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Eagles Training Camp Practice Notes | August 19, 2022

S K'Von Wallace
S K'Von Wallace

1. Head Coach Nick Sirianni sported a "Pave the Lane" T-shirt honoring All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson, who was masterful against Jadeveon Clowney in Thursday's practice. Sirianni might need to find a Jordan Mailata T-shirt for the joint practices in Miami. After missing out on facing All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett, who was away tending to a family matter, the two locked horns in one-on-one drills Friday. Mailata said that Garrett got the best of him in the first rep. I was watching wide receiver vs. defensive back one-on-ones, so I didn't see it, but observers said it was closer to a draw. Nonetheless, Mailata asked for a rematch and was much more pleased with the result the second time around. After meeting the media, Johnson, Mailata, and Garrett talked shop on the sidelines before heading back to the team hotel.

Garrett didn't participate in team drills, so Mailata continued to "pave the lane." During the first rep of a team session, Mailata plowed a path for running back Boston Scott. Later in that same period, he got Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland's attention with a run back that made the long-tenured assistant scream that would be one for the teaching tape. – Chris McPherson

2. For individual drills, I'm over in the end zone watching the quarterbacks and running backs work on ball handling drills. There are layers to these things, as players at multiple position groups are working on several parts of their game. The quarterback takes the snap and hands the ball off to the back, practicing the exchange to make sure there are no fumbles. While doing this, they're also practicing the footwork and timing of the different run plays that will be run that day when they begin team drills against the Browns. On top of that, three coaches (Jemal Singleton, Shane Steichen, and T.J. Paganetti) are sporting boxing gloves to punch the ball out from the backs once they reach the line of scrimmage. All of these things happen in one rep, ensuring that each player is getting something out of the drill. – Fran Duffy

3. Next, the receivers and tight ends came down and joined in on the fun to run some routes on air. Running backs ran routes to the flat as coaches preached the angle of departure from the backfield. Receivers worked on corner routes, as coaches drilled the preciseness of their footwork entering the break point. Tight ends were involved as well, with the highlight coming from rookie Grant Calcaterra, who got his first action since a late July hamstring injury sidelined him in the opening days of camp. Coaches and teammates alike all playfully cheered for the rookie as he made his first catch of the day. – Fran

4. For the one-on-one periods, I watch the Eagles' wide receivers go against the Browns' defensive backs. The session opens in the high red zone with DeVonta Smith getting a win down the left side against cornerback Greedy Williams. Smith's exemplary route-running has been a hot topic during these joint practices.

"When he came in, he was very polished, a credit to his coaches obviously over at Alabama and DeVonta himself," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said. "But yeah, he's one of those guys that loves football and is going to soak everything up and he's going to see things and naturally he's just going to get better. So, he's gotten bigger, he's gotten stronger, he feels like he's running faster out there, and then just everything with his game has gotten better because that's just the way DeVonta works."

Not to be outdone, A.J. Brown worked in traffic to get a win over 6-foot-2 cornerback A.J. Green. Jalen Reagor ran and out and up to shimmy his way past cornerback Parnell Motley down the left sideline. Deon Cain beat Green on an in-route. It should be noted that the Browns were without two of their top cornerbacks in Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome.

In the second half of the period, the ball moved to the 5-yard line where the receivers had to get instant separation. Smith shook Williams once again for a completion. Cain had the most impressive rep, beating safety Jovante Moffatt on a fade route for a touchdown. – C-Mac

5. I have my eyes on the Eagles' defensive backs taking on the Cleveland receivers in the low red zone during one-on-ones. These drills are some of my favorite in camp, because the cramped space near the goal line allows the defensive backs to get much more physical and aggressive through the route and the catch point. Avonte Maddox gets things started with a forced incompletion in the slot, and he had the most impressive Eagles rep of the drill when he undercut a speed out route to the pylon and picked it off. Darius Slay and Amari Cooper, familiar foes from the latter's days in Dallas, had good battles throughout the day. Cooper got the best of Slay early on, but Big Play bounced back as the practice ensued. Newcomer Ugo Amadi had tight coverage on one play in the back of the end zone on an incompletion. Mac McCain had a couple of nice reps on the outside (and did a great job on one play in the ensuing 7-on-7 period as well). Second-year man Zech McPhearson, still working with the starters while James Bradberry nurses a groin injury, was sticky in coverage multiple times as well. – Fran

