Landry.
Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens say they are healthy, and Lane Johnson is heading into what is expected to be his final season. If the line can come through these two practices in one piece, it gives the Eagles exactly what they need: a chance to set the tone now and carry that backbone into the season.
In Other News...
Cooper DeJean Practice Clip Has Eagles Fans Talking For The Wrong Reason
Joint practices usually provide the cleanest snapshot of where a roster stands before the games start counting, and one of the most watched matchups on the field Thursday in New England came with Cooper DeJean lined up across from DeMario Douglas. The Eagles defensive back entered the offseason with plenty of momentum after earning first-team All-Pro honors as a slot defender last season, so every rep against a quick, elusive receiver was going to draw attention from fans looking for clues about how Philadelphias secondary is coming together.
Douglas made the most of the spotlight, winning all three of their 1-on-1 reps by snapping off sharp cuts and exploding into separation, and the clip moved quickly through social media as Eagles followers reacted to what they saw. It is still only a practice setting, of course, but when a player with DeJeans reputation looks out of sync in a widely shared drill, it is the kind of thing that tends to linger until the pads come on and the matchup gets another chance to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Bubble Players Suddenly Feel Like Real Trade Candidates
With roster cutdown day looming on Aug. 30, the Eagles are at the point in camp where the back end of the roster starts to matter as much as the headline names. The usual churn of preseason competition has turned into a real evaluation of who can help Philadelphia now, who has a future here, and who might bring back something useful if the front office decides to move a player instead of simply waive him.
That is why a few bubble cases suddenly carry more trade intrigue than they did a week ago. Andy Dalton, Smael Mondon Jr., Hollywood Brown, Jakorian Bennett and Fred Johnson all sit in different spots on the depth chart, but each comes with a mix of team need, contract situation and performance questions that could make them attractive to another club before the deadline. Nothing is settled yet, but this is the part of camp when a player can go from fighting for a roster spot to being discussed as a legitimate trade chip. [Read more 🡒]
Former Penn State Standout Sees Strong Eagles Camp Cut Short
Tariq Castro-Fields had been one of the more intriguing names in Eagles camp, trying to turn a strong summer into a legitimate push for a 53-man roster spot while working back from a heel injury. The former Penn State standout brought enough familiarity and upside to make him worth watching in a secondary that always seems to have room for another corner to force the issue.
Instead, Philadelphia moved Castro-Fields to injured reserve, which ends his training camp and likely his season before the real evaluation could even finish. The Eagles also waived/injured wide receiver Johnny Wilson while adding center Zeke Correll and wide receiver Brandon Hayes, a reminder of how quickly roster opportunities can shift at this stage of camp, especially for players trying to survive on the margins. [Read more 🡒]