Sunday's Practice Highlights

• The Eagles threw on the shoulder pads for their first practice since defeating the Ravens on Friday night in preseason game No. 1. Following their normal warmups and position drills, the team hit the field for 11-on-11 action. Isaiah Rodgers remained the first-team cornerback with Darius Slay for the first reps, with Quinyon Mitchell as the nickel cornerback.

• Britain Covey made the first catch of the day in the middle of the field as he got some work in with the first-team offense to start. The second team came on after a few plays, with Kenny Pickett hitting Jacob Harris deep down the left side of the field after a breakdown on the defensive side allowed the receiver to be wide open coming out of the slot.

• The Baltimore game's hero Patrick Johnson got right back to work on Sunday getting around the lineman to meet Pickett in the backfield for a would-have-been sack.

• Following the conclusion of the first set of 11-on-11 action came 1-on-1 drills. DeVonta Smith started out with a clean in-breaking route toward the middle of the field that gave him separation from the cornerback to make the catch in space. Dallas Goedert caught a beautifully thrown ball in stride from Jalen Hurts in the end zone followed by John Ross flying by his defender to get open downfield for a touchdown. A.J. Brown ran a nice comeback route for a catch downfield toward the end of the drills, and Mitchell made a pair of tough stops in a battle with the receiver on both reps.

• Despite one offsides call, the defense looked disciplined throughout practice on Sunday. They were quick to the running backs inside and out, and stayed put on most counts, even forcing the offense into multiple false start calls. Nolan Smith got into the backfield with pressure a couple times, including a near sack. Jalen Carter was the first man in the backfield on a play where Hurts wisely kept the ball and threw it, as Carter was there to stop the run toward the end.

• Practice concluded with a special set of 1-on1s between selected offensive and defensive players. One of the highlights of the drill came on the last rep, as Johnny Wilson made an over-the-shoulder catch in which he wrestled with the cornerback to the ground, holding onto the ball to complete the catch and gain a point for the offense. – Liam Wichser

Position Spotlight: Offensive Line

Cam Jurgens is in the middle of all of this, this mass of humanity that is the Eagles' offensive line and he had a question for everyone: "We need to figure out is this the heaviest O-line in the league? There's a lot of weight to my right and to my left and outside that, too. It's nuts. It's great. Them guys are huge."

And, them guys are good.

While there are changes along the offensive line – Jurgens is the starter at center for the first time and Mekhi Becton and Tyler Steen are battling – among others – for the starting job at right guard – the expectation is that the Eagles will again have an outstanding group up front in the trenches for the offense.

Familiar faces man the other three spots, with Lane Johnson at right tackle, Landon Dickerson at left guard, and Jordan Mailata at left tackle. All three are among the best in the league at their positions and all three are dominating players.

There are also questions, of course. Depth is always something to develop at this time of the year and 2024 is no exception. Becton comes to the Eagles after playing with the New York Jets, mostly at tackle, so he has inside/outside versatility. Fred Johnson is an improving tackle who played excellent football in Training Camp last year and started the preseason off with a good performance in Baltimore. Matt Hennessy has the ability to play across the line of scrimmage and has starting experience from his seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. Brett Toth has played in 20 games with two starts in his career. Max Scharping has 11 starts and 22 games played in his five NFL seasons.

You get the idea: Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland has a lot to work with and he's giving everyone a chance to earn a role. That includes a large group of younger players headlined by a pair of 2024 Eagles draft picks – Trevor Keegan (fifth round) and Dylan McMahon (sixth round). Both are making progress, learning the Stoutland Way.

Along with that, Stoutland is always looking to advance some raw talent, including Anim Dankwah, an undrafted rookie free agent from Howard, and Darian Kinnard, who played all 83 offensive snaps on Friday night at right tackle.

Becton is doing most of his camp work at right guard, a new experience for him.

"It's the first time I played right guard in a live game," he said on Sunday, referring to Friday's preseason opener. "I'm gonna go look at the film with my coach and figure out what he thinks I need to do and we just come together and combine it. It's been fun (learning the position)."

The Eagles still have the joint practice with New England and two preseason games to get it all figured out, but they know they have a lot on their side. Jurgens is a natural center and he said the move back to the position after starting at right guard last season has been "smooth. I feel like the communication is good and I'm playing well and it's been a positive thing." At right guard, the best man is going to win the starting job, but more than one player – probably more than two – will be prepared for game action. That's just the way Stoutland operates. He makes sure that the line is prepared for every scenario.

It is a big group, a huge one, with giant-sized expectations once again. In Baltmore, the second-, third-, and even fourth-teamers saw time and all played well as the Eagles racked up 148 hard-fought, between-the-tackles yards on the ground and gave quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee time to set up and throw from the pocket. – Dave Spadaro

Super Bowl hero Corey Clement shares pivotal advice, thoughts on Nick Foles' retirement

Corey Clement admitted that he was a little nervous driving up to the NovaCare Complex on Sunday morning. When he was a player for the team from 2017-20, he used to punch in his key code at the front gate and enter the facility. On Sunday, he had to make sure he was on the guest list. Before, he was suiting up and practicing and earning his way onto the team. Today, he was soaking in the view from the sideline.

