The Eagles had their first joint practice of Training Camp, taking the field with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday at the NovaCare Complex.
Here is who stood out on the first of two sessions with Cleveland:
Highlights on Offense
- Dallas Goedert was active with multiple catches near the line of scrimmage as a trustworthy option for Jalen Hurts. He also hauled in a pass downfield for a big gain.
- DeVonta Smith was Hurts' favorite target on Wednesday with A.J. Brown (hamstring) sidelined. He had a ton of catches over the middle and on the sideline, highlighted by a touchdown grab in the top corner of the end zone.
- During a special teams period, Smith and Browns Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward worked on releases on an adjacent field.
- Johnny Wilson hauled in two jump balls on the left sideline. The first was from Tanner McKee and the second was throw by Hurts. Wilson did a great job using his body to create space for the catch.
- Will Shipley had a big run and also had some receptions out of the backfield.
- A.J. Dillon caught a touchdown pass from Hurts. He also had some runs up the middle that showed his burst.
- Kylen Granson had a couple of grabs in team drills.
Highlights on Defense
- The defense set the tone early in the WR/DB one-on-one period as Adoree' Jackson opened with a pass breakup against wide receiver Cedric Tillman followed by Cooper DeJean denying wide receiver Jamari Thrash. The two followed up with back-to-back PBUs again later in the period.
- Zack Baun returned to the field and participated in the 7-on-7 period, lining up with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. when the first-team defense took the field.
- Rookie free agent cornerback Brandon Johnson had a pass breakup in the one-on-one period and forced an incomplete throw in the 7-on-7 session. Overall, the coverage unit was tight, forcing the Browns quarterbacks to settle for checkdowns and underneath throws.
- The Browns featured former Eagle Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel took the majority of the quarterback reps in the team periods on Wednesday. Tyler Huntley received a few plays. Another former Eagle Kenny Pickett is dealing with a hamstring injury and was limited. Rookie Shedeur Sanders suffered an oblique injury early in practice and did not participate in the 7-on-7 or team drills.
- The summer of Quinyon Mitchell continues. Even if it's not an interception, Mitchell shows sticky coverage and quickly eliminates options for the quarterback. Even on passes in his direction, he is quick to make the stop, as he did on a short pass to Cedric Tillman.
- The Browns showed a lot of orbit motion to give the defense something to think about.
- Jalen Carter and Azeez Ojulari combined for a sack of Gabriel in a team period.
- In the second team period, with the Browns in Eagles' territory, Jalyx Hunt got pressure off the edge of the first snap to force Flacco to throw the ball incomplete. In this period, Jackson forced an incomplete pass on an attempt to Jerry Jeudy with tight coverage.
- Joshua Uche continued his strong Training Camp with a sack of Flacco in the second team period. He also used his head, literally, to deflect a Flacco pass that went off the helmet later in the same drill.
- The third team period returned to midfield and Jalen Carter continued to wreak havoc with a batted pass at the line of scrimmage.
- Rookie safety Andrew Mukuba took away tight end Brendan Bates as the rookie quarterback Gabriel wanted to go there with the ball. Great read and coverage on the play by the second-round pick.
- Ogbo Okoronkwo got in on the pass-rush party, flushing Flacco out of the pocket with pressure from the quarterback's blind side.
- Final team period started off with Jordan Davis shedding the guard to get in Flacco's face. Davis just stood there and Flacco was forced to spike the ball.
- On a play-action fake, Flacco rolled to his right and had Nolan Smith right in front of him. Flacco got the ball away, only for DeJean to get his hands on it and force the incompletion.
Position Preview: Interior Offensive Line
The picture is a bright one for the Eagles in the big scope of things along the interior of the offensive line. Landon Dickerson is a three-time Pro Bowl player. Cam Jurgens is a Pro Bowl selection. Tyler Steen has had a terrific summer working in as the starting right guard.
At the moment, however, Dickerson is sidelined with a knee injury and there is no official word on when he will return to the lineup. The Eagles have used Brett Toth in that position but have said nothing definite about how it might look should Dickerson miss time in the regular season.
The Eagles have options and depth and they've built the offensive line to sustain. Rookie Drew Kendall has played well at center and is on the rise. Darian Kinnard has the ability to play both guard and also move outside to tackle. Trevor Keegan is in his second season here and is making strides playing on the inside at guard. Matt Pryor is an experienced player who has played well both at tackle and at guard.
Kenyon Green is sidelined with a shoulder injury and there is no word on when he will be able to return to action. — Dave Spadaro
Injury Report
A.J. Brown (hamstring) was sidelined for Wednesday's practice. Landon Dickerson (knee), Elijah Cooks (shoulder), and Kenyon Green (shoulder) also did not practice. Gabe Hall (shoulder) returned to the field as a limited participant.
On Deck
The Eagles and Browns have their final joint practice on Thursday. Head Coach Nick Sirianni will meet with reporters before practice.