Eagles practice observations: Nakobe Dean returns; Joseph Ngata rising; Olamide Zaccheaus has the catch of the day

The Eagles held their 10th practice of the 2023 training camp at the NovaCare Complex on Thursday. Here are the links to Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 7, 8, and 9. Here were my observations from Day 10:

Nick Sirianni declined to give out much information on his plans for the preseason opener against the Ravens, but based upon the practice schedule and the Eagles’ views on contact before the regular season, it’s unlikely that quarterback Jalen Hurts and most starters will play in Baltimore. The first unit took an inordinate amount of repetitions on Wednesday and was dialed back the following day in preparation for its likely day off on Saturday.

With two joint practices scheduled with the Browns in South Philly on Monday and Tuesday, Sirianni also has two days of competition for his starters that should offset skipping the preseason. While he did play Hurts and other key players in last year’s preseason opener, he sat them the following two games after joint practices with the Browns and Dolphins in Ohio and Florida, respectively.

Of course, the lack of preseason prep didn’t seem to affect the Eagles in 2022 as they went on to win the opener and their first eight games.

The Eagles’ great health continued with no players added to the injury report following Thursday’s workout, which was among the most intense of camp. Linebacker Nakobe Dean (ankle) and wide receiver Devon Allen (calf) were upgraded to full participants. No player was limited. And linebacker Patrick Johnson (ankle) and receiver Deon Cain (ankle) remained out.

Receiver DeVonta Smith, who was excused from Wednesday’s practice to attend the sentencing hearing of former Alabama teammate Henry Ruggs, was present. He didn’t participate in team or seven-on-seven drills, however.

Even though Dean returned to the first-unit defense, the Eagles may decide to wait another game before getting him on the field in the preseason. The second-year linebacker needs the real reps, of course. There’s obviously uncertainty about his readiness, especially after Howie Roseman acquired veterans Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham.

The seemingly uninspiring play of Nicholas Morrow, who was signed as a free agent in March, could have more to do with the additions at off-ball linebacker, though. Dean hasn’t exactly stood out much, either, but he did break up a Hurts pass to receiver A.J. Brown in the back of the end zone during seven-on-sevens Thursday.

Josh Jobe is getting closer to locking down the No. 3 outside cornerback spot behind starters Darius Slay and James Bradberry. Zech McPhearson is probably still in the mix, but he has spent almost all of camp in the slot. Jobe, meanwhile, didn’t come close to embarrassing himself when tasked with covering Brown during Bradberry’s brief injury, and he continued to make plays with the second unit Thursday.

He tipped a Marcus Mariota pass intended for Joseph Ngata that caromed off the receiver’s hands and out of bounds in team drills. And he broke up a short toss to receiver Tyrie Cleveland in seven-on-sevens.

Ngata’s chances of making the 53-man roster should not be discounted. The undrafted rookie has shined the brightest of the receivers on or outside the bubble. He got promoted to the first-unit offense when Quez Watkins, who was in Smith’s spot on the outside, was getting looked at by trainers for what appeared to be a minor tweak.

Hurts overshot Ngata in the back of the end zone during seven-on-sevens. But the 6-foot-3, 217-pounder gobbled in a couple of Mariota throws in the team period.

Mariota had his third straight solid practice after an uneven start to camp. Sirianni conceded that snapping had been an issue with the second-unit offense and that it can affect quarterback performance, which seems obvious, but can be taken for granted. Mariota still had a few loose throws. They often come when he tries to unload a quick pass without setting his feet.

But Mariota did well during the second team period, often finding the open receiver as he marched the offense into the red zone. He then capped the series off with a zone-read keep across the goal line when a sleight of hand fooled the unblocked defender.

Later on, Mariota had to sky for a Josh Andrews snap that seemed to disrupt the timing of the resulting incomplete pass. The center, after practice, spent time working with starter Jason Kelce.

» READ MORE: Marcus Mariota’s acclimation to the Eagles’ playbook starts with Jalen Hurts

The play of the day came when Hurts and receiver Olamide Zaccheaus hooked up for about 20 yards on an out route from the slot. Cornerback Avonte Maddox had solid coverage, but Hurts’ pass was precise and Zaccheaus secured it just before sliding out of bounds.

The fifth-year receiver, who spent his first four NFL seasons with the Falcons, had a quiet start to his first Eagles camp. But he has increasingly made the best of his opportunities with both Mariota and Hurts, and caught a touchdown pass from the former when a schemed-up call left him virtually unchecked into the end zone.

Thursday’s game-like conditions resulted in a large number of penalties. But that was expected, apparently. Despite the seemingly many flags thrown at camp, the Eagles have had fewer penalties than they did a year ago at this point, a team official said.

Pre-snap penalties have been an issue, though, and the third-unit defense was called for successive offsides late in practice. The Eagles, for the record, finished in a tie for 12th for the fewest number of penalties last season.

Tight end Dallas Goedert has given Terrell Edmunds fits all camp and early Thursday ripped a jump ball from the safety during team drills. … Rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter, working with the first unit, batted down a Hurts pass at the line. … Safety Reed Blankenship has had a strong two weeks, but he was late to react to a shallow Brown release that generated a touchdown. … Grant Calcaterra found all kinds of space underneath when linebacker Myles Jack vacated the middle. But the tight end couldn’t hang on to a Mariota pass that was thrown slightly behind him but still hit his hands in the end zone. … Rookie defensive tackle Moro Ojomo blew up a few runs near the line of scrimmage.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro attended Thursday and spent the early portion conversing with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. … The Eagles will conduct a closed walk-through on Friday before heading to Baltimore.

Fresh off their appearance in Super Bowl LVII, the Eagles are officially back in action this Saturday for their first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. Join Eagles beat reporters Josh Tolentino and Olivia Reiner as they dissect the hottest story lines surrounding the team on GameDay Central, live from M&T Bank Stadium.