Eagles practice observations: Jason Kelce cheap shot; Jalen Carter, a wrecking ball; DeVonta Smith, a top receiver

The Eagles held their 15th and final open practice of training camp at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday – a joint practice with the Colts. Here are the links to Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14. Here were my observations from Day 15.

Now that was a practice. The last day of camp was the best day – in terms of competitiveness and intensity – and it wasn’t necessarily Jason Kelce’s blindside hit on the unsuspecting Zaire Franklin that gave the workout its edge. There was plenty of action that predated the Eagles captain’s cheap shot. But since Kelce effectively ended practice, let’s start there.

After running back Kenny Gainwell caught a short dump from quarterback Jalen Hurts, he zoomed upfield until a couple of Colts players gave him thud “tackles,” the last being Franklin. Out of nowhere, Kelce steamrolled the linebacker, which predictably set off a brawl between the teams. It took a minute or so to end the wrestling and pushing portion of the fight, but the shouting and swearing continued until the squads were separated.

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Franklin had given Gainwell an extra shove at the end of his previous catch. But Kelce’s ire was probably stoked long before that incident as both teams pushed the envelope in terms of how much contact was acceptable in joint practices.

Kelce took a detour through the cafeteria to exit the field, but he came out later and apologized on the podium for his actions. It’s doubtful that any of his teammates will accept it and probably love their captain even more for his defense of Gainwell, etc. It wasn’t the end of the world, of course. Fights have long been a staple of training camp. The Kelce temper is legendary and many Eagles players, coaches and staffers were laughing afterward.

Franklin, a Philadelphia-born product of La Salle High, didn’t see the amusement. “He snuck me,” he said. “I wasn’t looking.”

Gainwell said he appreciated Kelce’s support and had an additional reason for why the brouhaha may have started. “We whooped their ass,” he said. Either way, Kelce’s eruption cut the proceedings short about 10-15 minutes early.

It didn’t take long-time observers very long to predict that there could eventually be an all-out melee. Just in the final period alone, when both full squads gathered on one field, there were several incidents. The first occurred on the first play when receiver A.J. Brown caught a pass over the middle and received an extra little pop from Colts safety Julian Blackmon. Brown took exception and got in Blackmon’s face. There was a little scrum with others jumping in, but it didn’t last long.

A set later, Colts starting quarterback Anthony Richardson held the ball in the pocket until a few Eagles rushers surrounded him, essentially ending the play. Defensive end Derek Barnett was one of them and slapped the ball from Richardson – a no-no since quarterbacks are off limits – setting off a skirmish. Barnett got into a boxing stance and started dancing on his feet. Before any Colts player retaliated, though, rookie Jalen Carter jumped in and it was like two vs. 10 for a moment.

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Barnett is no stranger to dust-ups, but it was the first time we saw such emotion from the Eagles’ top draft pick.

I’m not sure if Barnett is a good role model for Carter, but I bet the Colts regretted getting him stoked. On the very next play, he tossed offensive lineman Carter O’Donnell to the ground, stood over him and then gestured to the opposing sideline. And then again on the next play, the defensive tackle housed O’Donnell with a power move and glanced toward the Colts.

Carter announced his arrival earlier. He beat a guard with an inside rush and eased up before Richardson for a would-be sack. As the unblocked defender on a zone run, he read Richardson’s keep for what would have likely been a tackle for loss. Even when getting double teamed, he wrestled himself free and chased down the quarterback for a coverage sack.

The hype has been real. Carter will certainly have his ups and downs as a rookie, especially once he faces top interior blockers on a consistent basis, but his rare blend of speed and strength will likely rate him higher than most first-year defensive linemen.

DeVonta Smith keeps improving, which is great for the Eagles and potentially scary for opposing defensive backs this season. From his NFL get-go, the wide receiver was polished. But he struggled in contested catches, understandable because of his slight frame. But Smith was better in that respect as a sophomore, and appears to have taken his jump ball skills to another level in Year 3.

He pulled in two 50-50 balls during one team drill set — both coming against cornerback Darrell Baker. Baker is a reserve, but his coverage was sound on both passes. Smith displayed impressive leaping ability, body control and hands in securing Hurts’ throws, though. Brown isn’t the only Eagles receiver who can “Moss.”

Earlier, Smith caught a touchdown when he found a deep hole in the Colts’ zone defense. Hurts fumbled the snap, but he quickly scooped the ball up and fired downfield to his open receiver.

The Eagles’ first unit offense appeared to get the better of the Colts – more on that later – but I thought Sean Desai’s defense won the day. The group may have benefitted from facing a rookie quarterback and a scheme that is familiar to them. Former offensive coordinator Shane Steichen’s offense with the Colts will obviously crib from the system that helped Hurts and the Eagles reach the Super Bowl a season ago.

