Eagles practice observations: Jalen Hurts’ INTs little to worry about; DeVonta Smith goes deep

The Eagles held their sixth and last organized team activity — otherwise known as OTAs — on Thursday at the NovaCare Complex and opened the workout to reporters. Here were my observations:

Roll call. A number of veterans took advantage of practice being voluntary and bypassed the final session of the spring. The list: wide receiver A.J. Brown, center Jason Kelce, tackle Lane Johnson, defensive end Brandon Graham, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, defensive end Josh Sweat, outside linebacker Haason Reddick, linebacker Nicholas Morrow, cornerback Darius Slay, cornerback James Bradberry, and cornerback Josiah Scott. Receiver Devon Allen, who isn’t assured a roster spot, likely would have been in attendance had he not been preparing to compete in the 110-meter hurdles in Paris this week.

The following players were present but didn’t participate, likely for reasons related to their health: cornerback Avonte Maddox, defensive end Derek Barnett (knee), rookie cornerback Kelee Ringo, and receiver Jadon Haselwood, who wasn’t outside for last week’s open workout. Defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu (knee) took part in individual drills.

Lead by example. Halfway through practice, coach Nick Sirianni gathered together select players for what appeared to be a brief leadership council meeting. Past captains like quarterback Jalen Hurts and kicker Jake Elliott were in the huddle, but with mainstays Kelce, Johnson, Graham, Cox, and Slay absent, younger starters like tight end Dallas Goedert, tackle Jordan Mailata, guard Landon Dickerson, receiver DeVonta Smith, linebacker Nakobe Dean, and defensive tackle Jordan Davis were included. While a number of those players have already produced at a high level, the next generation of Eagles leaders seems bright.

Deep waters. Like last week, Sirianni kept competitive periods to just seven-on-seven drills. That made it pointless to compile a full depth chart, as did the absence of so many starters. But Reed Blankenship and Terrell Edmunds were again paired as the first-team safeties. With Slay, Bradberry, and Maddox missing, Greedy Williams and Josh Jobe started at outside cornerback with Zech McPhearson in the slot. Of the rookie defensive backs, safety Sydney Brown has the best chance to compete for a starting spot. While he continued to impress with his spatial awareness in deep zones, Brown is likely to make more hay once the pads come out for training camp.

» READ MORE: Eagles have landed ‘a warrior’ in safety Sydney Brown, his college coach says

Elliss island. Christian Elliss made the play of the day a week ago when he intercepted backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. He snared his second in as many open workouts when he jumped in front of a Jack Stoll hook route and picked off Hurts. Elliss notched a pass breakup when matched up earlier vs. Stoll. The second-year linebacker is known for his special-teams abilities, but there’s little reason to think he can’t push Morrow for the starting off-ball linebacker opposite Dean. Of course, if that were to happen, general manager Howie Roseman might feel compelled to make a move to upgrade the position before the season opener.

Garnering attention. Cornerback Mekhi Garner intercepted Hurts two plays after Elliss’ pick. The undrafted rookie went low for a pass intended for out-breaking receiver Olamide Zaccheaus. It was an impressive play that warranted Garner’s celebration. But he drew a rebuke from Sirianni, who told the LSU product to take it down a notch and move on to the next play. The 6-foot-2, 212-pound Garner is quite the physical specimen. The Eagles have added two of the bigger corners in this year’s rookie class with Garner and the 6-2, 207-pound Ringo.

A year ago, there was a report that Hurts’ struggles in the spring had Eagles brass concerned. True or not, spring practices in shorts and shells have to be given proper context. The same to a lesser extent could be said of training camp and the preseason. The workouts, while important, have to be taken with a dose of salt. And casual observers, even ones who have watched hundreds of practices, don’t have the luxury of knowing player responsibility on any given play or of watching film on playback. Carry on.

» READ MORE: ‘Last year is over’: Jalen Hurts sets tone as the Eagles conclude OTAs and depart for summer break

Pop Quez. Asked for a returning player who has caught his eye this spring, Sirianni wasted little time singling out receiver Quez Watkins. “I kind of sense from him [that he’s thinking], ‘Oh, some people think I stink? Wait. Wait,’” Sirianni said. “That’s how he’s attacked every day … and I think that he looks really good.” Watkins may have regressed last season, but he doesn’t stink. While a cynic may suggest that the coach’s praise could help increase the fourth-year receiver’s trade market — especially after the acquisition of Zaccheaus this offseason — the Eagles aren’t especially deep at the position. And the Eagles value Watkins’ versatility.

He filled in for Brown on the outside on Thursday and got open on a corner route. Hurts’ toss hit the outstretched receiver in the hands, but Watkins dropped the pass. It would have been a tough reception, but he should have caught it.

Smitty smitten. Smith skipped last week’s open session, but he didn’t skip a beat upon his return. He caught three passes from Hurts — the best coming after the second interception and after Smith got behind undrafted rookie cornerback Eli Ricks on a go route and before Blankenship came over from the post. The result: a touchdown.

Tight-lipped. The Eagles have a seven-man stable of tight ends. Goedert, Stoll, and Grant Calcaterra return from last year’s roster, with the latter two the odds-on favorites to play behind the former. Several of the newer faces made grabs on Thursday. Dalton Keene pulled in a throw from quarterback Ian Book with linebacker Kyron Johnson draped on his shoulder. Dan Arnold, who is entering his sixth year in the NFL, high-pointed a Book toss and managed to keep his feet inbounds.

Goedert, Calcaterra, and Tyree Jackson also caught short passes underneath.

Other highlights. Running backs D’Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, and Trey Sermon all caught passes out of the backfield. Mariota threw six passes, each of them of the check-down variety. He overthrew Gainwell in the flat on his last attempt. Rookie quarterback Tanner McKee connected on both his passes, hitting receiver Britain Covey on a crosser vs. zone and Sermon on a Texas route. The sixth-round Stanford product is already ahead of last year’s rookie quarterback: Carson Strong. Cornerback Mario Goodrich broke up a Hurts heave to receiver Greg Ward on a slant route.

Extra point. The Eagles are slated to report to NovaCare for training camp July 26 with the first practice coming the next day. The official schedule will be released within the next few weeks.