Eagles practice observations: D-line strikes back; Johnny Wilson and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. moving up; Right guard uncertainty

The Eagles held their seventh practice of the 2024 training camp on Sunday at the NovaCare Complex. Here are links to observations from Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Here are my takeaways from Day 7:

The Eagles’ defensive success or failure will likely hinge on their line, specifically with the big guys in the interior. Fletcher Cox is retired, but the team has invested in the unit with two first-rounders (Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter) and one third-rounder (Milton Williams) taken in the 2021-23 drafts. They also have a couple of late-rounders in Marlon Tuipulotu and Moro Ojomo who will be part of the rotation. They’ve all logged NFL minutes — some more than others — but each should see more playing time this season.

There is still an unknown, though, about the players individually and collectively. Sunday’s practice offered the most proof yet that the D-line could thrive without Cox. If Thursday night’s scrimmage at Lincoln Financial Field favored quarterback Jalen Hurts and the offense, the defense rebounded three days later. Carter set the tone during the first-team drill period. He slanted inside and by center Cam Jurgens and met running back Saquon Barkley in the backfield. After the play, Carter gave Jurgens a I-got-you-on-that-one love tap on the helmet. A few plays later he teamed up with Davis to clog the middle on a Kenneth Gainwell run that netted little gain.

Williams has had a strong camp so far. He may be viewed as the third wheel up front, and more of a run stopper, but he has pass-rush skills. His pressure up the middle on one Hurts drop forced the quarterback out of the pocket. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio employed a six-man front — with four down linemen and two edges — on a few occasions. He wasn’t matching offensive personnel. It suggested that he knows where his strengths lie. Tuipulou was the fourth down lineman. Carter again flashed into the backfield and hurried Hurts into throwing the ball away.

Ojomo had maybe his best day. Working with the second-unit defense, he notched a tackle for loss on a Lew Nichols carry. A period later, a blitz sprung him free and he rumbled into quarterback Kenny Pickett and knocked him to the ground despite the protective red jersey.

There’s no doubt that some of the interior D-line’s success was due to absences on the O-line. The starting unit was without its top two right guards. Tyler Steen was still out with an ankle injury. He was joined on the sideline by Mekhi Becton, who watched practice with an illness. Left guard Landon Dickerson (knee) was upgraded as a limited participant after missing Thursday’s session.

Brett Toth took first-team snaps at right guard over Matt Hennessy, who was with the second unit. Hennessy, a Temple product, was signed as a free agent this offseason, but for only one year and $1.75 million. That doesn’t guarantee him a roster spot. He’s versatile and can play center, but he hasn’t been there since early in camp.

Rookie Trevor Keegan took Dickerson’s reps off at left guard.

Toth is in his fourth stint with the Eagles. Maybe he sticks this time. You can see why O-line coach Jeff Stoutland likes him, especially during one-on-one drills. Toth won both his reps vs. Carter and on the second turned him around when the defensive tackle lost his balance.

Some other highlights: Davis made quick work of Jurgens with a nifty move. Keegan struggled to contain Williams. Hennessy held his ground against Ojomo. Max Scharping flashed his hands early in his set and Tuipulotu slapped them away and tipped the guard off balance. Tackle Fred Johnson twisted outside linebacker Nolan Smith into submission. Rookie center Dylan McMahon had a couple of solid blocks, the second vs. Tuipulotu. Rookie edge Jalyx Hunt used a speed-to-power move to knock rookie tackle Laekin Vakalahi back.

Parris Campbell has suffered a setback in his pursuit of the third wide receiver job. He’s out with a groin injury. His absence allowed for Johnny Wilson to get more reps with the starters. Wilson didn’t see many targets, but the Eagles clearly have him ahead of fellow rookie Ainias Smith and second-year receiver Joseph Ngata right now. Asked about Smith, Eagles receivers coach Aaron Moorehead said that he’s still working his way back from offseason shin surgery.