Richardson was named the No. 1 quarterback just recently, but backup Gardner Minshew, who left the Eagles in the offseason, took some first team snaps. He had more success throwing the ball. Indianapolis couldn’t get much going in the zone read game early on. Linebacker Zach Cunningham shot into the backfield and touched up Richardson on one keeper. Defensive tackle Jordan Davis also stuffed an inside rush. Linebacker Nakobe Dean was all over a check down to running back Evan Hull.

Rookie safety Sydney Brown unloaded and dropped Mo Alie-Cox with a thunderous hit. Safety Reed Blankenship actually held the tight end, likely causing him to not see Brown. Blankenship rebounded by reading a short pass to the back. Minshew took over under center and hit tight end Drew Ogletree in the corner for a touchdown. There was a blown coverage. Dean was in chase mode, but I’m not sure if he was at fault.

The Eagles’ second unit wasn’t as sharp. Minshew was content to take the short-to-intermediate stuff underneath vs. two-high-safety shell looks. Before his touchdown toss with the starter, he connected with tight end Will Mallory on a similar route into the end zone. Cornerback Mekhi Garner was the victim.

In the final period, K’Von Wallace appeared to intercept Minshew. But the two deep officials flagged the safety for pass interference. Wallace did chip receiver Breshad Perriman on the way, but the Eagles thought it was fair game on an up-for-grabs ball. Coach Nick Sirianni picked up the flag and tossed it back at one of the officials in obvious frustration. He doesn’t exactly have the best rep with refs.

The Colts responded with a back shoulder pass that Juwann Winfree caught over cornerback Eli Ricks and a slant the receiver caught in the end zone inside Brown.

The following Eagles didn’t practice: linebacker Haason Reddick (thumb), linebacker Nolan Smith (shoulder), receiver/returner Britain Covey (hamstring), defensive tackle Moro Ojomo (concussion), linebacker Kyron Johnson (appendectomy) and receiver Greg Ward (ankle). Cornerback Mario Goodrich wasn’t on the team’s official list, but he didn’t practice. Receiver Quez Watkins (hamstring) was upgraded to limited.

The competition at the safety spot opposite Blankenship remains up for grabs with each main combatant — from Terrell Edmunds to Justin Evans to Brown to Wallace — getting reps with the first unit. There has been more clarity at the open linebacker spot opposite Dean with Cunningham continuing to get the most snaps with the starters.

Steichen had a successful two years as Sirianni’s OC and specifically his play-caller the last year and a half. Brian Johnson is stepping into both roles and has received praise from all Eagles involved in his promotion. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be great at the job.

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Steichen had great players in Philly, of course. The Colts don’t have near that kind of firepower. Richardson has tons of talent, though. He has a big arm — which he didn’t flash much in practice — and a big body. He kept on one zone read and Brandon Graham was there to meet him near the line, but the 6-foot-4, 250-pound hulked over the defensive end.

The Eagles called a Steichen play, per Hurts, in homage to the former OC and beat his defense with the halfback option. The left-handed Gainwell tossed a pass to Grant Calcaterra for a nice gain. Calcaterra had a fingertip snare over the middle on the preceding play. The second-year tight end has had a relatively quiet camp. Maybe he needs to have a running back as his quarterback.

Marcus Mariota’s struggles continued. Some of his issues seem related to the receivers he’s throwing to, but he completed just 1 of 8 passes in one-on-one drills. He threw one of his best passes of camp to running back D’Andre Swift down the sideline. But Swift couldn’t hang onto the ball for maybe his only drop of the summer.

The Colts defense may have given Sirianni, Hurts & Co. their toughest test last season. Coordinator Gus Bradley still runs a lot of the 4-3 under, Cover 3-heavy stuff he learned from Pete Carroll in Seattle, and when executed properly, it’s as good as any scheme. Hurts and the Eagles’ offense had the occasional issue again on Tuesday.

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Hurts was sacked or near sacked — depending upon the viewpoint — a handful of times. On the last, there were literally three Colts bearing down on the quarterback before the play was whistled.

Gainwell had a nifty 15-yard touchdown run off right tackle. … Tyler Steen allowed a few pressures playing exclusively at right guard, but he looked solid in back-to-back 1-on-1 reps at left tackle vs. Tyquan Lewis. … Fred Johnson, who has been promoted to second team left tackle, sprinted 20 yards downfield in front of running back Rashaad Penny’s long rush. …. Receiver Deon Cain took a pop from a Colts defender, but he popped up and flexed his arms.

Former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy was at camp, both as an alum and a member of the media. The Fox Sports analyst asked Hurts if he felt he should have won the MVP last season. “You tell me,” the quarterback shot back. … Former Colts and Roman Catholic star Marvin Harrison was also in attendance. Harrison still resides in Philly. His son, Marvin Jr., who attends Ohio State, is predicted by many to be a top-10 draft pick in 2024. … Thanks to anyone who has read and enjoyed my observations this summer. Aside from the warm-up and individual drill periods, Eagles practices are closed to reporters until next spring. We’ll be back then.