Head Coach Nick Sirianni could feel the energy from the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field emanating into the home team press conference room along the service tunnel leading to the field.

"I think it's very game-like. At that point when you get in the stadium it's just different, right? For the amount of people that will be in here tonight, I don't know, but I can't imagine that many teams are having the same type of attendance that we are here," he said.

On a hot summer Thursday night in South Philadelphia, Eagles fans proved once again that they are like no other in the NFL as nearly 50,000 witnessed the Public Practice to get their first glimpse of the 2024 squad before the preseason opener next Friday in Baltimore. If you couldn't be there in person, enjoy the experience with our Training Camp Notebook.

UPDATE: Thursday night's Public Practice raised $600,000 for the Eagles Autism Foundation!

Position Spotlight: Quarterback

All eyes are on quarterback Jalen Hurts and that room as the offense builds. How will Hurts mesh with Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore? That's one of the most important questions to answer as the summer marches on and melts into the regular season. Hurts is an elite talent with a varied skill set that Moore wants to emphasize and keep defenses guessing. If the early going is any indication, this will be a very successful union. Hurts has been on point in Training Camp and he has expressed confidence in what Moore is teaching, so the initial word is extremely promising.

Philadelphia fortified the position in the offseason, trading for former first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett from Pittsburgh. Pickett has athleticism and he can make all the throws and he has the intelligence to grasp a new system and win football games should Hurts miss any time. Time will tell on his adaptability to the offense, of course, and we will learn more through the preseason with Pickett likely taking a good percentage of the offensive snaps as the Eagles look to get him ready for the regular season.

The No. 3 quarterback is Tanner McKee, in his second season and looking to build on the promise he showed last summer. McKee, too, could get a good number of reps in these three preseason games.

Will Grier is the team's No. 4 quarterback and he has taken only limited reps in practice. The Eagles will have him ready and maybe get him some time in the preseason and if there is an emergency situation down the line, they will know that Grier knows the offense and has developed some rapport with his teammates, just in case.

Fran Duffy's Highlights from the Public Practice

• One of my favorite parts about open practice at Lincoln Financial Field every year is which players get the most raucous welcome from the fans in the stands as Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro introduces them on the big boards. The crowd of nearly 50,000 fans did not disappoint this year. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith entered the field as a duo and got the crowd amped up. Jalen Hurts got the welcome that you would expect. The crowd went bananas for new running back Saquon Barkley. Brandon Graham, in perhaps his final open practice in midnight green, was celebrated in a big way. Fans showed their excitement for young defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis as well.

• The team went through what would be a typical pre-game routine on Thursday night to start things off. The players warmed up in their individual groups after a lengthy stretch period. The offensive and defensive lines got together on one side of the field while the rest went through a quick walkthrough of a 7-on-7 and eventually full-team action. This is meant to introduce new players to the pre-game routine they will experience starting next week in the preseason. This even included a rollout of the pre-game entrance video, "Rocky" scenes on the big boards, and a kickoff from Jake Elliott.

• The first-team offensive line came out with a new look to start the compete period. Landon Dickerson was out of practice (knee) after a Tuesday injury, so Brett Toth came out at left guard in his stead as the offense kicked things off with a run by Barkley. Cam Jurgens led the way on a Hurts draw play on the next run. Those two runs set things up beautifully for a deep shot down the field, as Hurts dropped back and hit A.J. Brown with a deep ball down the right side for a huge play downed inside the 5-yard line. Hurts laid the ball out in front of Brown, and A.J. made the most of it. Hurts would finish the drive on offense with a play-action throw to Dallas Goedert for a touchdown near the left pylon.