» READ MORE: Armed with newfound perspective, Eagles’ Parris Campbell is fighting to stay in the NFL

John Ross is still hanging around, but he hasn’t seen the ball or stood out much in the last week. Moorehead suggested that the third receiver job could be held by multiple players based upon matchups. Britain Covey, who made a nice diving catch during seven-on-seven drills, remains in the mix. I still think that general manager Howie Roseman has a move or two up his sleeve.

Receiver DeVonta Smith continued to dazzle on a variety of routes. He’s lining up more in the slot and beat second-unit cornerback Tyler Hall on a fade for about a 30-yard gain. It was one of Hurts’ best passes of camp. Rookie corner Quinyon Mitchell took more snaps in the slot with the first defense — over Avonte Maddox — and got matched up opposite Smith for the first time. It didn’t go well for the first-rounder, who gave too much cushion on a comeback route that netted 10-plus yards.

A.J. Brown wasn’t to be outdone. During an end-of-game situational period, with the ball on the 5-yard line, Hurts signaled to Brown pre-snap by pointing his fingers to his ear holes. His receiver ran a corner fade and boxed out cornerback Isaiah Rodgers for the touchdown. Rodgers took most of the first-team snaps at right cornerback ahead of Kelee Ringo and Mitchell.

Rodgers was the victim of a route combination the second-unit offense ran on the starting defense. Quarterback Tanner McKee — taking snaps from Pickett for the second practice in a row — pulled the play off perfectly. McKee pumped a fake to a bubble screen. As Rodgers bit, Smith provided the broadcast from the sideline — “Got him, got him!” McKee then flung a pass to receiver Jacob Harris for a nice pickup.

Pickett still took the majority of snaps with the twos, but McKee doesn’t appear to be settling for third place.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr.’s strong practice at the Linc — as I noted in my observations — resulted in the rookie linebacker getting his first looks with the first unit. Devin White and Zack Baun, along with Nakobe Dean, still took the large share of reps with the starters. But Trotter’s improvement at weakside has not gone unnoticed. With the third unit, he blew up Nichols on an A-gap blitz and nearly got to McKee.

Coach Nick Sirianni singled out Baun for his toughness during his news conference. Baun had an early pressure of Hurts as a blitzer. He also got a pass-rushing rep during one-on-ones. Dean’s stock may seem down, but he may be the Eagles’ best run defending linebacker. He made multiple stops on Sunday and had some effective blitzes, as well. His struggles remain in coverage, though.

» READ MORE: ‘Comfortable’ Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is fitting right in with the Eagles so far

Defensive end Josh Sweat notched a would-be sack of McKee when the first defense faced off against the second offense. A Dickerson down block created a large hole for Barkley. Hurts beat the blitz during two-minute action with a pass to Barkley over the middle. I don’t recall him having the same running back outlet a year ago. Barkley dropped a swing pass on the next play.

Hurts scrambled on third down, but safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson touched him up just past the line of scrimmage and made sure officials marked him short of the marker. On fourth down, a Dean blitz allowed an unblocked Bryce Huff to get to Hurts.

» READ MORE: C.J. Gardner-Johnson is reinjecting the Eagles with edge. ‘Everybody understand: I’m a winner.’

Pickett’s first pass to Covey on a slant was well ahead of him. McKee was dropped in the backfield by Nolan Smith on a zone read that probably won’t be called for him in an actual game. In a situational drill in which there were five seconds left, Pickett threw the ball away immediately when he didn’t like what he saw. Sirianni yelled, “Kenny [something],” but I couldn’t tell if he was angry at his quarterback or Gainwell, who might have missed a blitz pickup.

Safety James Bradberry broke up Pickett’s pass to Covey. A period later, Smith recorded a sack courtesy of a zero blitz. Linebacker Ben VanSumeren shot the gap and met Nichols at the line on a run play.

Linebacker Oren Burks (knee) and safety Mekhi Garner (hamstring) remained out. Cornerback Eli Ricks (illness) and linebacker Brandon Smith (concussion) were added to the injury list. Cornerback Josh Jobe (concussion) was upgraded to a limited participant. … The Eagles will practice the next three days for their longest stretch of camp. Thursday is a closed walk-through ahead of Friday’s preseason opener at the Ravens.