6. Special Teams action comes up next as the Eagles' kickoff coverage unit works against the Browns' return team. The star of this period was third-year safety K'Von Wallace, who always brings a lot of energy to the field but seemed to have a little extra pep in his step on Friday. Wallace flew downfield and was the first man down on two separate returns, impacting the opponent inside the 25-yard line. On the last rep, he drew a holding penalty as well. Later in practice, the field flipped with the Eagles' return unit getting work in, and it was Wallace who recovered a surprise onside kick from Cleveland. – Fran

7. During the first special teams period, I watched Smith work on the sideline catching balls from Passing Game Coordinator Kevin Patullo. It's all about the fundamentals. Patullo would throw the ball high, then low. Smith would twist his body and ask to have the ball thrown in front of him and behind him. These are the moments that highlight why Smith is an emerging playmaker in his second NFL season.

I look down the field and see the quarterbacks working on agility drills where they maneuver around cones to simulate traffic in the pocket. Adding to the difficulty, an assistant hits them with the blocking pad to get used to fending off would-be defenders. The red jerseys are on during these practices, but they won't be on gameday. – C-Mac

8. After the kickoff team left the field, the Eagles and Browns took part in 7-on-7 action, and Cleveland's starters came out hot. Amari Cooper reached the end zone on two straight plays, catching passes from quarterback Jacoby Brissett, but the Eagles got stops on the next three plays to end the sequence. The backups take the field, and who makes a big play? It's K'Von Wallace, riding the momentum of the special teams period into team action. The former Clemson defensive back took to the air and knocked a pass down intended for a Browns receiver. Wallace drew praise from the coaches two plays later, forcing the quarterback to go elsewhere by locking his man down in coverage as the defense forced an incompletion to get off the field. – Fran

9. I took in the Eagles' offensive 7-on-7 session in the red zone, starting from the 20-yard line. Smith gets the party started once again on a quick pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts. Wide receiver Quez Watkins gets the big win for the Eagles in this period, beating the cornerback Green in the back, right corner of the end zone. Wide receiver Jalen Reagor made the highlight play for the second-team unit, hauling in a Gardner Minshew pass off a shallow cross in traffic for a touchdown. – C-Mac

10. It's time for the first team sesion in the red zone. From the 20-yard line, the Eagles execute a perfectly timed tight end screen to Dallas Goedert with center Cam Jurgens leading the way for the touchdown. If you've been waiting for the A.J. Brown highlight of the day, he delivered by winning a 50/50 ball for a touchdown against Greedy Williams in the front of the end zone by the left pylon.

The chemistry carries over into the next team period. Goedert comes down with a pass from Hurts over safety D'Anthony Bell for a 9-yard touchdown down the left sideline. A few plays later, Brown, in motion, finds room along the right side where Hurts threads the ball through traffic and despite good coverage from safety Ronnie Harrison, the Pro Bowl wide receiver scores on the 5-yard touchdown. – C-Mac

11. The first 11-on-11 action on the other practice field begins with the Browns' offense taking the field at the 20-yard line against the Eagles' defense. Cleveland reaches the end zone on the first play with a well-designed pass play to David Njoku on a corner route. It actually looked like the same play the Eagles ran to Dallas Goedert last Friday night for a touchdown, just on the opposite side of the field. After that though? The defense shut the door. Linebacker T.J. Edwards met a Cleveland runner in the hole on a toss play. Haason Reddick "sacked" the quarterback on a play that eventually lead to a no-throw thanks to blanketing coverage on the back end. Josh Sweat stuffed the run for no gain on the next play to end the drill for the first-team unit. The backups came in and, once again, Wallace makes his presence felt, stuffing the run in the flat. A few plays later, the Browns tried a run to the left side and a receiver tried to crack block safety Anthony Harris. The veteran DB was not having it, as he lowered his shoulder into the crack and knocked the receiver backwards onto his back. – Fran