• The second-team units took the field and it was a run inside to start things off by Kenneth Gainwell, but Marlon Tuipulotu was having none of it, wrapping up the fourth-year back for almost no gain. Kenny Pickett found Grant Calcaterra wide open in the left flat on the next snap for a first down as the offense began to move the ball. Johnny Wilson caught a quick throw from Pickett a couple of plays later, running a route from the slot. Gainwell got another look on the ensuing snap, catching a quick ball from Pickett that was perfectly placed to allow for yards after catch. Gainwell put his foot in the ground and made a nifty move in space to evade the defender for a first down. Patrick Johnson knifed into the backfield to wrangle Gainwell on the next snap. Next, Pickett broke the pocket and stepped up to deliver a strike to Calcaterra between the hashes for another first down as the young tight end got popped by safety Avonte Maddox for his trouble. Gainwell would then finish the drive with a walk-in touchdown run as Fred Johnson got excellent movement with left guard Trevor Keegan to create room to work.

• The ones re-entered the game on both sides of the ball. Hurts found DeVonta Smith for a quick throw from the slot to get things rolling. Barkley took a run inside but was whistled down quickly at the second level. Britain Covey was put in motion and caught a ball along the sideline. The defense responded with a "whoa" play from Jalen Carter, who exploded into the backfield and tagged Barkley quickly on the next play. Two plays later, Hurts found A.J. Brown for an in-breaking route against the blitz to put the offense inside the 5-yard line. Hurts found Goedert for yet another touchdown on the next play, with the tight end putting an exclamation point on the catch by dunking it over the goalpost.

• Second-year quarterback Tanner McKee led the charge for the offense on the next drive working with the twos. Albert Okwuegbunam caught a quick throw and was ridden out of bounds. That proved to be the only completion of the drive on offense, but it was not for naught as Jake Elliott came through with a 55-yard field goal to net the offense some points.

• After a brief special teams period where the team worked on the punt and punt return game, the entire team convened for 11-on-11 action again. This time, the first-team offense would square off against the second-team defense, and rookie offensive lineman Trevor Keegan would get the look here with the starters at left guard instead of Toth. James Bradberry got a pass breakup in the flat on the first snap. Two plays later, Saquon showed off his explosiveness, taking off for the right corner that had fans elated as he hit the second level. Nolan Smith pressured Hurts on the next play, forcing a deep incompletion on the run. Gainwell followed blocks from Jordan Mailata and Goedert for a nice gain before being thrown to the ground by linebacker Zack Baun. Two plays later, Gainwell again found running room, this time running behind Mekhi Becton, paving the way up front. Hurts was forced out of bounds after tight coverage forced him from the pocket on the next play, but he came back with a quick completion to Goedert over the middle on the next rep. A few snaps later, Hurts found Goedert for his third touchdown of the practice with the veteran beating the defensive back for a score at the near pylon with Hurts rolling to his left.

• The defensive starters took the field against the offense's second-string unit. Jalen Carter shut the door on a Will Shipley run inside on first down. Shipley got a second helping on the next play, scooting to the outside on a nice run to the right. Jordan Davis wrangled Shipley on the next snap for a minimal gain inside. A couple of snaps later, Josh Sweat got home for a likely sack of Pickett, but as play ensued, the third-year passer hurled a pass downfield that was broken up by Big Play Slay to force the first punt of the day.

• After a brief live period featuring the third-team units, the starters on both sides took the field for the next drill, with the offense starting with the ball on its own 10-yard line. Nakobe Dean rallied the defense for a stop of Barkley on an inside run to kick things off. Hurts found Brown on a hitch route just inside the numbers on play two of the period, with a quick dump-off to Barkley connecting against the blitz on the very next play, but it would be a stop for the defense as the first-team offense was forced to punt for the first time all night.

