Eagles practice observations: Jordan Davis alert; Miles Sanders earns respect; Jalen Hurts sharper

The Eagles held their fourth practice of training camp at the NovaCare Complex on Monday. Here were my 10 observations from Day 1, 2, and 3. Let’s get to the action from Day 4:

Jordan rules. Jordan Davis is nearly impossible to miss, for obvious reasons, but the Eagles’ top draft pick didn’t stand out much during the first three days for various reasons. No. 1, he did most of his work with the reserves. And No. 2, there had yet to be one-on-one drills between linemen. But when the starters lined up to open team drills on Monday, there was big No. 90 at nose tackle, and on the first play, he worked off his block and stuffed a running back at the line.

Davis was directly over or shaded to either side of center Jason Kelce for most plays — or vs. backup center Cam Jurgens — but the Eagles have also given him reps at the 4i-technique spot. Kelce, for the most part, kept Davis in check.

They weren’t pitted against each other in one-on-ones, though, and Davis had a couple of strong reps against backup centers Cameron Tom and Jack Anderson. On the first, he walked Tom back with great force, but the second looked more impressive as he dusted Anderson, who tried to quick-set the much bigger Davis with a swim move. Jurgens provided tougher competition later and held the mammoth man up for a “win.”

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said before practice that he was pleased with Davis’ progress and that he thought the rookie came into camp in good shape. Davis said the team wants his playing weight to be around 340 pounds. He’s listed as 6-foot-6, 336 pounds.

Cam a lot. Jurgens slid back with the second unit after Kelce returned from COVID-19, but the rookie has looked like the successor to the veteran. The Eagles drafted him in the second round for that purpose, but the best laid plans often go awry, to steal a phrase. Before stonewalling Davis in one-on-ones, Jurgens had his way against a couple of bottom-roster defensive tackles.

Tackle Jordan Mailata made easy work of defensive ends Josh Sweat and Tarron Jackson in individual drills. Few have his combination of size, speed, and power, but the progress he’s made in four years can be a lesson for any young player who struggles upon his entry into the NFL. He looked utterly lost in one-on-ones in his first two years.

The individual parts of the first unit offensive line were near perfect in their one-on-one repetitions. Brandon Graham continued to look his old self and not content to relinquish his starting spot. The defensive end may have benefited from facing reserve O-linemen, but he dispatched rookie guard William Dunkle on a couple of rushes.

» READ MORE: Brandon Graham is an NFL survivor, and he still means a lot to the Eagles

Dillard v. Barnett. Speaking of making progress, Andre Dillard has been more consistent this camp than in previous years. It used to be that he would win one, lose one against Derek Barnett in their matchups. But he handled the defensive end on both power and speed rushes.

These two have a long history dating back to a dustup that had Dillard in tears by the end of one of his rookie practices. On one play in team drills, Dillard had a false start and even though the play was clearly dead, Barnett gave him a love tap that was anything but affectionate. They did slap hands after they crossed paths on the way back to their respective huddles.

Can see for Miles. Running backs typically don’t garner much ink during camp because of the lack of contact. But on the first day the Eagles wore shoulder pads — they’ll go full pads for the first time on Tuesday, according to Nick Sirianni — Miles Sanders had a couple of noteworthy bursts into the secondary.

Sanders said on Saturday that he seeks “respect that I finally deserve” as he enters Year 4. His comment was probably borne more out of frustration with speculation about his depth-chart standing and some of the questions he continues to be asked about his workload, but public sentiment on Sanders seems about right. He’s good, but many want to see great because he’s got that kind of ability.

He bounced off tackle on one run and motored into the secondary after stiff-arming safety Marcus Epps on his first long gainer. And on the second dash, he got skinny through a hole and exploded all the way into the end zone. He almost got stripped at the end but held on.

Hurts update. Jalen Hurts and the first unit offense looked sharper than they had in the two previous practices. On his first pass, the quarterback danced a little in the pocket when he felt the rush, but he stepped up and fired to receiver DeVonta Smith over the middle. And on his second toss, he hit tight end Dallas Goedert on a flat route. I didn’t watch much of 7-on-7s, but Hurts was pinpoint to receiver A.J. Brown on a comeback route.

