Eagles practice observations: Good news: Defense records 4 INTs; Bad news: Jalen Hurts & Co. toss ‘em

The Eagles held their second and final open practice of organized team activities — otherwise known as OTAs — on Thursday at the NovaCare Complex. Here are my observations:

Roll call. The following veterans who weren’t present for last week’s open-to-reporters workout were also missing a week later: wide receiver DeVonta Smith, cornerback James Bradberry, tackle Lane Johnson, and defensive end Josh Sweat.

The following players, who practiced last week, decided to skip Thursday’s joint session: cornerback Darius Slay and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. And the following, who were absent last week, returned: cornerback Kelee Ringo and kicker Jake Elliott.

The Eagles had just one new injury, as far as I could tell: Receiver Jacob Harris was resigned to watching practice for an unknown reason. Second-year safety Sydney Brown, who is recovering from a torn ACL, was also present and observant of the workout. He didn’t condition, like he did a week ago. Cornerback Zech McPhearson (Achilles) has been suited up and partaking in individual drills, but didn’t do much else. Linebacker Nakobe Dean (foot) did more than he did during last week’s open practice and took several repetitions in seven-on-seven drills.

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Depth chart notes. There was one set of team drills, as opposed to last week, which gave us our first view of the first two units along the lines. The first team O-line, from left to right was tackle Jordan Mailata, guard Landon Dickerson, center Cam Jurgens, guard Tyler Steen, and tackle Mekhi Becton (in for Johnson). The second team O-line: tackle Fred Johnson, guard Darian Kinnard, center Brett Toth, guard Matt Hennessy, and tackle Gottlieb Ayedze.

On the D-line, the first team four-man front was: defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis and edges Bryce Huff and Brandon Graham. The second team D-line, which opened in a five-man front: nose tackle Marlon Tuipulotu, defensive tackles Milton Williams (who would likely start in five-man) and Moro Ojomo, and edges Julian Okwara and Terrell Lewis.

Sweat’s absence has been explained. … Nolan Smith’s absence from the first two units likely had something to do with an injury he’s nursing. He did participate in a few seven-on-sevens, but was kept out of team drills. Smith met with reporters after practice and downplayed the impact a nagging shoulder injury had on his rookie season. He said he was fully recovered, however.

Pluck Rodgers. Isaiah Rodgers could have a legitimate shot at winning the outside cornerback spot opposite Slay, at least based upon what I’ve seen so far from the former Colt. Yeah, sure, it’s early and the players are only in shorts and shells. But Bradberry certainly doesn’t have a hold on the job and first-rounder Quinyon Mitchell is just a rookie.

Rodgers had maybe the play of the day when he jumped a Jalen Hurts pass to receiver A.J. Brown for a pick-6 in seven-on-seven. Before we get to the quarterback’s rough outing — not to mention the entire offense’s struggles — a little more on Rodgers. He spoke for the first time since returning from his one-year suspension for violating the league’s policy on gambling. The 26-year-old sounded remorseful about his transgression and seemed open to playing near the boundary, in the slot, or wherever the Eagles may need him.

Growing Hurts. As the Eagles install a new offense, there are likely to be days like they had on Thursday. The same could be said for the defense, which is also undergoing a schematic change. But there just isn’t as much to learn on that side of the ball, especially with the Eagles having run versions of new coordinator Vic Fangio’s system in the three previous seasons.

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So give the defense some of the credit for Hurts & Co.’s problems. But four interceptions, a handful of errant throws, and several drops from all three units out of a total of 45 plays wasn’t good. Both sides were without key pieces, but no DeVonta Smith had Hurts relying on Brown too often, hence Rodgers projecting the short attempt to the receiver that he intercepted.

Baun braun. Fangio touted Zack Baun‘s chances to start at off-ball linebacker when he spoke a few weeks back. The converted edge rusher seems to have taken to the positional switch. He showed good hands and concentration when a Hurts tight-window throw bounced off Brown’s hands and into the air. Baun deflected the pass and somehow pulled it in for a pick.

Devin White was again the inside linebacker alongside Baun. He had decent coverage on Saquon Barkley after Hurts’ first and only pass to the running back on a flat route. Dean’s few reps came with the second unit alongside Ben VanSumeren. Oren Burks, who was signed as a free agent, took Dean’s spot when he jogged off.

Safety in numbers. With Gardner-Johnson away, and Sydney Brown rehabbing, the Eagles have been cross-training cornerbacks Avonte Maddox and Mekhi Garner at safety. In fact, both spent the entirety of Thursday’s workout at the position. It’s not just the lack of numbers at the spot that has them playing there. The Eagles have an abundance of cornerbacks, too. There’s still uncertainly about Mitchell and second-rounder Cooper DeJean and their readiness, but they should get the benefit of the doubt over the others. DeJean spent most of his time in the slot, while Mitchell was mostly outside. Mitchell did get a few turns inside.

Maddox has the skills to play safety, which has plenty of crossover with his regular position in the slot. It seems like local reporters have been asking about a permanent move there for years. His roster spot isn’t guaranteed anymore, but the more tools he has, the better shot he has. Maddox came up to make would-be tackles on a number of short passes.

Garner, meanwhile, notched himself an interception during seven-on-sevens when he undercut a deep pass from No. 2 quarterback Kenny Pickett.

Speed for less. Receiver John Ross was Pickett’s intended target. The former first-round pick was signed last Friday a few weeks after a tryout. Ross is a long shot to make the 53-man roster, but it’s hard not to root for the guy, especially after he spoke after practice about his long road back.

Injuries have marred the 28-year-old’s career, and he didn’t land with a team in 2022. The Chiefs signed the speedster to a futures contract in January, but he announced his retirement soon after. Ross now says it was a decision he immediately regretted and says he is consistently fast as ever.

He looked the part on the deep post route that resulted in the Garner pick. I don’t think Pickett realized how quick Ross ran downfield. Later on, the receiver flashed good hands on a comeback route. Ross got wide open on a crosser soon after, but third-string quarterback Tanner McKee threw behind him.

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Ringo’s star. Hurts wasn’t without his highlights. He completed a bunch of passes to Brown on short routes often at the expense of Ringo, who was filling in for Slay. Ringo broke up a deep toss from Hurts to receiver Parris Campbell, and nearly hung on for the interception, but the ball slipped out of his hands when he landed on his back.

Don’t kill Kenny. Pickett had some good moments, too. He hit rookie receiver Johnny Wilson over the middle on his first pass. He hooked up with tight end Grant Calcaterra on his next. He had good rhythm with rookie running back Will Shipley on several connections of the backfield. Shipley had a few miscues a week ago, but he looked in his targets and moved gracefully.

McKee completed a couple passes to receiver Britain Covey and had a nice high toss to E.J. Jenkins where only his receiver could go up and get it. But the second-year quarterback was intercepted, too, when undrafted rookie cornerback Shon Stephens stepped in front of an attempt to Covey that ended practice.

Extra points. The Eagles added a large screen to the sideline that showed all-22 replays. Coaches and players could review plays immediately after they happened. Cool idea. … Covey and DeJean were the first two up on punt returns. We got our first gander at rookie Ainias Smith as a returner, and it didn’t go so well. On his last attempt, he tripped over his feet as the ball fell to the grass. … The Eagles have one more OTA on Friday, which is closed to media. They reconvene for a three-day mandatory minicamp from Tuesday to Thursday.