Eagles practice observations: First glimpse at Sean Mannion’s scheme; Markel Bell gets starter snaps; defense looks sharp
A.J. Brown, along with Lane Johnson, Jihaad Campbell, and Jalen Carter, were not present during OTAs on Wednesday. Mannion's offense looked precise in its execution.
The Eagles held their first open practice of organized team activities on Wednesday at the Jefferson Health Training Complex. Here are my observations:
Taking attendance
Those of us in the local media got our first look at the 2026 Eagles, which can be disorienting with the 90-man roster and so many new players. There are also a number of new faces on the coaching staff. For the most part, it was business as usual as coach Nick Sirianni heads into his sixth season in charge. The Eagles were missing several bodies for what was technically a voluntary work day. They had full attendance on Tuesday, other than the obvious absence of wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Brown has skipped workouts since the offseason program started on April 20. His long-expected trade to the Patriots will likely become official on Monday, barring some unforeseen turn of events. The only remaining uncertainty is compensation. Aside from Brown, the Eagles were without tackle Lane Johnson, defensive tackle Jalen Carter, linebacker Jihaad Campbell, receiver Dontayvion Wicks, and outside linebacker Keyshawn James-Newby. Outside linebacker Brandon Graham also wasn’t present. He will be dropped from the active roster next month, but an eventual 17th season with the Birds can’t be ruled out.
Injury notes
Campbell is still recovering from offseason shoulder injury and was likely rehabbing away from the indoor facility where practice was held. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said that Campbell, who’s likely to replace the departed Nakobe Dean, will return in time for the start of training camp in late July. Safety Drew Mukuba appeared to be a full participant six months after he suffered a season-ending fractured ankle as a rookie.
The Eagles did have three injured players who watched practice from the sidelines: rookie safeties Cole Wisniewski and Tucker Large and inside linebacker Chandler Martin.
Great depth
It would be foolish to make much of the personnel pecking order during seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills, even at spots where there is competition. But our first glimpse did offer some clues about the early depth chart. Fangio spilled the beans last week about Cooper DeJean moving to safety in base packages. He was alongside Mukuba with the first unit. Marcus Epps, who was the odd man out in base, was on the field in nickel. Epps could be placeholder if general manager Howie Roseman decides to eventually upgrade at the position.
With Campbell out, Jeremiah Trotter started next to Zack Baun at inside linebacker. Smael Mondon and Chance Campbell also took repetitions with the first group. If there was a surprise in terms of personnel, it was seeing quarterback Andy Dalton take the majority of snaps with the second offense ahead of Tanner McKee. A day earlier, it was the opposite. Dalton has a wealth of experience, so it’s understandable why the Eagles wouldn’t bury him. There’s also a question of whether McKee is on the trade market. Roseman may be waiting for an injury on another team to open the possibility. Either way, there’s a lot to learn with a new offense being installed. Reps are precious.
Lining ‘em up
As stated above, depth charts are more like seating charts at this stage, especially beyond the first unit. But here’s how new offensive line coach Chris Kuper lined up his guys on the second day of OTAs:
(Lane Johnson)
A few notes:
— Kuper wasted no time with Markel Bell given Lane Johnson’s absence. The third-round rookie is penciled in to be the future Hall of Famer’s eventual replacement at right tackle, but a lot can happen between now and then. Mainly, Bell may not be ready when there is a need. Of course, given how last season went with Johnson’s health, it may come sooner rather than later. Nevertheless, that Kuper was confident enough to have Bell with the starters was notable.
— Myles Hinton, a tackle by trade, played both guard spots. The move could be permanent or the Eagles may want to make the second-year offensive lineman more versatile.
— Drew Kendall didn’t play any center as far as I could tell. As with Hinton, Kuper may just want to expand his capabilities. Jake Majors and Willie Lampkin had a couple bad snaps that nullified plays.
Mannion equation
Practice offered our first glance at offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s new scheme. As Sirianni and Jalen Hurts emphasized during their news conferences, it’s an obvious work in progress. But of the 30 or so plays run, many had the hallmarks of the Shanahan west coast system: quarterbacks under center, receivers in motion, and the marrying of the run and pass through play-action.
There was still plenty that looked the same on the surface. Mannion said there would be a blending of the previous offense with the new one, which makes sense considering the success the Eagles often had under the old one. Hurts is on his fifth different coordinator, but this will likely be the most significant change he’s had to endure since Sirianni became coach in 2021.