Later in 11-on-11s, Hurts was in rhythm on a Brown slant and then found Goedert on a short curl route. He short-armed Goedert, though, when the tight end had a step on cornerback Darius Slay on a designed rollout. Slay was able to make up ground and deflect the pass. Hurts and Brown failed to hook up on a fade a few plays later. The receiver had space near the boundary, but it was hard to say if the overthrow was on the arm, the route, or a lack of chemistry. Hurts finished the day with a completion to running back Boston Scott on a Texas route.

Sirianni gave a detailed description of how he evaluated Hurts’ three interceptions in the first three practices. The most egregious was the second because the quarterback unnecessarily left the pocket and then threw across his body into traffic.

» READ MORE: Eagles practice: Offense ‘didn’t look good’ as Avonte Maddox’s INT was a forgettable Jalen Hurts moment

Minshew update. Speaking of interceptions, Gardner Minshew had a couple. On his first drop, he tried to dump to receiver Jalen Reagor amid pressure, but linebacker Shaun Bradley read him and made a diving snag. Later, he threw into tight coverage — I couldn’t catch the number of the receiver — but Slay got his hand on the ball and Epps pulled in the deflection. Minshew and Reagor connected on a comeback route after the receiver turned cornerback Mac McCain around, but the second-team offense struggled through the air.

Going up against the first-team defense may explain some of the woes. Sirianni seems to be swapping units more this camp than last year. He explained last week that mixing it up allows for different looks for both players and coaches and cuts down on the monotony of facing the same competition.

Reddick’s use. Haason Reddick has had a relatively quiet introduction to Eagles camp, but that could be all part of Jonathan Gannon’s plan. The outside linebacker was brought in to be an X factor-type weapon and the defensive coordinator likely doesn’t want to give away secrets. Reddick has bounced around some in terms of where he lines up, to no surprise, but we’ve yet to see specifically drawn-up designs to get him unblocked.

There was a minor kerfuffle when Vic Fangio was spotted at Eagles practice on Friday. The former Broncos head coach has decided to take the season off, but should be one of the top defensive coordinators on the market next offseason. Gannon utilizes some of Fangio’s concepts in his scheme, and if he were to leave for a head coaching job, the veteran coach would make an obvious replacement.

Of course, the same could be said if Gannon were to be fired. Owner Jeffrey Lurie, who attended camp for the first time on Monday, gave Gannon a big hug when they greeted each other at the start of practice.

The Other QBs. Reid Sinnett and Carson Strong rebounded from rough Saturday outings. The third-unit offense, and this applies to all three levels, hasn’t done much downfield in camp. But Sirianni seemed to lean on the quick pass game to increase the confidence of both reserve quarterbacks.

Sinnett tossed to receiver Deon Cain on a comeback route and dumped to tight end JJ Arcega-Whiteside on a hook. Strong, during his set in team drills, hit Cain on a slant and go. The rookie connected on his first couple of passes during developmental 7-on-7s, but he tossed back-to-back picks on his next two drops.

Injury updates. Tight end Grant Calcaterra suffered the first soft-tissue injury of camp with a hamstring strain that forced him out of Saturday’s practice. Sirianni said that he didn’t have a timetable for the rookie, who made an impression on the first few days. Defensive tackle Milton Williams (elbow) was limited after missing Saturday’s session.

Receiver Zach Pascal was still out with an illness. Sirianni confirmed that he had food poisoning. Receiver Keric Wheatfall was limited as he progressed back from COVID-19.

And a few leftovers … The early morning rain subsided by the start of practice and the Eagles were able to work out under clouds on a relatively cool morning. Any practice without sunblock for this fair-skinned reporter is a good one. The heat is coming, though, with temperature highs of 100 degrees in the forecast for Thursday. … Dick Vermeil was at practice. The former Eagles coach will be formally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. There could be a few tears during his induction speech.

NEW IN 2022: We’re going all in on Eagles GameDay Central! Kicking off the season we’ve got Inquirer Eagles beat reporters EJ Smith and Josh Tolentino tackling the major story lines of the team a week into training camp, plus the most competitive position battles and the latest on Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni.