Eagles practice observations: Riq Woolen intercepts Jalen Hurts twice; Another big day for D; DeVonta Smith still awesome

The Eagles held the 16th open practice of their 2026 training camp on Tuesday at Lincoln Financial Field. Here were my observations from Day 16 (and links to Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15):

Eli Stowers missed a second straight practice with a hamstring injury that he suffered in the second preseason game against the Patriots. The rookie tight end is expected to be out for about two weeks, from what I understand. If he’s healthy by the Wednesday before Week 1 of the regular season, he could be available for the season opener.

» READ MORE: Jalyx Hunt is fine with you noticing his ascent. Just don’t call the Eagles pass rusher a breakout player.

The following Eagles were also held out because of injury: Tackle Markel Bell (thumb/leg), cornerback Jonathan Jones (shoulder), tight end Grant Calcaterra (back), cornerback Jakorian Bennett (knee) and safety Cole Wisniewski (concussion). Cornerback Mac McWilliams (shoulder) was limited.

The Eagles had a number of players make full returns from injury, including center/guard Willie Lampkin (stinger), defensive tackle Byron Young (shoulder), running back Dameon Pierce (hamstring), tackle John Ojukwu (pectoral), wide receiver Quez Watkins (foot), cornerback Ambry Thomas (groin), and receiver Danny Gray (groin).

Guard Landon Dickerson was given a not-injury-related rest day. Whether it’s a coincidence or not, he tore the meniscus in his knee during last year’s open practice at the Linc. The Eagles may have sat him to stay away from potential bad juju. Dickerson rushed back from surgery in time for the opener a year ago, but recently said that he should have waited until he was fully recovered.

Drew Kendall took all the repetitions at left guard in Dickerson’s place. He had his ups and downs in a scrimmage that favored the Eagles defense, particularly the first unit. Kendall got toasted by defensive tackle Moro Ojomo on an inside rush that resulted in a sack at one point. Right tackle Lane Johnson left early not long after edge Nolan Smith Jr. beat him inside for a hurry. Fred Johnson took his spot with Bell out. Ojukwu got bumped up the depth chart and filled in the few times left tackle Jordan Mailata took a rest.

The makeshift O-line likely had something to do with the struggles of Jalen Hurts and Co. The quarterback was pressured a bunch. But Sean Mannion’s unit was often out of sync except for a couple successful red-zone plays and one good drive after being backed up. Hurts’ two interceptions to cornerback Riq Woolen will make headlines — as they should for both parties — but there were a lot of reasons why the first-unit offense looked sloppy.

» READ MORE: Riq Woolen feels like ‘a rookie again’ with the Eagles. His prove-it year is big for him and the Birds.

Credit has to be given to Vic Fangio’s group. He’s had all of his starters for most of the summer and that same 11 was in the lineup again. Mannion’s installation has been completed for over a week, so there isn’t much new to throw at the defense. The group knows the plays, the snap count and often what’s coming before it even happens.

On the first series, Hurts hit receiver Dontayvion Wicks for a short gain and Saquon Barkley had a solid run to the left, but it was mostly defensive dominance thereafter. Safety Marcus Epps snuffed out a Hurts draw play. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter met Barkley at the line of scrimmage for a stop. Hurts hooked up with receiver DeVonta Smith after getting forced to his right. But his pass to receiver Makai Lemon on an inside route was broken up by cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.

The next set was less productive for the offense or more fruitful for the defense — take your pick. Hurts went to Lemon on a schemed-up pass off play-action, but cornerback Cooper DeJean was in the receiver’s pocket. Smith burned Mitchell on a deep post route, but Hurts’ pass was underthrown and Mitchell recovered to break up the pass. Smith is clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the Eagles’ receivers.

» READ MORE: Gov. Josh Shapiro reiterates that the Eagles’ home of the future will ‘be in the city of Philadelphia’

Jalyx Hunt made Fred Johnson look like a turnstile on the way to a would-be sack. Hurts continued the play and hit Wicks over the middle, but the play was given to the defense. Another short toss to Lemon netted few yards with cornerback Michael Carter II in tight coverage. Jalen Carter touched up Barkley for a stop. And when Hurts did well to roll away from an unblocked blitzer and found Smith as his outlet, the receiver dropped the ball. On the last play of the set, Hurts chucked the ball wide and out of bounds of a covered Smith.

Lemon has been getting a tutorial from DeJean, one of the best slots in the NFL. Mannion called for another quick hitter to the receiver off a naked bootleg, but with Hunt in Hurts’ mug, DeJean was all over Lemon by the time the ball arrived. Jalen Carter gifted the offense five yards when he jumped offside. But a Barkley outside zone run on the next play was blown up in the backfield. Hurts likely needed to check out of that call with so many defenders in the box.

