Five things we’ll be watching in the Eagles’ two joint practices with the Cleveland Browns

For two days and two days only during this training camp — unless the Eagles have some sudden and unexpected shift in their philosophies — the top Eagles players on offense and defense will face an opponent who isn’t a teammate.

The Eagles host the Cleveland Browns for two joint practices Wednesday and Thursday at the NovaCare Complex before they meet again for a Saturday matinee preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field.

This will mark the third time in four years the Eagles are meeting the Browns for joint practices. They met in Ohio in 2022 and in 2023 at the NovaCare Complex.

Here are five things we’ll be watching for during the two sessions:

Tuesday marked the 13th practice of training camp and the 10th consecutive session in which Jalen Hurts was down at least one of his top two receiving targets. The Eagles have had only three practices this camp — the first three — with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith available.

It has shown at times.

While Saquon Barkley has had his moments — and, to be fair, the passing game has at times, too — the Eagles are much easier to defend, especially against their own elite defense, when one of those two receivers is off the field.

Brown (hamstring) returned to practice in a limited capacity Sunday but has yet to go through team drills. Perhaps the Eagles will turn him loose this week. He has had some previous battles with Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, who led the NFL with 19 pass breakups last season.

The Browns are bringing to town an improved defense bolstered by two early 2025 draft picks, tackle Mason Graham and linebacker Carson Schwesinger.

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While we’re on the subject of Cleveland’s defense, it’s worth mentioning that the last time the Browns were at the NovaCare Complex in 2023, Myles Garrett had a field day with Jordan Mailata both in one-on-ones and in team drills.

Two years later, Mailata’s transformation will be on display, although the Eagles’ left tackle, who was a second-team All-Pro selection last season, fared quite well against Garrett during a home game last season. The Eagles held Garrett to just three pressures during their Week 6 victory. Only two teams held him to fewer pressures last season.

But the left side of the Eagles’ line took a hit with Landon Dickerson needing surgery on his meniscus, which leaves his status for Week 1 in the air.

Brett Toth got the first look at first-team left guard Tuesday. Wednesday will bring a test against a formidable front, and it’s possible the Eagles could end up doing some tinkering as they get a look at life without Dickerson.

The marquee position battles in Eagles camp will continue this week, and with two joint practices followed by a preseason game, it’s a bit superfluous to call this an important week.

Rookie Drew Mukuba got the first reps at safety next to Reed Blankenship on Tuesday for the first time since the second practice of camp, although Sydney Brown mixed in. Mukuba’s return from a shoulder injury kept him out of the preseason opener Thursday, but he’s obviously still in the mix to win a starting job from Brown. Not that they haven’t been tested by Dallas Goedert and others, but Browns tight end David Njoku figures to give them plenty of work in the middle of the field.

At cornerback, Adoree’ Jackson again got the first look at outside corner on Tuesday, though Kelee Ringo mixed in with the ones as well. The Eagles recently inserted Jakorian Bennett into the race, but after getting some reps with the ones on Sunday, Bennett was with the twos on Tuesday. The top Cleveland target figures to be Jerry Jeudy, who likely will see a lot of Quinyon Mitchell.

There’s also the edge rushers. Beyond Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt, the Eagles aren’t really sure what they have. And while the other real contenders for snaps — Joshua Uche, Azeez Ojulari, Ogbo Okoronkwo, and Patrick Johnson — got some run in the preseason opener, can they separate themselves with some extended action against players not named Mailata and Lane Johnson? We’ll see.

As for the offensive side of the ball, it’s a big week for the receivers not named Brown, Smith, or Jahan Dotson. Darius Cooper’s long look continues, and the Eagles will have some difficult decisions to make in the coming weeks.

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Who will be testing that Eagles secondary? It’s 40-year-old Joe Flacco apparently still in position to lead the Browns onto the field in Week 1. Behind him is another old friend and South Jersey connection in Kenny Pickett.

But behind them are two rookie draft picks. One of them, Dillon Gabriel, picked 94th overall, was held out of the preseason opener with a hamstring injury. The other, Shedeur Sanders, picked 144th overall, walked into the stadium for his first preseason game flanked by a mini-entourage and a large speaker.

It feels too on the nose for the lowly Browns to have this quarterback room right now, but Sanders played pretty well in his preseason debut.

We’ll see how many reps he gets vs. the top Eagles unit this week to assess how real the hype is.

Due respect to Tanner McKee and the players who started Thursday night, these practices will offer our first real look at new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s offense against another opponent.

The Eagles won’t necessarily be doing much game-planning against Cleveland’s defense, but we’ll see a trial run of sorts of how Patullo calls a game for his best players against an unfriendly defense that isn’t the league’s best.

Jim Schwartz’s defense was in the middle of the pack in 2024, much easier to beat on the ground than through the air, which wasn’t apparent when the teams met in Week 6. The Browns held Barkley to a season-low 47 yards on 18 attempts. They were the only team the Eagles faced until the Super Bowl that held Barkley under 3 yards per carry.