Add Milton Williams to the list of ‘hogs in the middle’ bolstering the Eagles defense

After the first few days of Eagles training camp, Brandon Graham’s Freudian slip further confirmed what’s already apparent about the team’s crop of ascending defensive tackles.

Talking about the group of young interior rushers he’s helping usher along in the early part of their careers, Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter were top of mind for the veteran defensive end. Milton Williams, sometimes the unsung member of the trio going into his fourth year, came afterward.

“Nine-oh and nine-eight, those two hogs in the middle,” Graham said. “Even Milton, Milton is stepping it up this year. The future is nine-eight, nine-oh, and nine-three. Those guys have to step up into a bigger role and bring a lot of energy.”

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Williams’ initial omission is understandable to a degree. The 2021 third-round pick doesn’t have the draft pedigree of his running mates and has had just 6½ sacks in the first three years of his career, including a half-sack last year.

Still, Williams has flashed potential each of the last two seasons to become a bigger part of the team’s interior rushing rotation and is entering the final year of his rookie contract with the intent to prove his value. The Eagles signed Williams’ draft classmates DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson to contract extensions in the offseason, and Williams said Tuesday there were some initial discussions between his agent and the team as well.

Williams said the potential negotiations weren’t his “main focus” going into training camp, but conceded he’s treating this season like a contract year with something to prove.

“Oh, definitely,” Williams said. “It’s always going to be. You know what time it is, so I’m going to go out there and show what I can do. ... I just want to be productive when they call my number. Whatever they need me to do, I’ll bust my [butt] — and get it done.”

That intent materialized into his best practice of training camp on Tuesday; the 25-year-old, along with the rest of the defensive line, dominated stretches of the day. Williams, in particular, got into the backfield on several occasions, deflecting one of Jalen Hurts’ passes during team sessions before stuffing a run by Saquon Barkley toward the end of practice.

Carter and Davis also had their share of bright moments. Carter rag-dolled Mekhi Becton during one-on-one pass-rushing drills, discarding the 6-foot-7, 363-pound lineman with a club move to win the rep. Davis also had a pass deflection against the second-team offense.

Arguably the most versatile defensive tackle of the trio at 6-3, 290, Williams said he feels like a good fit for new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s system because of the varied alignments along the front.

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“There’s a lot of variety,” Williams said. “I feel like he’s going to move us around a lot. With my quickness and speed, it’s really helpful for me to give offensive linemen different looks in the defense that we play. There’s a lot of variety and that should be good for us.”

Considering Fletcher Cox’s departure and the void in production the 12-year veteran’s retirement leaves on the interior line, the strong start from the trio of defensive tackles looking to replace him is an encouraging sign for the Eagles.

Although Williams acknowledged the defensive line’s success on Tuesday illustrates the group’s potential, he said the real test looms.

“I ain’t going to lie, man,” Williams said. “We’re going to be good, but we have to put it out there first. You can’t project on what you think is going to happen. You have to go out there and show people what we can do and what we’re capable of, and do it.”

The Eagles added to their interior offensive line depth Tuesday, signing Nick Gates to the 90-man roster.

Gates, 28, has experience playing guard and center in his five-year career and has started 29 games over that stretch. The 6-5, 312-pound lineman out of Nebraska spent four seasons with the New York Giants before signing with the Commanders last offseason and started 10 games at center for Washington.

The Eagles released cornerback Mario Goodrich to clear space for Gates, who will help fill out the depth chart along the interior line after injuries to Tyler Steen and Landon Dickerson left the group thin on Tuesday.

Steen, the starting right guard to open training camp, is sidelined with an ankle injury he suffered on Saturday. Coach Nick Sirianni wouldn’t put a timetable on the second-year lineman out of Alabama, but said he didn’t expect Steen to miss significant time.

Dickerson, who missed the first two practices of camp with a toe laceration, left midway through Tuesday’s practice after pulling up during a one-on-one rep against Williams. After briefly going inside with a trainer, Dickerson returned to watch the remainder of practice from the sideline.

Rookie guard Trevor Keegan also missed the ending of practice on Monday but was back on Tuesday and filled in for Dickerson at the end of Tuesday’s session. As he did on Monday, Becton took over at right guard in place of Steen.