Fran Duffy's Key Takeaways

As individual periods begin across the three practice fields at the NovaCare Complex, I watch the offensive line and begin to take note of who is working with the first-team unit. Landon Dickerson, Lane Johnson, Mekhi Becton, and Tyler Steen are all going through drills. Dickerson would go on to take all of the first-team reps at his typical left guard spot. Becton, who missed Sunday's action but has been getting reps with the ones since Steen's ankle injury early in camp, was again next to Lane Johnson (who did not partake in team periods or 1-on-1 drills) in this session. Steen would work in with the second-team unit as he was a limited participant on Monday.

• Up next on the schedule are 1-on-1 drills, and I have my eyes on the receivers and defensive backs working on the far field. A.J. Brown separates on a slant route for a catch on his first rep. DeVonta Smith shows off his sharp route-running skills on an out route. Smith would make an impressive catch later where the vet required full extension with his arms to snare a pass over the middle. Later, Britain Covey runs a crisp out-breaking route and comes away with a clean grab. Kelee Ringo ran with A.J. Brown downfield on a go ball and worked hard to force an incompletion, raking his hands through Brown's just as the ball was arriving. Johnny Wilson runs a solid route on a slant for a catch.

• Now it's time for the first team period working on backed-up situations, and after some pre-snap penalties by the offense, Jordan Davis fires into the backfield and wraps up Saquon Barkley for a safety. The second-team units come out and Avonte Maddox makes his presence felt in the slot with a pass breakup against Kenneth Gainwell in the middle of the field. Defensive tackle Thomas Booker got the ball on the ground later, knocking a Tanner McKee pass down before the play could even get going. The ones returned to the field on both sides, and another Barkley inside run was sniffed out, this time by linebacker Devin White. Jordan Davis gave chase to Jalen Hurts on a scramble outside of the pocket that went for minimal yardage. Moro Ojomo got a tackle on an inside run. The drill ends with a pick-six, with rookie Shon Stephens taking a tipped pass and running back the other way with it, weaving his way through the action and finding the end zone.

• More 1-on-1 action now, this time in the trenches with the offensive and defensive lines going head-to-head. Josh Sweat wins on the edge to kick things off before Jalen Carter snares a victory inside. Jordan Davis and Cam Jurgens stalemate in the middle after a Davis bull rush. Milton Williams gets a win, ripping his way past the offensive lineman. Bryce Huff keeps momentum rolling for the white jerseys, winning with an inside move to wrap things up for the starters, but the action did not end there. Thomas Booker showed off his power with an impressive bull rush. Brett Toth put his strength on display. Moro Ojomo overwhelmed his opponent. Matt Hennessy used good technique stop an inside rush. Dylan McMahon had one of his more impressive reps of the summer, stopping a rush. Jalyx Hunt exploded into the backfield on a bull rush. Zack Baun got the edge and home to the quarterback before another Thomas Booker win to end the drill.

• Another team period begins as the offense and defense exchange barbs back and forth. Moro Ojomo gets home clean on a stunt and pressures Hurts into a scramble on the first snap. The offense responds with a long run from Saquon Barkley on the left edge, flying to the perimeter and getting upfield for a big gain. Two plays later, Hurts hit Johnny Wilson on a deep crossing route for a big gain to the right side of the field. Wilson showed up a couple of times on Monday morning. The linebackers came back with a couple of good reps in a row, first with Zack Baun sniffing out an inside run by rookie Will Shipley at the line of scrimmage before Nakobe Dean got home on a blitz against Kenny Pickett. Jalen Carter got home for a sack a couple of plays later. On the ensuing snap, Tanner McKee found Grant Calcaterra for a long catch-and-run. The ball was tipped (I believe by Booker) in a crowd, but Calcaterra looked it in and took off for a big gain.

• In the final team period of the practice, the offense started things off with a misdirection throw back to Barkley that was sniffed out by Baun. That was an impressive rep from the veteran linebacker. Hurts hit Dallas Goedert on a shallow crossing route on the next rep that went for a solid gain. Moro Ojomo flashed again, proving to be stout at the point of attack and creating a wall that the running back ran into for almost no gain. Rookie Quinyon Mitchell draws praise from teammates and coaches alike after fitting up a run inside against Kenneth Gainwell. Mitchell has been lining up in unfamiliar territory inside, a spot he did not play in college, and he will be exposed much more often to the run game that tight to the formation. This was an important rep in telling the story of his development so far in Training Camp. DeVonta Smith broke open for a wide-open touchdown from Jalen Hurts over the middle in the red zone, and Hurts found the rookie Wilson for another touchdown on the next play. Hurts secured the hat trick with his third straight touchdown toss, finding Smith again in the flats to the right for a score to end the day for the first-string offense. Jalen Carter got a tackle at the line of scrimmage on an early running play for the defensive starters, but Kenny Pickett was able to convert a couple of red zone touchdowns (one with his own legs) to end the day for the second-string offense.

Position Spotlight: Defensive Tackle

A new era is upon the Philadelphia Eagles at the defensive tackle position, and that is an exciting prospect for a team that has outstanding young players leading the way. The team planned for the retirement of star Fletcher Cox by addressing defensive tackle at the top of the NFL Drafts in 2022 and 2023, selecting Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, respectively.