"It's pretty different to be on the sideline. Getting a chance to watch without a jersey on makes you almost tear up a little bit because it's like, 'Damn, the guys are working. I still want to work.' There's still that fire that you want to produce yourself," said Clement, a Glassboro, New Jersey native.

But once practice was over, Clement was mixing it up with former teammates who made the former running back feel like he never left.

"It's always family and love when you come back to Philly; seeing a lot of familiar faces brings a warm feeling to me," Clement said. "These guys really care about who came prior to (them)."

Originally signed by the Eagles as a rookie free agent following the 2017 NFL Draft, Clement surmounted the odds to earn a spot on the 53-man roster out of Training Camp.

"At that point, you just have to give a not-give-a-damn mentality because it's almost like you have nothing to lose. As an undrafted free agent, what else do you have to lose? Put your best foot forward. Let loose. Have fun. I think some of the guys, once they realize they smile a little more through the process, they become better players," Clement said. "I got to be in my best mood, feel good, play good mentality."

Clement's rookie season ended with a historic performance in Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots. Clement received the snap from Jason Kelce and tossed the ball to Trey Burton on the iconic Philly Special. Clement was also just the third running back in Super Bowl history to record 100 receiving yards in the game, which he did on four catches. One of those was a 22-yard touchdown. Clement has thought a lot about the Philly Special since quarterback Nick Foles' retirement announcement last Thursday.

"I was looking at the play and I was like, 'Damn, that seemed like yesterday,'" Clement said. "I just hear it non-stop in my head. Every time I see Nick, I see 'Philly, Philly.' I was sad to see him go, but hell of a career." – Chris McPherson

Avonte Maddox helping Quinyon Mitchell in multiple ways

How important is Avonte Maddox in guiding rookie first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell's adjustment to the NFL?

Well, consider on Sunday morning that when Mitchell's car ran out of gas on the Walt Whitman Bridge, Mitchell called on Maddox for help. The veteran defensive back even made sure to call the team to let them know they might be running late, although they both made it to the NovaCare Complex in the nick of time.

Maddox has also been a sounding board for Mitchell, who has played both nickel and on the outside both in Training Camp and Friday night's preseason opener in Baltimore. Maddox has played everywhere in the secondary during his first six years as an Eagle.

"He knows football and I just give him the concepts of what I'm looking at, what I'm seeing here and there depending on how they're lining up," Maddox said. "He's got questions every single day. He's been killing it, making plays in there. I love to see him compete. That's encouraging to see because when you got questions, that shows you care, you want to learn, and that you want to be out there."

Maddox learned from Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod the importance of understanding every role in the secondary. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio emphasized at his press conference on Sunday how nickel and outside corner are two vastly different positions. Mitchell's emergence impacts Maddox, who has worked more at safety in this year's Training Camp after being the primary nickel cornerback last season.

"It's all about competition. It's all about me helping him get better because, at some point, I'll be done playing football, and he'll still be going, and I want him to be the best he can be," Maddox said. "I would never turn my back. I would never not tell him the right answer. Anytime he needs extra work, anytime he needs the answers to anything out here."

Being a good teammate is in Maddox's DNA, even if it means being Mitchell's AAA roadside assistance. – Chris McPherson

Milton Williams: 'It's good to hear I'm doing something right'

Quick, who is the senior defensive tackle currently on the Eagles' roster?

Of course, for a long time, it was Fletcher Cox, but with the All-Pro's retirement this offseason, that honor belongs to Milton Williams, the 2021 third-round draft pick entering his fourth NFL season.

"I lead by example," Williams said. "I don't feel like I need to change up much, just showing them how I work in practice, how I do things when I'm on the field, and just being on time, answering questions in meetings. Making sure everybody is on point in knowing what to do. I've been doing that since I got here, learning from the vets. I feel like I just took something from them and added it to my game."

Williams has largely flown under the radar with Cox leading the way for several years and the recent additions of first-round picks Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter in consecutive seasons. Playing the most snaps of his NFL career in 2023 with 494, Williams posted personal bests in tackles (42), QB pressures (24), and QB hits (7). But the NFL has taken notice. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio admitted that while he was with Miami last season, he tried to get the Dolphins to trade for Williams. Of course, the Eagles appreciate what Williams brings to the team.

"I guess it's good to be wanted by other teams. They see what I can do," Williams said. "It's good to hear I'm doing something right."

Fangio has a penchant for moving his linemen around to create better matchups and keep the offensive line off-kilter. Williams expects the chance to see some reps at nose tackle and even on the edge, which is something he did early in his college career at Louisiana Tech. The biggest difference is timing off the snap. When you're lined up at the nose directly across from the center, you have to have your move ready instantly. On the edge, you have three to four steps to set things up.

"Vic likes to mix up the fronts, get us in different spots," Williams said. "I can do it all on the D-line, whatever any coach needs me to do, I'll do it." – Chris McPherson

Injury Update

• The following players did not practice on Sunday due to injury: LB Oren Burks (knee), TE Grant Calcaterra (shoulder), WR Parris Campbell (groin), S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (shoulder), and TE Albert Okwuegbunam (abdomen).

• Also, CB Mekhi Garner (hamstring), LB Patrick Johnson (lower leg contusion), and LB Brandon Smith (concussion) were limited participants in practice.