Eagles Training Camp Observations: DeVonta Smith Reminds Us He’s Still Very Good originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
It was military day at Eagles training camp on Saturday and the Eagles held their longest practice of the summer so far.
On the first bright day of camp, the Eagles took 1 hour and 39 minutes before handing out their jerseys to the soldiers present.
The Eagles will have a day off on Sunday before returning to the practice field on Monday and Tuesday to start next week.
Here are today’s observations:
1. As always, we start with household chores:
• Only two players did not practice on Saturday: LB Oren Burks (knee) and OL Brett Toth (hamstring)
• After leaving Thursday’s practice with calf cramps, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. returned to the practice field Saturday morning.
• Landon Dickerson (lacerated toe) was a full participant.
two. Some offensive notes from the depth chart:
• The Eagles started the day with Parris Campbell as their WR3, so it appears they are alternating days between Campbell and John Ross – the two veterans fighting for the job. Ross finally got some first-team reps and rookie Johnny Wilson got in there as well.
• Tyler Steen started the day as the starting right guard, but left practice early and was replaced by Darian Kinnard. The Eagles signed Kinnard to a futures deal this offseason and he is someone to keep an eye on for the rest of the summer.
• The Eagles rested Lane Johnson on Saturday and moved Mekhi Becton to right tackle. So Becton is still working on tackle and guard this summer. There’s a chance he could be the primary backup at four positions.
3. Some notes from the defensive depth chart:
• The Eagles started today with Kelee Ringo as the starter alongside Slay, but ended up working with Isaiah Rodgers. These two seem to be the leading candidates for this position at the moment. A little later, Eli Ricks got some rare reps in the first team.
• Quinyon Mitchell got some first-team reps on Saturday, but at the expense of the Eagles. This was a position he worked on in the spring and he has been getting a lot of reps this summer. Therefore, the Eagles could be working to find ways to get him on the field as a rookie.
• The best starting linebackers on Saturday were Devin White and Zack Baun, but they got some first-team reps for Nakobe Dean and continued to mix and match at the position.
• While the Eagles always rotate the line, I noticed some extra reps from Nolan Smith in the lineup on Saturday.
4. The highlight of Saturday’s practice was a tremendous catch by DeVonta Smith on Ringo in a competitive period late in practice. Ringo had a great position, but that didn’t stop Smith from jumping over him and getting the pass.
“DeVonta is a great player,” Ringo said. “Great position. Good on good. Sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some.”
Ringo said facing players like Smith will only help him improve.
This play in particular was noteworthy and showcased Smith’s incredible body control. We should also mention again that Jalen Hurts remains exceptionally sharp in the passing game.
5. Some other notable captures from Saturday:
• Great Britain’s Covey made a good catch in coverage of Mitchell on the left sideline with the second team at 7-on-7. It was a perfect pass from backup quarterback Kenny Pickett, who has been showing off his arm a bit. Overall, Covey had a busy day.
• AJ Brown grabbed Ringo with one hand at the start of practice. Once again, Ringo was in a great position, but Brown is a Pro Bowl receiver doing what he does.
• Saw a fun timing route on what looked like a tunnel screen for Ross on the right side of the formation. The Eagles timed it perfectly and Lane Johnson signaled emphatically for a first down.
6. Saquon Barkley and Devin White are having fun battles this training camp. On one play, Barkley took the lead, blocking White, who got angry and tried to throw him aside. It was fun but hard-hitting.
There was another play where Barkley caught a quick pass in the flat and made a quick move to escape White.
7. Vic Fangio was a little involved in this training. We saw the Eagles spend some pennies, they stacked up Josh Sweat and Bryce Huff and it also looked like they ran more offense on Saturday. On one play in particular, Nakobe Dean flew into the backfield.
Hurts will likely be attacked a lot this season after how terrible the Eagles were at handling him in 2023, so it’s good to put some pressure in his face this summer.
8. Although Hurts had another very good day, the Eagles defensive line did get a few sacks. Credit one to Milton Williams and one to Josh Sweat. We’ll find out a lot more when the pads launch on Monday.
9. The Eagles held their first one-on-one matchup between WRs and DBs on Saturday. Some highlights:
• Nice catch by Campbell down the right sideline after beating Slay by a step. Perfect pass from Hurts.
• Good coverage from Mitchell on Brown on a replay where Brown tripped and Mitchell almost went over him to make the shot. A little later, Brown broke away from Mitchell to make a pass.
• Nice PBU from Zech McPhearson working against Austin Watkins on the left sideline. These drills are biased in favor of the offense, so any time a DB makes a play, it’s worth noting.
• Good separation from Johnny Wilson vs. Ricks. Wilson is a 6-foot-2 receiver who isn’t known as an accurate runner, but he ran well here.
• Smith was able to slip past Avonte Maddox for an easy catch.
10. The Eagles began practice with a special teams session and Jake Elliott was perfect on all six field goal attempts: from 33, 36, 41, 28, 43 and 45 yards.
Stupid observation of the day: AJ Brown should probably continue with his day job.
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