This is going to be something special and if anyone suggested that "it's just another practice," well, it isn't. The Eagles hold their Public Practice at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night with a crowd of 40,000-plus expected and for many of the players on this 91-man roster, it will be the first time they have stepped onto the natural grass.

In front of a large throng of Eagles fans.

In full uniforms.

Under the lights.

Something special.

"Yeah, for me it's going to be really something to remember because it's the first time," rookie running back Will Shipley said. "I have some familiarity with Philadelphia because my brother played lacrosse at the University of Pennsylvania, so I know how these fans can be and it's awesome. I think it's going to be something special."

That's the feeling for a bunch of the guys, even those returning to the team. Defensive end Brandon Graham knows the feeling of running out onto the field and hearing the crowd. It is something that, even in his 15th season, he cherishes.

"We feed off that energy whether we are practicing here (at the NovaCare Complex) or at the stadium," he said. "I know the fans are going to be hyped. It is a great time when we're over there."

Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers is back in the game after missing all of last season due to an NFL suspension for violating the league's gambling policy and he has admitted that the thing he missed most during that time was the fans – the energy, the interaction, the relationship. Thursday night will be his first real chance to make that happen again.

"Running through the tunnel, that's always something special to me," Rodgers said. "It's a feeling that is hard to describe. You hear the roar and it just gets you going. I love that feeling and I'm looking forward to it in this practice. It's going to be a lot of fun over there."

Running back Saquon Barkley is likely to gain among the loudest ovations from the crowd as he steps onto the field for the first time as an Eagle. He had never even been in the Eagles' locker room until a team corporate event in June, when quarterback Jalen Hurts pointed out where Barkley's locker was and Barkley, for the first time, laid eyes on his new home game home.

"Everything is a first for me," he said.

That's what Thursday will be for Barkley, for the team's rookies, and for the veterans who have played at Lincoln Financial Field as members of other teams, feeling the other end of Eagles fans' energy.

This time, they will feel the love.

"Great football culture, man. Great sports town," linebacker Devin White said. "I know it's going to be one of those nights when we're all going to be in it together, getting to know each other. I'm going to embrace it. I'm going to show them what I'm all about and I think it is going to be really, really fun."