Practice Notes Roundup

The Eagles held their 10th practice of Training Camp on Tuesday. Let’s talk about some of the notable performances.

Jimmy Bama took time off from writing about punters and Joe Ostman to rave about a rookie LB. Just not the one you’re thinking of.

Every day, rookie LB Smael Mondon does something impressive. Today, he had blanket coverage on Saquon Barkley, who looked like the primary receiver on the play. Jalen Hurts waited a bit for Barkley to break free from Mondon’s coverage, but Mondon suffocated him and Hurts was forced to look elsewhere.

If I had no idea about draft statuses or the backgrounds of of these players and I were asked who the best linebacker has been this summer, for me it would be Mondon. He’s athletic, he can cover, he’s physical against the run, and he seems willing to do the dirty work stuff. He can play.

Mondon was a 3-year starter at LB for Georgia. That’s a position he knows well so it isn’t a surprise that he looks natural there and is doing well in camp. He wasn’t the most rugged defender in college and could be a sloppy tackler so I’m happy to read about him playing the run well and being a physical player. If he can do that stuff, he will be a starter. Mondon can blitz and cover. He’s a good athlete.

*****

UDFA receiver Darius Cooper is a player I have yet to mention. He’s been in camp notes for the past few days. I just kept ignoring him because he seemed like such a long shot. At some point you have to give the guy credit and talk about what he’s doing.

Darius Cooper with a leaping TD on a fade throw by Tanner McKee to beat Mac McWilliams. Cooper can play. Making a case for the Eagles to keep him.

— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) August 5, 2025

Cooper has an unusual build at 5-11, 213…short, thick. He had a great final season at Tarleton State. Here’s what I wrote about him after the draft.

Dominant player at the FCS level. Led the FCS in receiving yards. Has good body control and can make some tough catches. Ran 4.49 at his Pro Day, but I don’t think you see that speed on tape. Has a strong, thick build.

I’m really intrigued to watch him in the preseason opener. The Eagles are wide open at receiver after the top three spots. Cooper could make the roster. He’s got an excellent chance to be on the practice squad at the least.

*****

We can’t legally talk about backup receivers without mentioning Eli Cooks.

Elijah Cooks just broke Eli Ricks’ ankles by making a cut after catching a pass on a slant and accelerating to the end zone for a TD. Cooks then beat Mac McWilliams on a quick slant for the two point conversion. Intriguing player.#Eagles

— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) August 5, 2025

Cooks is older, taller and more athletic than Cooper. Cooks has made plays just about every day. I’m excited to see him in action.

*****

Jeff McLane is highly impressed by DT Moro Ojomo.

Ojomo has given Eagles interior linemen all they can handle in the first 10 practices. On Tuesday, he opened with a tackle for loss on a run play. Two plays later, he slipped through guard Landon Dickerson and Jurgens and flushed Hurts outside. Hurts threw to receiver Johnny Wilson, but safety Sydney Brown knocked the ball to the ground. There was a flag, but I couldn’t tell who was the guilty party.

During the last team period, I credited Ojomo with two sacks. He beat Dickerson inside on the first. Hurts still threw to Smith, who had gotten behind edge Joshua Uche for a catch-and-run touchdown. On his second, Ojomo circled around guard Brett Toth, and when Hurts backtracked, he ran into a sack.

Ojomo has been the defensive star of camp. He’s give the Eagles OL fits no matter who he goes against. If he plays like this in the regular season, the defense has a chance to be just as good as last year.

*****

Jahan Dotson has been playing better in recent practices. Dotson is a talented receiver. He showed that at Penn State, at times in Washington and you saw glimpses of it late last year. He’s just got to be on the same page as Jalen Hurts and to be consistent. He’s not going to get a ton of passes thrown his way so that makes it challenging. Dotson has to be ready when the ball does come to him. The more reps he has with Hurts, the better.

*****

Dave Zangaro had a note on the backup OL.

Kendall Lamm has mostly worked at left tackle this training camp but today the veteran got some reps at right tackle. He is a 10-year veteran with experience on both sides of the line. The second-team OL looked like this: Myles Hinton, Brett Toth, Drew Kendall, Darian Kinnard, Lamm.

The coaches are trying different looks and lineups to see who can do what. Matt Pryor could be the #3 OL, backing up everywhere but center. Or Lamm could be the #3 OT and Pryor could focus on OG. They want to see what Hinton can do. They’d love him to play well enough to make the roster. Kinnard was pretty much a pure RT last year. If he can play OG, that improves his value.

Jeff Stoutland will mix and match players as he tries to find out who can do what.

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