Position Spotlight: Edge Rusher

You see them in a stand-up position and you don't know if, from one snap to the next, the Eagles are going to bring their players off the edge to rush the quarterback or drop into pass coverage.

That's the beauty of the position – the versatility, the unpredictability, the accountability required from the offense to make sure that singular position doesn't unravel a play.

The Eagles feel they are in terrific shape here with their edge players – and the position is a combination of defensive ends on this roster along with outside linebackers and all are tasked with reaching the quarterback in the passing game, setting the edge in the running game, and occasionally dropping into coverage against receivers. It requires a transfer of speed to power moving forward, a variance in technique and great athleticism moving backward in space against the passing game.

So, who are the Eagles counting on here? The Training Camp session on Tuesday was the first time the pads were worn and it was revealing in the 1-on-1 work against offensive linemen and in the 11-on-11 drills.

Philadelphia is stocked up here, bringing in Bryce Huff via free agency after his double-digit sack season with the New York Jets in 2023. He is expected to be part of a deep rotation that includes Eagles veterans Brandon Graham, playing in his franchise-record 15th season in Philadelphia; Josh Sweat, a Pro Bowl player a couple of seasons ago; and Nolan Smith, a first-round pick in 2023 who has gained strength, speed, and experience from Year 1 to Year 2. The Eagles have also seen a jump up in performance from Patrick Johnson, a fourth-year Eagle listed as an outside linebacker, and Tarron Jackson, also in his fourth season as an Eagles defensive end.

Then there are the newcomers, with young NFL veterans Julian Okwara, who played for four seasons in Detroit before joining the Eagles, and Terrell Lewis, in his fourth NFL season and first in Philadelphia. They are going to be given a chance, as will all of these players as the Eagles look for depth and a constant flow of pressure and power off the edge.

A big wild card for the 2024 season is Jalyx Hunt, the team's third-round draft pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, who is out to make an impact in his rookie season.

This is obviously a huge room for the Eagles in terms of importance – the Eagles need to win on the edges in every situation – and they have addressed the group in a variety of ways in this offseason. There have been plenty of bright spots one week into Training Camp, but it's worth holding off on making any sweeping proclamations until we see the Eagles play against other teams in this preseason and then see how the position develops when the regular season gets underway.

Fran Duffy's Key Takeaways

• With the pads on for the first time in Tuesday's session, the Eagles' coaching staff took advantage with a heavy amount of work in the red zone. It started with the first team period of the morning, as the offense had the ball inside the 20 looking to reach the end zone. The defense would get out to a fast start, with Jordan Davis holding up the interior of the line which allowed Zack Baun to wrap up Saquon Barkley for a short gain. The defense kept it rolling by sniffing out a screen pass on play two and chasing down an outside run on play three (with Josh Sweat holding the point of attack on that one). Nakobe Dean nearly picked off a pass. C.J. Gardner-Johnson knifed into the backfield for a tackle for loss. A lot of names were making their presence felt, but then the offense answered with a couple of late touchdowns. Kenneth Gainwell caught a Jalen Hurts pass in the flats and sprinted for the pylon before A.J. Brown caught a quick slant touchdown from Hurts towards the end of the sequence.

• Now that the team is in pads, I wanted to focus more on the play at the line of scrimmage. The big men up front got together for some 2-on-2 work in pass protection, with the defense running various stunts and twists for the offense to pick up. Landon Dickerson and Jordan Mailata drew praise from Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland after perfectly picking up a game on their side. Nolan Smith penetrated quickly off the offensive right side a couple of snaps later. Marlon Tuipulotu flashed impressive hand usage a couple of times. Rookie Jalyx Hunt, who has flashed every day in practice, showed off his power on one snap towards the end of the period. I always keep an extra eye on rookies on the first day of pads. If they were doing well before pads came on, can they keep it up? If they weren't, will they shine with the urgency ramped up?