Adding those two players to Milton Williams, a third-round draft pick in 2021, gives the Eagles a formidable threesome at the top of the defensive tackle list. Williams has been a solid, steady, and productive player in his time with the Eagles and Davis and Carter are two players who have shown that they also have top-end ability.

The question for this group: Who fills out the rest of the defensive tackle rotation, understanding that it requires five, six, and maybe even seven tackles to contribute during the course of a season?

Marlon Tuipulotu has been a part of the team and has been productive the last couple of seasons – he was a sixth-round draft pick in 2021 – and he is a big, powerful player with some pass-rush skills. Moro Ojomo is an intriguing young player in his second season who will have a chance to carve out a role, and this preseason is huge for him. Thomas Booker and P.J. Mustipher have been in the league and understand the opportunity they have in the three preseason games, where it is likely they will play quite a bit. Gabe Hall had a fine career at Baylor and joined the Eagles after the 2024 NFL Draft, and he's going to see time in the preseason and hopefully give the Eagles something to think about.

The Eagles have a young group here, that's for sure, but they also have one that is extremely talented. There is a reason the team is going young at defensive tackle: The future is now in the post-Fletcher Cox Era and Carter, Davis, and Williams have a chance to create their own legacy. Those three lead the way in this room, but the Eagles are looking for more from a group of young players who are going to have a chance to earn their keep in these three preseason games.

Injury Update

• LB Oren Burks remains sidelined with a knee injury. The Eagles made a roster move, signing veteran LB Shaq Quarterman on Monday.

• WR Parris Campbell missed practice with a groin injury.

• CB Mekhi Garner did not practice with a hamstring injury.

• LB Brandon Smith was out with a concussion.

• T Mekhi Becton was limited with an illness.

• CB Josh Jobe was also limited. He continues to recover from a concussion.

• CB Eli Ricks is also dealing with an illness. He, too, was limited.

• G Tyler Steen was limited as he works his way back from an ankle injury.

Vic Fangio enjoys a bird's eye view of the action

Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio spoke with the media on Monday morning for the first time since the Eagles' Public Practice that was held on August 1.

The old-school-styled coach sat up top in a booth to call plays for the practice at Lincoln Financial Field, which will continue to be the plan during the season.

"Well, number one, it's the best view, and I can see what's happening and I don't have to rely on other people telling me what's happening," Fangio said. "There's a reason they film the games up there, in a booth to the right or left of me, there's a reason the owners are at that same level. They could sit anywhere they want in the stadium and it's the best view because my most important job on gameday is to call the game and I need to have the best view and I don't have to rely on others to give me a bunch of information."

As the coaches continue to evaluate players all around the field, the competition has been heating up every day at practice, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

"It's a good competition going on. We have not come to any conclusions anywhere," Fangio said. "We still have three preseason games and a lot of time, but the competition's been good. I see guys improving. It's good healthy competition."

Cornerbacks Isaiah Rodgers and Kelee Ringo have been switching back and forth throughout Training Camp on the first-team defense. Rodgers has been seeing the latest of the first-team reps, but knows the competition is far from over.

"I've seen this happen before. You can have one good week and one bad week and you never really know, so it really comes down to the coaching staff," Rodgers said. "It's not really up to me at the end of the day, so I'm really just going out there and trying to do the best I can and it's just competition at the end of the day and we both understand that."

Tough as nails

Toughness has been a hot topic of emphasis for the Eagles. Fangio and Head Coach Nick Sirianni have both talked about the importance of having guys that bring toughness to the team, LB Zack Baun is one of the guys that shows it out there every day.

"Toughness is not only physical but it's mental, and I think once you master the mental side, the rest of your game can really develop," Baun said. "It's always something that I've had to work at. I haven't always been this way. You just grind and you work at it, just hearing what different coaches want and it's always, 'toughness, toughness, toughness.' It keeps coming up and I was like that's the player I need to be and that's the player I want to be."

Teaching tape

Reed Blankenship and Devin White spoke about an interesting way Fangio teaches the defense tackling. The emphasis is on playing the game the right way, but knowing what you can and cannot get away with.

"He wants everybody going out there playing the game the right way, protecting players but also establishing dominance," White said. "He shows a lot of clips from guys who did it the right way. He shows clips of not showing it the right way, even the new drop-roll hip tackle or whatever that they don't want in the league anymore, so we're just making sure that we're still being tough but just doing it the right way and protecting players."

Jack of all trades

Tight Ends Coach Jason Michael on Dallas Goedert and the work he has been putting in: "He's trying to work on everything and he's unique in his own way because of what he is able to do – run game, pass game, protection – in terms of being able to contribute in all three phases and he's trying to master every bit of that and try to be as good as he can in all three of those phases and the biggest thing about Dallas Goedert is all he cares about is winning and I think you see that in terms of how he is around his teammates, the teammate that he is, how he helps those guys in the background in the tight end room. I mean, it's a lot easier to coach when you have a Dallas Goedert in the room where he can pull a guy aside or during practice or during a meeting and explain it from his perspective. And he's awesome at that."

Just like the old days

RB Saquon Barkley on his introduction to the fans as an Eagle at the Public Practice: "For a practice to have 50,000 fans is truly insane, so thank you to all those fans that came out and showed love and support. It's big. It helps us as a team. It makes us want to go out there. It kind of gave like a college feel again, when I was in college (at Penn State), like you don't want no one coming to Beaver Stadium and get a win in there, you get that feel here. You know how much every week is, but how much more it means when you play in the Linc."