Eagles practice observations: Jordan Davis in a rush; A.J. Brown doing A.J. Brown things; Nick Sirianni erupts again

The Eagles held their second practice of the 2023 training camp at the NovaCare Complex on Friday. Here were my observations:

There have been a lot of questions about Jordan Davis for Eagles coaches and players here in the early going, and understandably so. The second-year defensive tackle had a respectable rookie season, but much more will be expected of the former No. 1 draft pick. By most team accounts, he has come into camp in better shape than a year ago. He’ll need to be if he’s to contribute on more than just run downs. It’s almost a necessity to justify the Eagles’ draft expenditure.

Davis had several productive pass rushes on Friday. His best moment came when he used a push-pull move from the three-technique spot to slip inside. I didn’t catch the name of the left guard he smoked, but for context, Davis’ pressure came against the second-team offense. As he ran to the sideline, he dusted himself off in celebration. Later on, he tried a bull rush vs. starting left guard Landon Dickerson to no avail.

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For the second practice in a row, outside linebacker Haason Reddick (groin soreness) was the only active player not to practice. The Eagles have said he’s expected back after Sunday. We’ll see. Cornerback Avonte Maddox (toe) and defensive end Derek Barnett (knee) were limited again. Barnett, who is coming off a torn ACL, recently restructured his contract (read: took a pay cut), an NFL source said. He was previously slated to earn a $7.5 million salary ($3.5 million guaranteed) with a maximum value of $8.5 million in $1 million per-game bonuses. His new deal has the same guarantee with $250,000 in per-game bonuses, up to $2.25 million in incentives and a maximum value of $6 million.

A couple of players got dinged up at practice, but running back Boston Scott returned and safety Reed Blankenship stayed in.

K’Von Wallace opened practice at first-team safety alongside Blankenship. He appeared to be the guilty party when running back D’Andre Swift caught a pass out of the backfield and had all kinds of room to run. Terrell Edmunds jumped back into his regular starting spot for the remainder of the workout. After a couple of screens to Dallas Goedert, Edmunds and defensive end Brandon Graham were not fooled by misdirection and thwarted designed passes to the tight end.

Justin Evans arrived in the offseason via free agency and under the radar, but the safety could be a pleasant surprise if he manages to stay healthy. He punched the ball out of tight end Jack Stoll’s hands from behind and tried the same move — without success — after tight end Grant Calcaterra caught a pass over the middle.

Josiah Scott and Zech McPhearson split first-team time at slot cornerback. It took only one practice for Dennis Kelly to be promoted to second-team left tackle.

A.J. Brown looks like he came into camp in peak condition. He always stands out, but his fluorescent pink cleats made it easier to spot the All-Pro wide receiver from afar. On the first-team drill, Jalen Hurts hit Brown on a fade route out of the slot. Scott had tight coverage, but Brown used his strength to shield the corner for a nice over-the-shoulder grab.

Mr. Slant easily angled inside linebacker Nicholas Morrow for a catch during the next period. And he caught a pass on a comebacker in front of corner Darius Slay later on. All in a day’s work for No. 11.

» READ MORE: ‘Cool with me’: Darius Slay and Matt Patricia clashed in Detroit. On the Eagles, have they squashed their beef?

Davis wasn’t the only Georgia product to shine. Of course, it seems as if half the defense is made up of former Bulldogs. Nolan Smith has been getting repetitions with the first unit with Reddick sidelined. Undersized on paper, Smith looks longer than his listed 6-foot-2, 238 pounds. He generated pressure off the edge on one rush, and more impressively, stuck with Scott out of the backfield when required to drop on another rep.

Smith’s first-round partner, Jalen Carter, continued to stand out. Playing with the third team, he beat a double team and penetrated into the backfield on a toothless outside zone run.

Day 1′s sloppiness unleashed the fury of Nick Sirianni on his squad. The Eagles coach hasn’t been shy about chastising his players since arriving two years ago. He’s always been a yeller. But he’s taken his screaming and cursing to another level in the early days of this camp. I missed him admonishing skill-position players during individual drills. While he may have been a 5 in terms of my 1-to-10, Andy Reid to Jim Washburn scale, he got pretty animated considering that portion of practice was open to cameras.

Perhaps Sirianni wanted everyone to see his rant, including his players later on when they checked out social media. But team drills were much cleaner than they were Wednesday. Outside linebacker Patrick Johnson jumped offside on a simulated two-point play, but I didn’t see anywhere near the number of pre-snap penalties from Wednesday.

Aside from changes at running back, the only significant addition on offense this offseason came with receiver Olamide Zaccheaus. He was relatively quiet in the open-to-media spring workouts, but he flashed his speed late in practice when he turned the corner after a short cross. He also displayed good hands when backup quarterback Marcus Mariota threw a touch behind his receiver on a screen.

Earlier, cornerback James Bradberry broke up a Hurts pass intended for Zaccheaus. The quarterback and receiver seemed out of sync. It could take some time before they have the chemistry Hurts has with his other receivers.

Greg Ward had the catch of the day when he torched cornerback Josh Jobe on a deep post. Mariota hit him in stride and the veteran receiver jetted into the end zone for the touchdown. Ward showed again why the Eagles keep him around. Jobe bounced back a few periods later and ran step-for-step with receiver DeVonta Smith on a deep corner and denied him a jump ball.

Hurts’ best toss probably didn’t count — it looked like he was touched for a “sack” in the backfield — but he chucked a dart to Quez Watkins as he moved to his right and just before the receiver stepped out of bounds. Swift had a number of runs and catches in which he raced into the secondary. The players were only in shorts and shells and contact was limited, but the former St. Joseph’s Prep star has been an early crowd favorite. Receiver Deon Cain, signed just recently, was a third-team catching machine. Johnson beat third-string left tackle Roderick Johnson for a sack. The Eagles have five “Johnsons” on the roster. This is content you can’t get everywhere.

Practice lasted about an hour and 15 minutes, 15 minutes longer than Day 1. … Players are off on Saturday. Camp resumes on Sunday.