• Another 11-on-11 period is underway in the middle of the field. A.J. Brown catches a comeback route from Jalen Hurts on the left sideline. A couple of snaps later, Jordan Davis fires into the backfield to tag the running back. The coverage looks really tight on the back end, forcing Jalen Hurts to hold onto the football and allowing Nolan Smith to get home for a "sack." Smith added a PBU a couple of plays later to end the sequence for the first-team unit. Kelee Ringo was tight downfield with a receiver on that sack, and it looked like that's where Hurts wanted to go. Hunt showed up a couple of times with the second-team defense, getting a quick pressure of Kenny Pickett before getting home for a "sack" on the next snap.

• One of my favorite parts of camp has arrived as the offensive and defensive lines face off 1-on-1. Lane Johnson showed off a strong anchor against an inside move. Jalen Carter showed off his violent power while shrugging off a blocker on his way to the quarterback. Jordan Davis and Cam Jurgens had a couple of really competitive reps, where Davis got off the ball fast but Jurgens showed his ability to recover. Josh Sweat won his rep with a nice inside move. Terrell Lewis showed off excellent timing with his hands while clearing the hands of an offensive lineman on one rush. Brandon Graham had a nice inside rush rep. Jalyx Hunt showed off that power again with a bull rush. Patrick Johnson drew raucous applause from fans in attendance with a clean double-hand swipe toward the end of the period.

• While Fran perused the OL/DL 1-on-1 drills, I scouted the WR/DB 1-on-1 drills that also emphasized the red zone with snaps coming from the 20-yard line and the 5-yard line. Parris Campbell opened strong using a hand swipe to get off press coverage and get inside on a slant route for the completion. On the next snap, DeVonta Smith faked inside and went up the sideline where Jalen Hurts dropped the ball over the shoulder for the touchdown. The fun battle was between the All-Pro A.J. Brown and the rookie Quinyon Mitchell who went at each other twice from the 5-yard line. Mitchell created no room for a throw on the first rep. On the second, Brown made a one-handed grab over Mitchell in tight coverage, but the ref deemed that Brown didn't get both feet in bounds. Another rookie, Johnny Wilson, used his 6-foot-6 frame to win a pair of matchups. Veteran defensive back Parry Nickerson notched a pair of pass breakups. Isaiah Rodgers also had a standout play in the session. – Chris McPherson

• Another team session is underway and a Saquon Barkley carry has nowhere to go thanks a giant wall created up front by Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. Davis chased down a Barkley screen near the sideline on the next play. The offense got to celebrate on the next rep, with Hurts finding Gainwell streaking across the middle of the field for a score – Hurts excitedly sprinted to his running back after the connection. Milton Williams wrapped up Will Shipley at the line of scrimmage on a run to the inside as well. The defensive front is really flashing today.

• A special teams period commences, with coverage and return units going 3-on-3 to try and set up for a returner. The trio of cornerbacks that flashed the most to me include Kelee Ringo, Quinyon Mitchell, and Josh Jobe (who had multiple impressive blocks to let returners skate by).

• A scrimmage period begins and the defense gets the better of the offense to start, forcing a three-and-out. Jordan Davis chased Hurts down along the sideline on a scramble to the far sideline. That's the third or fourth time I've seen Davis chasing a play down outside the tackle box today. C.J. Gardner-Johnson thumps Saquon Barkley on a catch in the middle of the field, and he's quickly greeted by Devin White for a celebration. Gardner-Johnson's energy level is matched by White every day on the practice field. The two got together again after Gardner-Johnson broke up a third-down pass intended for DeVonta Smith inside.

• The second-team offense had a bit more success moving the ball, but still ultimately came up short after a defensive stop in the red zone. Brandon Graham stopped a short run by Gainwell on the edge. Grant Calcaterra caught a quick slant route from Kenny Pickett but was wrapped up immediately by Nakobe Dean. Johnny Wilson got the first down on the next snap off a Pickett pass, but Hunt was in the backfield fast to force the quick throw. Dean wrapped up Will Shipley and threw the rookie to the ground on the next snap to bring up second down, and then on third down Jordan Davis tipped the ball at the line of scrimmage to force an incompletion after a near-interception at the second level.

• The first-team units came back on the field, with the offense moving the ball as well as it had all day. Hurts hit A.J. Brown on a deep out route. DeVonta Smith caught a short pass underneath for a nice gain; Smith was surprisingly open on that one. We haven't seen much of that so far this summer, as the defense has been almost always really sound on the back end. The offensive line created a nice hole for Kenneth Gainwell to come through clean on an inside run. The drill ended up a couple of plays later when Hurts was forced to scramble after tight coverage on the back end.

