Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Camp Opens – Good Vibes

Posted July 30th, 2026 | No Comments »

Training Camp is a funny time. You are going against your own players. If the offense is good, the defense struggles or vice versa. There is also the question of what is going on in a given day. Jim Schwartz famously told the story of Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer getting lit up in spring training. Palmer wasn’t worried because he only threw curve balls that day. He was working on them, not trying to get guys out. Maybe an OL is working on a certain technique. Or a DL is focused on a certain pass rush move. You have to be careful with results, good or bad.

The overall sentiment from the beat writers covering camp is that the offense looked good. They didn’t overwhelm the defense, but Jalen Hurts and company looked comfortable in the new scheme and won their share of battles. There was a lot of under center plays and play-action passes. They incorporated more motion than in the past. It wasn’t always perfect, but it sure sounded like Hurts looked solid in the offense and worked the middle of the field.

Give Sean Mannion credit for having the offense at a good starting point. New schemes can be sloppy at times. It sounded like the Eagles were prepared and looked mostly smooth with what they were doing. There will be growing pains, but they got off to a promising start.

BLG offered this note.

Just like the headline says, there were encouraging signs from the Eagles’ quarterback and the team’s new offense. Was it perfect? No, it wasn’t. There were drops. There were procedural penalties, as Lane Johnson brought up during his post-practice press conference. But this offense looked much more functional than the version that was largely dominated by Vic Fangio’s defense during the team’s spring practices.

Hurts mostly had a good day. There were some erratic moments, but he looked good under center and executing the new scheme. Jimmy Bama shared some thoughts.

But Hurts settled in and got better as the day progressed. He hit DeVonta Smith for a nice completion on a similar route run by Wicks. Smith beat Mitchell on the play. We already know that Smith is a good football player, and he’s primed for a big season taking over for A.J. Brown as the clear-cut WR1. Last year Mitchell shut Brown down throughout camp, so it’ll be a positive sign if Smith can get his share of wins against the cornerback phenom.

The play of the day was a Hurts laser down the seam in 7-on-7’s to Darius Cooper, who made a diving grab. The defense was in zone, but Cooper DeJean followed Cooper down the seam from his slot corner spot. Cooper outraced DeJean to the ball and laid out for a great catch.

Tanner McKee opened as the #2 QB, but he split time with Andy Dalton. Neither one had a great day. Rookie Cole Payton got a few reps and made some good throws. Bo Wulf thinks he did enough to make the team. Jeff McLane was impressed as well.

Rookie quarterback Cole Payton had his ups and downs in the spring, but he continued to display a willingness to throw downfield a month later. He ripped a pass to receiver Quez Watkins during 7-on-7s, and found receiver Britain Covey on a deep corner route.

*****

Jonathan Greenard will start on the PUP list due to a pectoral strain he suffered while lifting weights this summer. Howie Roseman said the team isn’t concerned and expects him to be ready for the season. This will mean more reps for Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith and the other edge rushers. They need the reps more than Greenard. He’s new to the Fangio defense, but is a veteran player who knows what he’s doing.

Hunt had a strong start to his summer. Jeff McLane took notice.

Hunt shot into the backfield unblocked and forced Hurts to check down to Cooper on one play-action pass that came from under center. He blew up tight end Dallas Goedert with an edge rush and Hurts had to hurry a dump to Bigsby that wasn’t caught. And he beat Mailata on back-to-back rushes — one with an inside move and the other from the outside — that blew up pass plays.

Hunt could have a big time season if his game jumps up a level, as it did from his rookie season to Year 2. Jimmy Bama had a good note on Ebiketie.

Arnold Ebiketie also had a “sack” today. He was actually lined up in the slot feigning coverage before coming on a blitz (I guess) off the left side of the defensive line. Markel Bell noticed him and was ready for it, but Ebiketie still got around the edge on Bell for the sack. I though Ebiketie showed some explosiveness.

I think he’ll be an upgrade on the backup rushers from last year.

*****

Dave Zangaro has the OL depth chart for the day. This is LT to RT.

First team: Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Lane Johnson

Second team: Fred Johnson, Michael Jordan, Jake Majors, Drew Kendall, Markel Bell

Third team: John Ojukwu, Myles Hinton, Willie Lampkin, Micah Morris, Cameron Williams

No real surprises. Jordan as backup LG is interesting. He is a proven veteran. Kendall working at RG is a good sign to me. He got a ton of center experience in college. It feels like the team is cross-training him to be ready to play OG if needed. Bell at RT makes sense. The Eagles want him there long term so every rep will help him.

*****

MISC

Tank Bigsby showed real juice and got his share of touches. Everyone seemed impressed with him, building on a strong spring.

***

DT Uar Bernard has a long way to go. He struggled and looked lost in his first TC practice. No surprise at all.

***

Rookie Makai Lemon had a couple of catches. He was used in motion a lot. He also got reps as the punt returner, along with Britain Covey and Elijah Moore.

***

RB Dameon Pierce had a good run and got the attention of a few people.

***

DT Ty Robinson worked with the third string DL. No surprise that he started off there, but he needs to pick up the pace and make some plays to help his cause.

*****

Yesterday was a good start for the Eagles. It feels like everyone is rowing the boat in the same direction. AJ Brown and his drama are a distant memory. The players are embracing the new scheme and seem genuinely excited about it. The OL aren’t focused on Stout’s departure. They’ve bought into the new system. The team is healthy. All the rookies are signed. Jalen Carter just got a massive contract extension and his teammates seem genuinely excited for him. There is no drama around Jalen Hurts and he seems to be embracing his role as team leader even more than ever.

There are going to be some issues that pop up, but life is good for now. Enjoy it.

*****

A lot of people had Browns DB Grant Delpit as a player the Eagles should trade for to bolster the safety position. Scratch him off as a target.

Howie said the roster remains a work in progress, but I don’t get the sense they feel obligated to make any moves right now. They’re always looking, but only if it makes good sense. No reason to rush or reach for a player.

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