• Time for the twos again with Pickett under center for the Eagles' offense, and he would get sacked on the first play by third-year defensive tackle Thomas Booker. A pre-snap penalty got the offense a first down, and they responded with a modest Will Shipley run inside. Zack Baun got a tackle at the line of scrimmage on the next play to bring up third-and-4. Pickett found Shipley in the flats to move the chains, with the rookie sliding to the ground to secure the catch and the first down. Outside linebacker Terrell Lewis got the stop on the ensuing play to force second-and-long. The defensive line kept things going against the run, this time with Moro Ojomo getting the stop at the line to bring up a long third down for Pickett and the offense. Pickett comes through again, stepping up in a clean pocket (credit Fred Johnson with good protection on the blind side) and hitting Wilson for a first down inside the numbers. This is a long drive for the offense, but the Eagles methodically moved the ball down the field. On third-and-6, Pickett had to work through the entire progression before settling for a checkdown that was stopped short of the sticks to end the period.

• The Eagles had a competitive special teams period next, as the gunners on the punt team worked to defeat double teams from two jammers on the return squad. On the second play, Quinyon Mitchell went up against Zech McPhearson and Kelee Ringo. Mitchell got on top early, but Ringo was able to box him out and keep him from harm's way.

• The offense and defense returned for a two-minute drill, with the offense getting the ball at the 35-yard line with :55 left on the clock. Bryce Huff nearly came away with the first interception of camp on the first play, dropping in coverage and stepping in front of a Hurts throw. On second down, Hurts scrambled left and ran out of bounds after a solid gain to bring up third-and-short. Hurts found Brown on a slant for a first down in TIGHT coverage against Isaiah Rodgers, who was all over this route but was unable to break it up thanks to perfect placement by Hurts on the back shoulder. A first-down false start put the offense in a hole to climb out of. After an incompletion to Goedert, Hurts found his tight end streaking to the sideline, but he was stopped in bounds to force a hurry-up to third-and-long. Hurts tried to make something happen here, but the defense got the stop.

• We see the starters on both sides one last time take the field at the plus-25 yard line. The situation? Forty-six seconds left with no timeouts, and they need a touchdown with a two-point conversion to tie the game. Hurts drops back on first down and loops a beautiful touch pass to Gainwell out of the backfield on a wheel route for a score. The trusty connection between Hurts and Goedert strikes again on the two-point try, with Hurts finding his tight end at the right pylon this time to convert.

• The backups take the field with the same situation. Pickett takes off for a short scramble on first down, but it comes back after an offensive post-snap penalty. Eventually Pickett and the offense are in a gotta-have-it situation on fourth down. Pickett steps up and delivers ... and it's picked off! The defense gets the first interception in a team period of the summer, and it's second-year corner Eli Ricks with the play on a pass just short of the goal line.

Injury Update

• LB Oren Burks missed practice with a knee injury.

• G Landon Dickerson was sidelined with a knee injury. Tackle Lane Johnson wore Dickerson's jersey at practice to keep people off-balance.

• CB Mekhi Garner was out with a hamstring injury.

• CB Josh Jobe was diagnosed with a concussion.
• G Tyler Steen missed practice with an ankle injury.

Rookie and the Vet

Wide receiver A.J. Brown spoke earlier in the offseason about the quiet demeaner of rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell off the field, and the trash talking he likes to do on the field. Brown and Mitchell battled on Tuesday during 1-on-1 drills, with the first-round pick appearing to hold his own on the dominant pass catcher.

"Like he says, he likes to talk trash at me, but I'm just picking a fight with him to make practice very interesting, but he's not phased," Brown said.

Although playing on two different sides of the ball, the two have developed a relationship since Mitchell was drafted in April. Ahead of Thursday's Public Practice, Brown made note of what he's noticed the more he's gotten to know Mitchell.

"I think I'm kind of building a relationship with him because I don't think he's soft-spoken anymore," Brown said. "Me and his relationship is a lot of going back and forth, but I think just seeing him outside of football, he's quiet. He's just kind of to himself, and that's not a bad thing, but you see, if you continue to talk to him and spend time with him, he will open up to you as he has with me."

The sixth-year receiver is looking to help the rook in these battles as the season opens in just over a month. Brown wants to make practices more interesting, and his experience has helped him in teaching Mitchell, as well as gage his competitiveness.

