OTA Talk
Posted May 29th, 2025 | 2 Comments »OTAs got underway this week. The media was able to watch some of Wednesday’s practice so we got our first notes on the 2025 Eagles.
If you want to read practice notes, here are 4 good links.
There are no conclusions to draw from one day of OTAs. There are just some interesting things to discuss. The biggest takeaway for me is this – competition. We know Nick Sirianni preaches the importance of competition all the time. The Eagles lost some key players in the offseason. No one will be given a job to replace them. Jobs have to be earned.
Andrew Mukuba and Sydney Brown were the starting safeties, with Reed Blankenship not attending. Andre Sam and Lewis Cine also got a lot of reps. Brown has the most experience. Mukuba is the promising rookie. Sam actually had some good moments and got noticed by multiple reporters. Cine is a former first round pick so he’s not without talent.
With Landon Dickerson out, Matt Pryor was the LG and Tyler Steen was the RG. Kenyon Green was the backup RG. All three of those players will battle for the RG spot. Rookie Drew Kendall only played center. They may have him focus on that as he transitions to the league.
Adoree Jackson and Kelee Ringo both played outside CB. It sounds like Jackson got a few more reps. He’s got more NFL experience, but is new to the Eagles. Ringo knows the system. He just hasn’t played much. Cooper DeJean got reps at outside CB in the base defense. The Eagles don’t play that much, but he is too valuable to take off the field so getting him reps outside makes a lot of sense.
The Eagles aren’t defending their Super Bowl win from last year. They are chasing this year’s title. The way you do that is having hungry players who will battle and play hard…who will really compete. Sirianni wants everyone to earn a job so that this team keeps its edge.
*****
Bryce Huff didn’t practice. McLane pointed out that this could be a move agreed on by Huff and the Eagles. If he were to get hurt, the Eagles would be on the hook for his salary. If they decide to trade or cut him, they can do that after Sunday. You only want Huff out there if you’re keeping him. We’ll all just have to watch and see how this plays out.
*****
Will Shipley was active as a receiver. He could be the third down/2-minute back with Kenny Gainwell now in Pittsburgh. Shipley is a talented receiver so he’s natural for this role.
*****
Dorian Thompson-Robinson was QB3 and Kyle McCord was QB4. Neither of them got to do much. They’ve both got a lot to learn as they adjust to life with the Eagles and in the NFL.
DTR was with the Browns the past few years, but it is hard to say what he learned.
Browns QB Kenny Pickett said year with Eagles showed him how things are supposed to be done. pic.twitter.com/1EoSMPR8UX
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) May 28, 2025
Pickett didn’t get good coaching in Pittsburgh. DTR had a better situation in Cleveland, but he still has to adjust to the Eagles way of doing things. Some of that is by design. Some of it is just the pressure of being on a team that expects to compete for championships. New guys will have a lot to learn.
*****
Eagles OC Kevin Patullo met the media on Tuesday. There are some doubters because of the way things went in 2018 and 2023. That’s fair. Replacing coordinators is never easy. That said, I do feel like Patullo is different.
Patullo has been on the staff the past four years. He’s had a big voice in the offense. Patullo is a veteran NFL coach who has seen different ways to do things. He isn’t coming here to focus on one thing. Patullo can run the offense in different ways because of his background.
He told a good story about his time working for Chan Gailey with the Chiefs in 2008. They lost a couple of QBs so Gailey called the offensive coaches into a room with blank whiteboards. Gailey said “Tyler Thigpen is our QB and we have to figure out a whole new system, something that will work for him.” The Chiefs used the Pistol, which wasn’t part of the NFL at that time. KC lost a ton of games, but the offense had some good moments, despite being on their #3 QB.
The Eagles took a chance on Brian Johnson in 2023. They knew he didn’t have ideal experience, but valued him enough to take a chance. It didn’t work. The Eagles lost multiple key guys in 2018, especially one who was tight with the QB. That led to problems. Patullo has worked closely with Jalen Hurts for four years. Patullo has a strong relationship with Nick Sirianni. We don’t know that this will work, but it feels different.
I thought Patullo looked comfortable in the PC. He didn’t have a lot of exciting answers, but kept stressing the need to put players in good positions. That sounds obvious, but how often do we yell at the TV screen when coaches don’t do the obvious? Patullo has been given a talented, experienced offense. The Eagles put him in position to succeed. Now he needs to do that with his players.
_