Getting Better

Posted: August 3rd, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 2 Comments »

Jalen Hurts has been up and down so far in camp, which isn’t ideal. You would love your young starting quarterback to be drawing rave reviews and garnering all kinds of attention. That just hasn’t been the case.

There is good news.

Hurts has been getting better and just had his best day of camp. Jimmy Bama was impressed.

I though Jalen Hurts had his best day of camp so far today. His first pass of the day was to the sidelines to Travis Fulgham, who was closely guarded by Steve Nelson. The throw was placed high-ish and to the outside, which allowed Fulgham to use his size to shield Nelson from the ball and make the catch.

But just generally speaking, he was more accurate today than he has been all throughout camp. Even on a throw he missed today — a window throw to Fulgham in the end zone — Hurts had good velocity on the throw, and while it was behind Fulgham, it was still a catchable ball, but Fulgham couldn’t adjust quickly enough to make the play.

Hurts still has a long way to go, in terms of accuracy and consistency, but today was a step in the right direction.

Here is Zach Berman on Hurts.

Jalen Hurts connected with Quez Watkins on a deep touchdown during seven-on-seven drills. It’s low-hanging fruit to consider a deep pass in seven-on-sevens the top play of the day because it’s designed for quarterbacks and receivers to excel, but that’s the aisle we’re shopping in today. This stood out because Hurts put the ball in the right spot — that’s not always the case — and Watkins shook past veteran cornerback Steve Nelson in coverage.

Hurts said the vertical passing game is important to the offense because it will stretch out opposing defenses, and the coaches have liked what they’ve seen from Hurts’ deep balls through the first week of training camp.

“To be able to throw the deep ball and hit guys in stride, that’s an 80-yard touchdown instead of a 60-yard gain,” offensive coordinator Shane Steichen said. “So, (we’re) really impressed with how he throws the deep ball right now.”

Hurts still has plenty to work on, but his improvement is an encouraging sign. This could be a result of good coaching, getting used to the playbook, improved timing with his teammates or some combination of the three.

*****

Not all the news was good. Here is Brandon Lee Gowton on DeVonta Smith.

The big news is that DeVonta Smith is being described as “week-to-week” with a knee sprain. NFL insider Adam Schefter followed up by saying Smith is expected to miss two to three weeks with a sprained MCL. For what it’s worth, the team doesn’t believe the injury to be serious, saying they expect him back sooner than later. The Eagles also believe Smith’s advanced ability makes them more comfortable in being extra cautious with his return. We might not see much, if any, of Smith in the preseason games.

As an Eagles fan, it is easy to go into panic mode and scream to the heavens, “Why hast thou forsaken us?”

I guess the good news is that this isn’t an overly serious injury. Also, if a rookie receiver can afford to miss camp time, Smith is likely a guy who can handle that. He’s a polished player and not just an athlete. Smith doesn’t have to learn the little things. He’s got to learn the NFL version of them. A player like Jalen Reagor was a raw athlete who needed every rep possible.

By the way, Reagor was a full participant in practice.

*****

Jimmy Bama had another good note.

 Joe Flacco and Tyree Jackson had an impressive connection today. Flacco threw high over the middle to Jackson, who was running across the field. Jackson snatched the ball out of the air and turned up the field without breaking stride. Jackson is 6’7, 249, with good athleticism, and while his game needs serious refinement, if he continues to make plays like that, it’s going to be an easy decision to keep him on the 53-man roster as a long-term developmental project.

Jackson is the kind of big, athletic, young player you want to keep. But he needs to show that he can contribute this year if called upon. Catching passes in camp against second and third stringers isn’t the same as playing when it counts. Preseason games will be huge for him.

I hope Jackson continues to show flashes. I love his long term potential, especially when you see what QB-turned-TE Logan Thomas has done.

There is obviously no guarantee that Jackson will pan out at all, let alone to Thomas level, but Jackson has legit potential. He just needs to continue developing TE skills.

*****

Another player is on the rise.

Love seeing this. It has been more than 100 years since the Eagles actually drafted and developed a good outside CB. I’m not putting McPhearson into the Hall of Fame quite yet, but he’s progressing nicely. With the Eagles history on corners, that feels pretty darn good.

*****

Mike Kaye had good things to say about the Eagles DL.

For the first time in a long time, DE Derek Barnett is healthy during training camp. He’s making the most of being injury-free, as he’s been lights out during camp thus far. Following a day off, Barnett was relentless in practice during 1-on-1 sessions and team drills. In 1-on-1 drills, Barnett rushed against right tackle Jack Driscoll and beat him with a spin move that made Driscoll fall to the ground. Barnett also had a particularly dominant rep against Andre Dillard in 11-on-11 work, as he powered Dillard into the pocket almost immediately and created pressure that forced Jalen Hurts to scramble.

Josh Sweat, Barnett’s main competition, continued his big start to camp with a win in a 1-on-1 matchup against Dillard. (Correction: Originally had Sweat down for the split sack with Brandon Graham, it was actually DT Javon Hargrave who split the “sack.” My handwriting needs some more practice reps.)

Graham also had a nice day. He had the aftermentioned split-sack with Hargrave in team drills, and later batted a Hurts pass at the line during 11-on-11 work. Graham (surprise!) also beat Dillard on a 1-on-1 rep.

It would be great if the DL could have another big year. Graham, Sweat and Barnett are a good trio of pass rushers. Ryan Kerrigan can be a big help, but he did leave practice with a hand injury. Hopefully that won’t be too serious.

*****

Tuesday is the first day of padded practices.

_


2 Comments on “Getting Better”

  1. 1 The Linc – Restructured contracts for Derek Barnett and Lane Johnson – Therapy Box said at 9:17 AM on August 3rd, 2021:

    […] Getting Better – Iggles BlitzJackson is the kind of big, athletic, young player you want to keep. But he needs to show that he can contribute this year if called upon. Catching passes in camp against second and third stringers isn’t the same as playing when it counts. Preseason games will be huge for him. I hope Jackson continues to show flashes. I love his long term potential, especially when you see what QB-turned-TE Logan Thomas has done. […]

  2. 2 Eagles News: Restructured contracts for Derek Barnett and Lane Johnson – Bleeding Green Nation – WELCOME TO HOME OF LATEST said at 9:30 AM on August 3rd, 2021:

    […] Getting Better – Iggles BlitzJackson is the kind of big, athletic, young player you want to keep. But he needs to show that he can contribute this year if called upon. Catching passes in camp against second and third stringers isn’t the same as playing when it counts. Preseason games will be huge for him. I hope Jackson continues to show flashes. I love his long term potential, especially when you see what QB-turned-TE Logan Thomas has done. […]