Training Camp has arrived! The first practice of the preseason is in the books. Here is everything you need to know in today's Kick Off Camp, presented by Quaker.
1. Eagles open Training Camp knowing 'this is a different year'
Head Coach Nick Sirianni and Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman opened the Eagles' 2023 Training Camp on Wednesday at the NovaCare Complex and hit on a variety of subjects prior to the team's 60-minute practice session.
First some practice business:
• Edge rusher Haason Reddick did not practice because of groin soreness. He is expected back after the weekend.
• Limited for Wednesday's practice were defensive end Derek Barnett, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 2022 regular-season opener at Detroit, and cornerback Avonte Maddox, who battled a late-2022 toe injury.
• Wide receiver Devon Allen was placed on the Active/Non-Football Injury List with a calf injury.
Now, back to Sirianni and Roseman and some of what they talked about:
• On the running back position, Sirianni said he would rotate through a number of players given the deep state of talent in the room. "Looking forward to that position group battle," he said. "A lot of good options there, so they'll rotate throughout and we'll see Boston (Scott) in with the ones (first team), you're going to see Kenny (Gainwell) in with the ones, you're going to see (Rashaad) Penny in with the ones, you're going to see D'Andre (Swift), you're going to see Trey Sermon in with the ones. You're going to see him in with the twos and in with the threes. They all need to get reps. I wouldn't look too much into who's in with the ones, who's in with the twos, who's in with the threes."
Kiel Leggere delivers the hottest shots from the first day of Training Camp.
2. News and notes from the opening practice
• If fans had any concern whatsoever that this team would be taking it easy this summer coming off a Super Bowl run, we can say with confidence that would not be the case. Head Coach Nick Sirianni was all over his third-team offense on Wednesday, getting on them for any substitution mistake or pre-snap error. The intensity was high on Day 1 from that end of things. This is a coaching staff that will always look to drive home the details in everything they do
• James Bradberry earned the nickname "APJB" last season, earning second-team All-Pro honors after finishing third in the NFL with 17 pass deflections. He rejoined the Eagles on a three-year deal and immediately picked up where he left off last season. On the second snap of the first team period, quarterback Jalen Hurts looked to go to A.J. Brown with a quick pass, but Bradberry negated the option. Later in the 7-on-7 red zone period, Bradberry had a pass breakup of a pass in the flat. In the final red zone period, Bradberry was all over a play-action pass down the left sideline, earning yet another pass breakup.
• Tight end Dallas Goedert, who led all NFL tight ends in yards per catch (12.8), catch rate (79.7%), and yards after the catch per reception (7.6) last season, continued his chemistry with quarterback Jalen Hurts with a touchdown catch in the middle of the end zone in the opening red zone period. Goedert got open on a nifty route in the middle of the field, creating separation against a linebacker with excellent quickness and tempo in the route. This is an area where Goedert's game has grown by leaps and bounds since entering the NFL in 2018.
3. The debut of an all-new season of Eagles Unscripted
The road to redemption can be a long one. Part of the process of redemption is revisiting the past and preparing for the future. With a new season on the horizon, the road to redemption has already begun. While the players have been gearing up for Training Camp, something has been brewing in South Philadelphia – a new season of Eagles Unscripted!
Eagles Unscripted, presented by the Lincoln Financial Group, is the Eagles' flagship content series. The videos give fans a behind-the-scenes look at all things Philadelphia Eagles. Eagles Unscripted will be released every Wednesday during the 2023 regular season and can be found on the Eagles' YouTube page, website, app, and other social media channels.
Here are five reasons why you should watch the season premiere of Eagles Unscripted: The Road to Redemption.
What it means to be an Eagle
Eagles Unscripted gives fans access to never-before-seen footage from the team meeting on the eve of Super Bowl LVII. Nick Sirianni gave the floor to the leadership council to inspire and motivate the team. Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and other veteran players talked from the heart. The overwhelming theme of the speeches – Family. Wide receiver A.J. Brown made note of that, saying, "Ever since I got here, it has been a family." If you love inspirational quotes from Jalen Hurts, you will not want to miss this opening segment.
4. The key to sustained success
When you look out onto the field and see what the Eagles have, well, it doesn't take the most experienced eye to recognize the depth of talent on this roster. The Eagles reloaded the roster after the Super Bowl run in 2022 and now they see how it all comes together. It requires some good fortune with injuries and bounces of the football, it takes great consistency and resilience, tremendous leadership, excellent coaching, and a stern focus to win – every day.
"You can't look long term," defensive end Brandon Graham said. "We aren't looking back and we're not looking ahead. We're got it all right in front of us."
Much of that approach comes from Sirianni, of course, but it also comes from Graham and Kelce and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and offensive tackle Lane Johnson, all of whom have been together since the 2013 NFL Draft when Johnson (first round, 2013) joined Cox (first round, 2012), Kelce (sixth round, 2011), and Graham (first round, 2010).
They've learned a lot together. They've won together. They've grown together. They've imparted their wisdom on the rest of the team.
"I've learned, do not take first impressions, I guess, as the end-all, be-all," Kelce said. "The mark of this league is consistency ... The guys that do it day in, day out, game in, game out, season after season, are the guys who are going to have sustained success.
– Kick Off Camp, presented by Quaker, has been compiled by Owen Boyle