Camp Notes – Big Day for the D
Posted August 1st, 2026 | 1 Comment »The Eagles had several players out on Sunday. Most had nothing to do with injuries.
The following players did not practice:
OT Lane Johnson (excused/not injury related),
LB Jihaad Campbell (excused/not injury related),
WR Elijah Moore (excused/not injury related),
DT Ta’Quon Graham (excused/not injury related),
OT Cam Williams (knee contusion),
S Cole Wisniewski (hamstring)
Campbell had a very good reason for missing practice.
Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell with an excused absence from training camp today as he graduates from The University of Alabama this weekend with a degree in consumer sciences.
Campbell told me last season how important it was for him to finish his degree. pic.twitter.com/YcTfi1yhWi
— Ashlyn Sullivan (@ashlynrsullivan) August 1, 2026
Good for him.
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Lane’s absence put Fred Johnson at RT. That didn’t do any favors for Jalen Hurts or the offense. BLG has some details.
- Buy all the Jalyx Hunt stock you can possibly acquire. The third-year edge rusher has been on fire to start camp. Hunt took advantage of Lane Johnson’s absence by terrorizing Fred Johnson, who repped at first-team right tackle. Hunt was living in the backfield both against the run and the pass. I also believe I saw him deflect a pass at the line of scrimmage.Â
Hunt is off to a great start. He and Nolan Smith are competing to see who will start opposite of Jonathan Greenard. Right now it doesn’t seem like much of a competition. Hunt has out-played Smith to this point.
There was also good pressure up the middle.
- Jalen Carter has also started camp strong. Fresh off a record-breaking contract extension, Carter has been putting in the work on the field. He knocked down a Hurts pass at the line of scrimmage and also “sacked” a quarterback on a play where edge rush pressure forced Hurts to step up into Carter’s waiting embrace.
The defense can be special if Hunt and Carter can be difference-makers up front.
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Hurts had his share of struggles against a really good defense. Jimmy Bama shared his take on the backup QBs.
Rookie QB Cole Payton threw three INTs on Day 2. Would he be gun shy in his next practice? Nope! On his first rep on Day 3, he let it rip deep down the field, with Danny Gray making the reception. I thought it was noteworthy that Sean Mannion spent some extra time after practice coaching up Payton, who was barking out cadences and take snaps from under center.
In the QB2 battle, I thought Andy Dalton had a better day than Tanner McKee. Dalton had a few nice reps:
- He threw on time to Hollywood Brown on a sideline route.
- He made a good window throw over the middle to Gray.
- He had the aforementioned throw to Wilson when Bennett was able to jar it free. That pass was incomplete, but it was on the money.
Meanwhile, McKee had a bad throw to Eli Stowers that was nearly picked off by Mac McWilliams. Stowers had to turn into a DB on the play so McWilliams didn’t grab it.
The Eagles have a good problem, having four QBs they like. Hopefully they will be able to trade someone in the next month or so. Until then it will be good for McKee and Dalton to keep battling.
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Jeff McLane had good notes on rookie WR Makai Lemon.
Makai Lemon was targeted more than he was in the first two days, but that didn’t mean the receiver had more receptions. During seven-on-sevens, safety Andrew Mukuba was quick to Lemon on a stick route and nearly had an interception after running through the rookie. Later in team drills inside the red zone, a good play call got Lemon matched up against a linebacker on a short crosser in the end zone. Trotter hooked Lemon to the ground and was flagged for pass interference.
Later, Jalen Hurts went to the receiver on a deep route out of the slot. Nickel cornerback Cooper DeJean initially was a half-step behind, but he closed on Lemon as the pass sailed out of reach. Lemon faced predraft concerns about his ability to get separation downfield. I don’t think those questions have been close to answered either way. But he clearly knows what he’s doing on underneath routes and carries himself with confidence, even if he got knocked around some on Saturday.
Lemon is a work in progress. He has the skills to be a good slot receiver right away, but there is a new scheme and he’s facing one of the best defenses in the league. That can make things tough on a rookie. It will be interesting to see him develop as camp progresses.
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Dave Zangaro has the OL depth chart for the day.
First team: Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Fred Johnson
Second team: Markel Bell, Jake Majors, Drew Kendall, Micah Morris, John Ojukwu
Third team: Myles Hinton, Jaeden Roberts, Willie Lampkin, Michael Jordan, Hollin Pierce
You might notice a lot of guys in different spots. Fred Johnson has mainly played LT so far. Today he was at RT. Bell has mostly played RT was at LT. Kendall played center after spending most of his time at guard. He did get some OG reps as well. Ojukwu has lined up all over and continues to show his versatility, which helps his pursuit of a roster spot. Hinton at LT shows his versatility. OL coach Chris Kuper wants his players cross-trained so they can play multiple positions.
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Remember when the Eagles had trouble with anyone at LB? They lost Nakobe Dean in free agency and Campbell was out on Saturday. Did that leave them in a bad way? BLG has some details.
- No Jihaad Campbell? No problem. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. took advantage of his reps with the first-team defense. Trot Jr. was in position to blow up Tank Bigsby in the flat right after the running back caught a pass from Hurts. Trot Jr. broke up a pass on a play where Hurts first read the field right and then turned left to try to throw a dump off to Barkley only for the ball to be knocked down. Good range and discipline from the Eagles’ third-year linebacker. If Campbell and/or Zack Baun have to miss time this season, I feel good about Trot Jr. being able to fill the void.
It feels funny for the Eagles to have such depth at a position where they seemed to struggle for years. Trot has come along nicely since joining the team.
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MISC
Darius Cooper is probably leading in the race for the #5 WR spot. He seems to make plays every day. Britain Covey had a good showing on Saturday. He’ll have a hard time winning a roster spot, but is doing his best and going to give the coaches something to think about.
Zangaro had some info on another depth receiver who is making plays.
Former 49ers third-round pick Danny Gray made a few grabs on Saturday. One was a leaping catch during 11-on-11s from Cole Payton, who bounced back a bit from his three-INT Day 2. Gray also had a couple catches during 7-on-7s. The 49ers drafted Gray with the No. 105 overall pick back in 2022 but he hasn’t played in a regular season game since his rookie season.
This is the best WR depth the Eagles have had in a while.
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Mac McWilliams is having a good summer. He has a good shot to be CB5 if he continues to play like this. Kelee Ringo is better on STs, but McWilliams is the better DB and is cheap for the next two years.
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There were some injuries.
OG Micah Morris got banged up. Rookie OLB Keyshawn James-Newby got hurt and had to be carted off. Rookie OG Jaeden Roberts got hurt on the final play of practice and apparently it didn’t look good.
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