Camp Notes – Day 1

The Eagles had their first Training Camp practice on Wednesday. All of our favorite beat writers were on the scene to let us know what happened. And Jimmy Bama was there too! Let’s jump right into the action.

There was no star of the day. The first day of camp is usually sloppy and it sure sounds like Wednesday was no different. It takes time for guys to shake off the rust and get used to playing football and not just working out.

Chris McPherson wrote about DT Jalen Carter.

Jalen Carter, the team’s top draft pick – No. 9 overall, earned reps with the first-, second-, and third-team units during the final team red zone period. Carter helped stonewall quarterback Marcus Mariota on a run attempt on a fourth-and-goal snap. He also generated pressure using a swim move to gain leverage.

“There was a practice rep later on in the day, the last red zone period, where you feel him make a drastic inside move. We’re talking about him. I’ll be interested to really look at the tape and see what it looks like and continue to watch him,” center Jason Kelce said.

Carter has big time ability, but rookie DTs can struggle at times. It will be fun to see how Carter performs this summer. Adjusting to NFL blocking isn’t easy. Carter will lose his share of battles. He’s so talented that he should win his share as well.

Some guy named Fran Duffy wrote about Nolan Smith.

Fellow first-round pick Nolan Smith got reps with both the first- and second-team units on Wednesday. A couple of things that stand out while watching him. First up: his athleticism. He’s an extremely fluid mover who is fast off the ball and really easy and smooth in transition. Second, his hands. For a “smaller” rusher off the edge he has violent, heavy, purposeful hands on contact. Lastly, his effort. Numerous times I took note of Smith chasing plays to the flat along the sideline. He’s going to put himself in position to force or recover a fumble or two this season.

More than a few people were posting rave reviews of Smith on Twitter. He has the skill and motor to shine in this setting. Haason Reddick didn’t practice so that meant extra reps for Smith. It still blows my mind that he fell to 30th. I think a lot of teams will regret passing on him.

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Now onto Mr. Bama’s notes.

The MVP of media-attended OTAs was LB Christian Elliss, who intercepted Jalen Hurts and Marcus Mariota during the spring. As we noted above, Elliss got some first-team reps to start training camp, and he picked off Mariota in the end zone. We published a film review of Elliss earlier this offseason. I thought he looked good in the regular defense last season, albeit in limited action. He could very well start this season.

The starting LBs were Nakobe Dean and Nick Morrow. Elliss got some reps in place of Morrow. The coaches want Dean on the field. They are going to let the other players battle it out. May the best man win. Morrow has the edge in experience. Elliss is bigger and has played in this system. Sean Desai won’t run the exact same defense as Jonathan Gannon, but there will be a lot of similarities. That should benefit Elliss.

Coaches love to talk about stacking practices. Have a good day. Then another.  Then another. Elliss was good in the spring and now he’s off to a good start in the summer.

The Eagles have a logjam of backup TEs. Who will emerge to be the primary backup or to claim the #3 spot?

The other standout tight end was… Tyree Jackson. His highlight of the day was on a throw by Marcus Mariota to the back of the end zone. Jackson went up high for it, and toe tapped for the TD. When you have a 6’7 dude in the back of the end zone, an accurate high pass is pretty hard to stop. He also made a catch in some traffic, and moved well after the catch.

Jackson was an “out of nowhere camp standout” in 2021, before a back injury late in camp kind of ruined his season. In 2022 he missed camp while still recovering from a torn ACL. This camp might be his last chance to stand out like he did in 2021, and he’s off to a good start.

It would be cool to have Jackson bounce back from a disappointing 2022. He has good size and athleticism. The former college QB would make a good story and add an interesting piece to an already talented offense.

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Brandon Lee Gowton wrote about the OL.

As expected, Cam Jurgens was the first guy up at right guard. The second string offensive line looked like this:

LT Roderick Johnson – LG Sua Opeta – C Brett Toth – RG Tyler Steen – RT Jack Driscoll

I’d guess it won’t be long before Dennis Kelly, who only just re-signed with the team, supplants Johnson at left tackle there.

Jurgens being with the starters initially makes sense. He knows the offense. He’s been in the league for a year. You want to give him the first chance to win the starting job. Steen makes more sense long term, but you have to let the two players battle for the job.

I am interested in Kelly as the backup LT. He’s played there before. I thought he would be a better fit on the right side, but Jeff Stoutland must want Driscoll right and Kelly left.

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Bo Wulf has some misc notes.

• Your four punt returners at the moment: Britain Covey, Greg Ward, Olamide Zaccheaus and Quez Watkins.

• Day 1 of the punting battle looked like a decisive victory for Arryn Siposs over the young contender Ty Zentner. Siposs’ punts were both higher and deeper. You’re welcome for the analysis.

• Janarius Robinson stood out a few times, not the least because of his impressive size. For the good, he used his size to bat down a Mariota pass after a low Toth snap. On the bad, he committed one of the pre-snap penalties that halted practice when he jumped offside. Also responsible for a penalty during that tense period of practice was Steen, who jumped early and later failed to touch a defensive lineman who had crossed the line of scrimmage before the ball was snapped.

No surprise on the PRs.

The punting battle will take time. Rookies struggle with adjusting to the NFL ball and the speed of the pro game. Give Zentner some time to see if he adjusts.

Robinson is interesting. The Eagles are loaded at Edge, but they kept him around a lot last year so they must like him. He’s big and athletic. And young and cheap. It will be interesting see if he can flash this summer.

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Jeff McLane offered some Sirianni “highlights”.

I can’t imagine Nick Sirianni expected his squad to run like a well-oiled machine on the first day — especially when he had so few workouts in the spring — but the mistakes piled up as team drills periods extended late into practice. I counted, all told, six pre-snap penalties. There may have been more, but I was situated on the left sidelines near the field judge, who gave his right arm quite the workout from all the flags he threw.

Sirianni exploded several times. The Eagles don’t want reporters quoting coaches and players directly from practice, but Sirianni’s language was colorful as he lambasted rookie guard Tyler Steen for a false start, defensive end Janarius Robinson for jumping offside, and even new defensive coordinator Sean Desai when his unit kept making errors.

Sirianni doesn’t want the Eagles losing their edge. If that means him riding some guys and chewing people out, so be it. He preaches focusing on the day, winning the day. The players have to embrace that message and play like it.

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This is very intriguing.

https://twitter.com/WordOnTheBirds/status/1684236420381020161

If he’s in great shape and ready to roll, watch out.

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