The Eagles had one of their shortest practices of Training Camp ahead of joint practices with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday and Thursday. Here's what stood out in Tuesday's session, which lasted about an hour:
Highlights
- Jalen Hurts was sharp throughout practice. He found DeVonta Smith multiple times over the middle and the two connected on the sideline for a 20-yard completion. The chemistry between the former Alabama teammates is clear.
- Hurts had a beautiful cross body throw to Dallas Goedert and later had a perfect pass to Jahan Dotson. Hurts was putting the ball wherever we wanted on Tuesday.
- With Landon Dickerson (knee) sidelined, Brett Toth got all the reps at left guard.
- Eli Ricks continues to make plays on the ball as he had a pass break up in team drills.
Tyler Steen meets the family of people his grandfather saved in Vietnam
After Tuesday's practice, Tyler Steen had a special moment with three people who have a unique connection to his family.
Steen's grandfather, Rodney M. Davis, posthumously earned the Medal of Honor for jumping on a grenade to save the lives of those in his battalion during the Vietnam War. At practice, a widow (Kitty Leedom) and son (Greg) of someone Sergeant Davis saved and the widow (Beth Dougherty) of the commander in the battalion next to his all took in the scene at the NovaCare Complex, and after the session they had a chance to sit down with Steen.
For the third-year offensive lineman, speaking with people who his grandfather directly impacted was a unique moment.
"It's pretty incredible," Steen said. "This is something that we've been trying to set up for a while, and just over the years, just meeting people that my grandfather was able to impact has been pretty cool."
Steen said he had actually met that group of people before, back when he was a little kid, but this was his first opportunity to really get to speak with them.
It was a heartfelt experience for Steen, who reflected on what it means to know how much his grandfather's actions have affected other people.
"Just knowing how selfless he was, it really gives you something to be really prideful of, but also something that you know is kind of like an expectation that he set," Steen said. "Just kind of how you got to go about your everyday life, and how precious it is and taking advantage of the opportunities, and things like that."
Position Preview: Offensive Tackle
When you have two of the very best at their positions in the NFL, you feel mighty good about the big picture. And the Eagles have just that feeling about their offensive tackle spots, manned by a pair of All-Pro players in Lane Johnson on the right side and Jordan Mailata on the left side.
The two do it all against every variety of pass rusher and defensive front they see. In addition to being extraordinarily talented, they are highly intelligent, focused, and studied in the game. They are also of the mindset that they have accomplished very little in their storied careers and instead will be judged on what happens next. Both Johnson, drafted in 2013, and Mailata, taken in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft, are at the top of their games.
Building depth is critical with a long season ahead, and the Eagles are doing just that. Veteran Matt Pryor is a versatile player who can perform at a high level on both sides at tackle, Kendall Lamm is in his 11th season in the league. Darian Kinnard can play both tackle and guard and has been in the system for a full season.
The Eagles also invested in the position in the NFL Draft, selecting Myles Hinton and Cameron Williams in the sixth round. Developing players is such an important part of the the process and the Eagles have some talent to work with in those young players.
Same with Laekin Vakalahi, in his second season with the Eagles as part of the NFL's International Pathway Program. He is seeing some preseason action and is making progress. – Dave Spadaro
Injury Report
Landon Dickerson (knee) did not practice on Tuesday after he left Sunday's Public Practice on a cart. Elijah Cooks, Kenyon Green, and Gabe Hall all missed practice with shoulder injuries.
On Deck
The Eagles have their first joint practice of the summer on Wednesday with the Browns. Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo will speak with the media at 9:40 AM before the 10 AM practice.