Injury Update

• LB Oren Burks did not practice Tuesday with a knee injury.

• G Tyler Steen missed practice with an ankle injury. Mekhi Becton took the reps with the starters at right guard.

• G Trevor Keegan was limited with a shoulder injury, but still rotated in team drills.

Michael Clay continuing to prepare for new NFL kickoff rules

Special Teams Coordinator Michael Clay spoke with the media ahead of Tuesday's padded practice.

To no surprise, the majority of questions asked revolved around the new NFL kickoff rules that are set to begin this season.

"We still talk about it each and every day. How can we get better? How can we implement some things? But I kind of look at it just like in every other aspect of special teams, you kind of have to build it like a house. You have to start with the foundation then build up from it, so we still have to work some technique things. I mean at the essence of it, it's still kickoff," Clay said.

Clay harped on how important it was to have the players' feedback throughout the process, as they are the ones out there on the field getting a front-row feel for it.

The first glimpse coaches, players, and fans will get of the new kickoff happening live will be on Thursday night, when the Texans and Bears face off in the Hall of Fame Game, something Clay is eager to look out for.

For now, it's all still a learning process for everyone just five practices into Training Camp.

"The more we can get on film whether that's a joint practice, or a preseason (game), or just us going 11 vs. 11 just to see how can we mesh the best 11 out there, we will, but that just comes with time and practice," Clay added.

The Eagles, like most teams around the league, haven't shown much of how the new kickoff will look during practice. On Tuesday, the team held two special teams periods including a 3-on-3 short field return from inside of the 30-yard line.

The main returners so far in drills have featured Britain Covey, Isaiah Rodgers, and Will Shipley.

"There's no perfect build of what the best kick returner is going to be," Clay said. "It could be a small guy, it could be a guy going downhill, but that's the beauty and the essence of special teams. With this new rule it gives us an opportunity to be creative."

What's the most popular Rita's flavor?

Rita's Water Ice, a partner of the Philadelphia Eagles, parked its truck inside the welcome gates of Training Camp practice at the NovaCare Complex for another year last week.

As Training Camp practices occur in the heat of summer, the Rita's truck is a great way for not only the fans, but the players to cool down as well.

The truck offers five classic flavors: Blue raspberry, green apple, lemon, mango, and Swedish Fish.

The most popular flavor among fans is mango – a staple on the menu for years.

While the fans can walk up to the truck at any time during their visit to practice, players can indulge post-practice on the field or in the locker room. However, most players have the luxury of getting the water ice delivered right to them, that is, with the exception of the rookies.

A rotating group of rookies brings trays of a variety of the five flavors to their teammates each time the truck makes it to practice.

On Day 1 of camp, first- and second-round selections Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, along with undrafted free agent Andre' Sam, each carried a tray from the field into the locker room. On Thursday, rookie tight end McCallan Castles made the trip to deliver the goods.

Rookies will be getting some help delivering the water ice at some point, as the Rita's Water Ice Kid Sweepstakes will allow the winning child to deliver water ice to players after a practice.

Ready to roll

DT Milton Williams on preparing for a higher volume of snaps on the line this season: "Better be in shape. I feel like I'm in pretty good shape right now, you know, but as we practice it's going to get better and better. Whenever they call my name, I want to make sure that I'm ready for the opportunity."

Everybody eats

TE Grant Calcaterra on the new offense and the tight end's usage in it: "I really like it a lot, I really do. I think there's opportunities for guys to make plays everywhere. I love the progression-style offense, you know, everybody's an option, so I'm hoping that guys get some opportunities. It's been good so far."

Bringing something else to the table

WR/PR Britain Covey on where he's shown the most growth heading into Year 3: "I think I've shown the most growth as a receiver. I think reliability as a receiver is important. If you think about it, in this offense we've got A.J. (Brown), Smitty (DeVonta Smith), Dallas (Goedert), and Saquon (Barkley), so your third receiver that's out there, he needs to be able to affect the game in ways other than just being ball-centric. There's only so many footballs to go around."