"I know these are camp battles, but ultimately, I'm just trying to get him prepared for when we play in September," Brown said.

"He hasn't backed down, not one time, and that's what I want to see. Also, like I said, it makes practice very interesting for me. You know, when somebody's over there chirping, you know it gets me going because these days are long, these days are hard, and you don't want to just go through practice and catch a ball. You want some competitiveness on the other side, too."

Lane Johnson: Saquon Barkley has the ability to run people over

Since Nick Sirianni's arrival in 2021, the Eagles rank first in rushing touchdowns and third in rushing yards per game. The Eagles have had back-to-back seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher (Miles Sanders in 2022 and D'Andre Swift in 2023).

In free agency, the Eagles added Saquon Barkley, the former No. 2 overall pick and two-time Pro Bowl selection, to anchor the run game. Tackle Lane Johnson was asked on Thursday what Barkley can present that can take an already-potent rushing attack to another level.

"I think physically, when you look at him, he's a very big back, around 230-235 (pounds), so to have that speed and to do what he can do, just an exceptional talent. Can line up out wide and create problems. But, man, he works his tail off. He's a great teammate in the few months that I've got to know him. He's really picked up things very quickly.

"I think he has the ability to run people over when he wants to. Obviously, we've seen some stuff, his elusiveness. He can change on a dime."

Another level for DeVonta Smith?

In three seasons, DeVonta Smith has set the franchise rookie receiving record and followed that up with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He was rewarded with a long-term contract extension in the offseason, and by all appearances, Smith is set to take his game to another level in 2024.

"Nobody has been able to cover DeVonta all camp," fellow wide receiver A.J. Brown said on Thursday. "He's having an amazing camp."

"He looks very quick. He looks very quick," quarterback Jalen Hurts said. "He's always been an explosive player. He's just been patient. He's been patient. He's been diligent. He's always been about the grind and about the work. I'm excited to see him continue to progress. I know the work he puts in and you see how he looks out there, so it's exciting."

Head Coach Nick Sirianni was equally as effusive in his praise of the wide receiver who was recently named to the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024 list.

"He just catches everything. The major requirement for the position is catch the football, right, and he does that at an extremely high level," Sirianni said. "His football IQ, seeing what's coming and how to attack a route, how to set up a defensive back. He can play the game in the slot, he can play the game on the outside. You saw that catch he made against Kelee (Ringo) where he went up and got the ball.

"He's had a really nice camp, and he's just going to continue to get better. DeVonta, I can't say enough good things about DeVonta and the type of player and person he is."

Why Thursday was a critical night for the Eagles

Prior to Thursday's Public Practice, Head Coach Nick Sirianni thanked the nearly 50,000 fans who not only attended the session at Lincoln Financial Field, but brought the energy that made it feel like a gameday atmosphere.

The Eagles capitalized on that.

"I think it's very game-like. At that point, when you get in the stadium, it's just different, right? For the amount of people that will be in here tonight, I don't know, but I can't imagine that many teams are having the same type of attendance that we are here," Sirianni said.

"So that will be great just for the atmosphere. We'll warm up tonight like we would in a game just for them to get used to that. Little tweaks here and there on that. And then we're working on drives, having some drives, one overs, 1-D, 1-D versus 2-O. Just working call it periods where sometimes when plays are scripted in practice, you know exactly what's coming. This is a little bit more game-like where you're playing in the flow of a game to say first down, second down, third down, red zone, getting into the red zone, two-minute.

"Then it's really big for the coaches that we work our communication. As I talk to (Offensive Coordinator) Kellen (Moore) about, hey, what we're thinking on fourth-down decisions and everything that goes into the communication of Kellen calling it, me being able to communicate with him and (Special Teams Coordinator) Coach (Michael) Clay about the decisions on third and fourth down.

"So this is a really big operation. It's good practice for everybody involved. The players, there's going to be a lot of reps and then the coaches as well."