12. It's the second team period for the Eagles' defense, and it's Fletcher Cox's turn to take over. No. 91 corralled the ball carrier twice on the first two plays, sandwiching a near-interception from linebacker Kyzir White on the goal line. White took high to the air and nearly came down with the acrobatic pick, but it just slipped out of his grasp. The backups take the field, and young defensive tackle Marvin Wilson (who had some good flashes in last Friday's game against the Jets) jumps out early with a run stuff on a short play to the right side. On the next play, a pass is thrown in the end zone but falls incomplete. Who is in coverage? It's Wallace again! He's been around the ball all day – and it's no question been his most active practice of camp.

The starters re-enter the drill, and Derek Barnett pressures the quarterback into a quick throw that is quickly stopped by Marcus Epps at the line of scrimmage. The defensive line bum rushes the quarterback on the next snap, forcing a fast throwaway. The secondary draws praise for the way they handle a rub route down on the goal line next, with excellent communication from Slay and Epps resulting in a stop shy of the end zone. Epps has been flying around these last two days after returning from a back injury that sidelined him earlier this week. – Fran

13. During another special teams session focused on kickoff coverage, I watched Stoutland and assistant coach Roy Istvan work with the offensive line. During this seven-minute period, the linemen might have had three or four reps. Stoutland is so detailed in his teaching, explaining how the angles and positioning changes based on the defense's coverage. It's the attention to the details that make Stoutland one of the best offensive line coaches in the game and one of many reasons why the Eagles have one of the best units year in and year out. – C-Mac

14. The final period was a scrimmage session where the offense was down by eight but possesssed the ball just outside of the red zone. Hurts wasted no time getting the ball to Goedert who gained 20 yards to the 5. Goedert eventually scored on a 1-yard throw from Hurts on fourth-and-goal, but Hurts was "sacked" on the two-point conversion. The second-team offense came through as Reagor scored on a 23-yard touchdown in the middle against Motley. – C-Mac

15. After the offensive sequence in the scrimmage period, the Eagles' defense takes the field. The back seven really shined in this drill. Slay closes on a dig route in the middle of the field and forces a pass breakup on the first play. McPhearson is in coverage on an incompletion on a quick throw to the opposite side on play two. Next, White is there for a quick tackle on a shallow cross for a short gain. Play four brings more to the table for Slay, who again breaks on a dig route in the middle of the field to net a pass breakup. The day ends for the starters with Marcus Epps playing as a centerfielder along the sidelines, knocking a pass down in Cleveland's last hope to score. – Fran

16. The backups on defense come out for their scrimmage session, and here it's Davion Taylor's turn to make an impact. The third-year linebacker is the first to the ball on both of Cleveland's first two plays (a screen and a quick pass to the flat). Quarterback Deshaun Watson throws a corner route that falls incomplete, a throw that was tightly contested by Wallace again. Rookie Nakobe Dean gets a pass breakup in the middle of the end zone to rile the defense up even more. The period ends with the defensive line chasing Watson down for a sack on a scramble drill that is blown dead by the Cleveland coaching staff. – Fran

Injury Report

Did Not Practice

CB James Bradberry – Groin

LB Christian Elliss – Hamstring

DT Javon Hargrave – Toe

C Jason Kelce – Elbow

RB Miles Sanders – Hamstring

WR Greg Ward – Toe

Limited

TE Grant Calcaterra – Hamstring

The Eagles are in Cleveland for joint practices and a preseason tilt with the Browns. Check out team photographer Kiel Leggere's shots from the sideline.

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