» READ MORE: Eagles first-round wideout Makai Lemon talks hamstring injury, full return to practice: ‘I never want to be away from this game’

It just got worse. A Fangio blitz collapsed the pocket, but Hurts still threw to Lemon on a crossing route. It wasn’t the greatest route and Woolen snatched the ball for his first interception of the night. An offensive false start followed. Hurts did hook up with receiver Darius Cooper on a button hook. And running back Tank Bigsby had decent gains up the middle on the ground.

But Ojomo’s sack and another drop — this time from Cooper — ended the set.

The offense rebounded in the red zone. On the first play from the 20-yard line, Barkley ran a sort-of corner route and got behind linebacker Zack Baun. Hurts’ throw was perfect and the running back made the catch for a touchdown.

On the next red-zone possession, Barkley gobbled yards up the middle on first down. But on the next play, Hurts’ downfield throw to Lemon off play-action was broken up by Mitchell. The rookie receiver didn’t appear to get enough depth on his route. The ball went back to Lemon on his next pattern — when he motioned inside and ran a wheel route — and the defense didn’t account for him. He waltzed into the end zone untouched.

» READ MORE: What changed for Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion after an ugly preseason debut? ‘Execution’

Hurts built off that modicum of success during the backup portion. A first-down run didn’t net many yards. In fact, it resulted in defensive tackle Jordan Davis hobbling off after he dinged his left arm. (He later returned, outfitted with a brace.). But Bigsby churned ahead on the ground on a couple carries. And Hurts again rolled away from the rush and found tight end Cam Latu for a first down.

We got a rare glimpse of tight end Johnny Mundt in the backfield. The Bigsby rush was thwarted, but not exclusively because of Mundt’s lead block. A screen pass to Smith on the ensuing play was blown up by DeJean. But Hurts wisely kept feeding his best receiver. He rifled a dart to Smith on a comebacker ahead of Mitchell. And two plays later, tossed a strike to No. 6 just out of Woolen’s reach and Smith jetted upfield for chunk yards.

A busted play that forced Hurts into a throwaway and DeJean snuffing out a Will Shipley draw forced another third down. But receiver Hollywood Brown got wide-open downfield and raced the last 10 yards untouched into the end zone.

The first two-minute drill was an odd one as the offense worked on getting the defense to jump offside. Barkley and tight end Dallas Goedert looked back at their coaches upset or confused or something else when a couple of the tailback’s rushes were curtailed. Center Cam Jurgens walked out of the huddle and was replaced by Jake Majors. Jurgens didn’t appear hurt. But Hurts’ hard count finally did get an impatient Ojomo to jump. It wasn’t exactly riveting stuff for the fans.

Nevertheless, the first units came out for one last hurry-up period. The offense got off to a solid start with a Barkley catch-and-run out of the backfield, a check down to Smith and a Hurts seed to Wicks over the middle. But when Hurts was pressured again by Hunt, he tried for Smith near the sideline. Woolen was in lockstep with the receiver, jumped the route and went the other way with the ball for a pick-six.

This was a night almost exclusively for the starters with fans in the house, and the final preseason game reserved for guys fighting to make the roster or the practice squad. There were some periods for the second and third units. Andy Dalton got the nod at quarterback as he and Tanner McKee continued to split snaps in their battle for the No. 2 job.

Dalton overthrew Cooper on his first drop. But he got into a rhythm with receiver Elijah Moore and scored on their third connection when Moore found space on a crossing route and zigzagged into the end zone.

» READ MORE: Tanner McKee outperforms Andy Dalton in the Eagles’ confounding backup QB competition. Will it matter?

McKee had some good moments, too. He went to Brown for a couple quickies vs. zone coverage. He found Moore as his outlet vs. the blitz. And on fourth down, he hit tight end E.J. Jenkins on a short release. Shipley did the rest on the ground and scored when he ran off right tackle. McKee’s two-point conversion try in the back of the end zone went off Brown’s hands.

McKee shined in the two-minute period. He hooked up with Cooper on a deep crosser and hit Moore on a 15-yard out. His downfield pass to Cooper was on target, but the receiver eased up his route and the ball sailed by. Cooper reacted as if he knew he messed up.

The final score was Defense 58, Offense 36. … Rookie quarterback Cole Payton got a few reps in the backup period. … Britain Covey was again the first up to field punts, but Lemon took turns as well. If the Eagles believe the rookie can handle punts, it could make Covey expendable on game days … Shipley and Bigsby were paired as the first two kick returners. … The Eagles announced attendance of more than 45,000. Pennsylvania governor and noted Eagles fan Josh Shapiro was among them. … The Eagles will return to the Jefferson Health Training Complex for practice on Wednesday afternoon. They will have a closed walkthrough on Thursday ahead of Friday’s preseason finale at the Linc vs. the Bengals.

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The Eagles’ first-stringers get little to no action in exhibition games, annual joint practices with other teams become one of the few opportunities for starters to get preseason reps of consequence. This year, the Eagles traveled to New England for two days of live workouts with the Patriots. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Boston Sports Journal’s Greg A. Bedard recap what they saw, and explain why, even after the joint practices, the Eagles still haven’t shown much of an identity. Listen here.

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