“I do want to become an expert at the position. I do want to grow in the position,” Hurts said after practice. “That’s obviously hard to do when it’s always changing. But that’s not going to stop me from trying to be the best I can be. I’m just trying to grow and take in the coaching.”
Receiving line
Hurts’ first pass predictably went to future new No. 1 receiver DeVonta Smith. With Brown’s exit coming, the Eagles’ top draft pick in 2021 is likely to see an increase in targets. Smith has often chosen to get his offseason work done away from the team facility, but he’s been around more this spring, from what I understand. He had several catches on short routes and flashed his reliable hands on a toss nearly out of reach.
Top draft pick Makai Lemon ran with the ones out of the slot and occasionally on the outside. He caught a quickie, but dropped a Hurts pass over the middle on the next play. Lemon might have gotten distracted by the contraptions used to simulate pass rushers during seven-on-sevens. Hurts went to him again, but the young receiver was rerouted by a defensive back and the ball sailed ahead of him.
Johnny Wilson, back in the saddle after missing all of last season, ran some routes with the first-team offense. He also had a few grabs. Wilson, who suffered a leg injury in training camp last August, could have a roster spot as a blocking receiver. I didn’t see much of new addition Hollywood Brown. Elijah Moore, another free agent receiver, had a catch or two.
Cornering the market
The addition of cornerback Riq Woolen likely led to DeJean moving to safety in base personnel. On paper, Woolen is an improvement over last year’s corner opposite Quinyon Mitchell: Adoree’ Jackson. He’s significantly longer. In fact, the 6-foot-4 corner towered over others at his position during practice. Woolen wasn’t tested much, but Smith got behind him on a deep route at one point. Hurts’ throw was slightly underthrown and Woolen threw up his arm without looking back and broke up the pass.
Veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones, who was signed in March, stood in contrast to Woolen at 5-9. He had a nice practice. He notched a pass breakup on a Dalton pass thrown behind his intended target. Later on, he dropped into zone coverage on the outside and picked off Dalton, who didn’t see the corner underneath. Jones darted the other direction toward the end zone and was swallowed up by his celebrating defensive teammates.
This and that
Running back Saquon Barkley caught a couple of Hurts throws out of the backfield. He and other Eagles running backs also took a couple handoffs during team drills, which you don’t often see during the spring. Campbell slashed in and touched up Barkley for a would-be tackle for loss at one point.
Receiver Britain Covey was one of Dalton’s favorite targets. He had a few grabs, but also dropped a toss over the middle and couldn’t pull in what would have been a tough catch near the sideline. Dalton wasn’t very accurate. Rookie quarterback Cole Payton was sharper with the third unit. He threaded a second-level throw over tight end Dae’Quan Wright’s shoulder. Undrafted rookie receiver Brandon Hayes, who had just been signed by the Eagles, had a pass sail through his hands. Her rebounded later for a reception.
For the defense
I’d say the defense, overall, outplayed the offense. Credit Fangio’s unit. I’d expect as much this early into Mannion’s installation. But I liked the diversity of what I saw from his offense: lots of motion and misdirection, a variety of screen passes, and overall efficiency.
There seemingly wasn’t a lot of confusion. On one play, the offense came flying out of the huddle, got set at the line, and snapped the ball on one count. It’s a simple conceit, but timing is of the utmost importance, and the unit looked precise in its execution.
Extra points
The last part of practice involved conditioning drills. Fangio had his charges run through old school box drills. … Kicker Jake Elliott, punter Braden Mann and rookie long snapper Rocco Underwood ran sprints at one of the end of field during seven-on-sevens. Outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard, who was acquired last month in a trade with the Vikings, jumped in and ran with the specialists. … The Eagles’ next OTA is Friday. The have three more next week on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Mandatory minicamp is June 9 and 10.
By all accounts, Zach Ertz is one of the most beloved players in modern Eagles history. Not only does he rank statistically as the top tight end to ever play for the team, he caught the decisive touchdown to bring Philadelphia its first Super Bowl victory, earned multiple Pro Bowl selections, and was regarded as a locker room leader. But for as strong a mark as he left on the city, Ertz had a couple tough moments with the franchise, experiences that caused him to look inward and face his demons. During a recent visit with The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, the 35-year old Ertz reflected on how finding strength through faith helped him overcome an embarrassing mistake and bring greater balance to his life. Listen here.
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