Position Spotlight: Wide Receiver

At the very top of the chart, the Eagles are in as good a position a wide receiver as any team in the league. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are a terrifying twosome who bring different skill sets to the table that produce the same results: They are game-changing players.

So, the Eagles are in great shape there.

What's interesting about the wide receiver group is that after Brown and Smith, the Eagles don't have any clear-cut answers. They are processing through the remainder of the wide receivers, all of whom will have ample opportunities in the three preseason games to earn roster spots.

There are veterans here like John Ross who have been available throughout this Training Camp. Another, Parris Campbell, has been hampered by a groin injury. Britain Covey is already an established standout in the punt return game and is trying to break through and contribute to the passing game as well. Jacob Harris is in his third season and hopes to find some stability and earn a roster position.

The rest? Very young. Talented, but young. Draft picks Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith have had some moments in Training Camp, but consistency is king in the NFL and production in game situations rules all, so the preseason games are going to mean something to them. Joseph Ngata was around on the practice squad last season and has his window in the preseason games to step up.

The bottom line: There is a lot to be decided at wide receiver. The Eagles have history kept five receivers, maybe six, and that means there are chances for jobs to be won in the preseason games at Baltimore and New England and then home against Minnesota.

For anyone who thinks that the preseason doesn't "matter," try telling that to the wide receiver room. After Brown and Smith, this is a position group that is as fluid as any on the roster and, yes, stepping up and production is what the coaches are looking for in the preseason ahead.

Fran Duffy's Key Takeaways

• After walkthrough periods and individual drills, the team began 7-on-7 action. In the secondary, the starters included Avonte Maddox (subbing in for an injured C.J. Gardner-Johnson), Quinyon Mitchell (who now has multiple days in a row working in the slot with the starters), and Isaiah Rodgers (who continues to rotate with Kelee Ringo at right corner). Rookie Johnny Wilson got the nod with the first-team offense in three-receiver sets. Jalen Hurts was efficient in this period, hitting a handful of underneath throws to DeVonta Smith and Kenneth Gainwell (not including a pass to Wilson that was broken up by linebacker Zack Baun in the middle of the field, which the rookie made up for with a catch at the end of the sequence). One aggressive throw from Hurts to the back of the end zone just missed, as Grant Calcaterra was not able to get both feet in bounds thanks to tight coverage from Maddox. With the second-string unit, Kelee Ringo had tight coverage on Joseph Ngata in the end zone, forcing a no-throw from Kenny Pickett as he rolled to the left.

• The first full-team period begins, and I can't help but notice in the back of the end zone the group of DBs spending extra time together. As Gardner-Johnson (shoulder), second-year safety Sydney Brown (knee), and rookie Cooper DeJean (hamstring) can't practice due to their respective ailments, the three spent the majority of the session taking in the action and talking things through in the back of the end zone.

• The action is underway, and after the defense forces a sack on play one, Hurts responds with a nice throw down the seam to Calcaterra for a big gain. Hurts layered this throw between the safety and the linebacker for his best throw of the day. The defense responded with a couple of negative plays, first with Jalen Carter and Baun combining to stuff Saquon Barkley at the line of scrimmage. Carter has not just been disruptive against the pass this summer – he's been really strong at the point of attack as well. Baun joined Jordan Davis to corral Hurts in the backfield on the next play for a likely sack. Hurts faced pressure from a blitz again on the next rep, but he was able to escape and scramble for a nice gain. Pickett's first throw of the period was a beauty. It was, again, under pressure – but the young veteran threaded the needle between multiple defenders after having to change his arm angle against pressure, putting the ball right on Britain Covey for a first down on the deep crosser. A couple of young players flashed later, with Will Shipley reeling in a screen pass and Moro Ojomo ending the sequence with a hurry that resulted in a scramble.

• More full-team action now as the team moves to the red zone portion of practice. Hurts hits tight end Dallas Goedert down the seam for a touchdown on the first play. It was a good throw from Hurts to keep it away from the safety in the middle of the field. Hurts tried to find A.J. Brown on a couple of back-shoulder fades in the near corner of the end zone, with one falling incomplete after Brown stabbed at it with one hand and the other hitting the ground after nice coverage from Kelee Ringo. In between those two Brown targets, Hurts kept the ball on a designed quarterback run that featured Cam Jurgens blocking out in front. He was not the only big man on the move on that play, however, as Jordan Davis gave great effort in pursuit of the quarterback. That's not the first time I've noticed that from Davis this camp. Gainwell would punch the next play into the end zone right up the gut, a play that got Jordan Mailata excited in the trenches. Tanner McKee got the reps with the second-team offense to end the drill, completing four straight passes before heading back to the sideline (including a touchdown in the back of the end zone to wideout Austin Watkins).

• After a kick return drill and some situational work, the full team got together for one final team period before Friday's preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens. Josh Sweat and Isaiah Rodgers started things off for the defense, combining in the backfield for a tackle for loss against Barkley. Darius Slay kept it going two plays later with a PBU in the end zone. Hurts found Brown on a slant route to complete his final pass of the day. Pickett found Griffin Hebert for a quick reception on his first throw of the sequence, but the pressure got to him on the last two dropbacks. Brandon Graham forced Pickett to step up in the pocket as Devin White closed from the second level on a play that resulted in a sack by the veteran 'backer. On the next play, White again was able to get home for a sack of Pickett, working this time with Ojomo to tag the quarterback as he stepped up in the pocket.

On to Baltimore!

Injury Update

• Five players did not practice on Wednesday. Everyone else was a full participant. LB Oren Burks (knee), WR Parris Campbell (groin), S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (shoulder), CB Mekhi Garner (hamstring), and LB Brandon Smith (concussion) were sidelined.

• C Cam Jurgens (illness) and G Tyler Steen (ankle) returned as full participants after being limited on Tuesday.

Nick Sirianni preaches accountability

Head Coach Nick Sirianni spoke to the media ahead of Wednesday's practice as the team continued preparations for the first preseason game on Friday against the Ravens.

Sirianni's main message of the press conference: accountability. The fourth-year head coach made note of the importance of holding each other accountable, starting with him.

"If I'm not accountable to the things that I mess up, how am I gonna expect them to be accountable to what they mess up? That's been day one here, that's just not offseason 2024, going into the 2024 season, that's been what I've tried to do day one and I think that our world is dying for accountability, in a world where there's so many things that you can blame things on," Sirianni said.

Sirianni made note of the 2022 team that lost in the Super Bowl and how they didn't make excuses, going back to accountability being a focal point of the culture he has tried to build.

"If you don't have accountability, then you're not going to get better, cause you're not going to recognize the mistakes that you made," said Sirianni, who has made accountability one of his core values that have been prominently displayed at the NovaCare Complex shortly after he was hired in 2021.

"Everybody's accountable, we're all accountable, and that's the only way to get better and I firmly believe that," Sirianni added.

Putting in the work

Edge Nolan Smith on comparing himself from now to last year: "I mean, I wouldn't say it's a night-and-day difference, but I stacked days and learning the new system is easy and then I had all year to practice the system in the offseason and that's all I've been doing, just focusing on me and me being a better player and the best football player I can be. That's what I decided to do this year, get my body completely right and get everything fixed up and everything back rolling."