Eagles training camp: Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts address their relationship; Howard Eskin attends; first look at roster battles

After spending the first six years of his career with the New York Giants, Saquon Barkley said he felt like a little kid himself as he got acclimated to an environment both unfamiliar and energetic, filled with excitement surrounding his arrival.

The first day of camp marks the first opportunity for him to begin to craft a new legacy as a member of the Eagles. His own expectations match the magnitude of the investment that the organization made in him.

One of the more intriguing roster battles in camp is who ends up on the depth chart at wide receiver behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Parris Campbell, the sixth-year receiver the Eagles brought in in free agency, is getting the first crack at WR3, and had a few catches during 11-on-11 sessions. There are others in the mix, too, like veteran John Ross, return specialist Britain Covey, rookies Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson, and a few others.

Earlier on Wednesday, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was asked about his relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts in response to an Athletic report that said their relationship was "a work in progress."

“The only thing you can judge your relationships on is your personal interactions with people, not a report that comes out,” Sirianni said. “Jalen and I’s relationship is good. You just can judge it based off of what your personal interactions are. When you hear a report like that, you don’t put much stock into it because, quite frankly, not everyone sees that.”

No surprises at the start of camp at the WR3 spot. It was Parris Campbell lining up with the first-team offense.

On the other side of the ball, the first-team linebacker reps went to Devin White and Zack Baun, with Nakobe Dean rotating in.

It’s 11-on-11 time. First-team vs. First-team. And … false start Jordan Mailata.

Next snap: A DeVonta Smith drop on a crossing route.

Second-round pick Cooper DeJean is starting training camp on the non-football injury list because of a hamstring injury. DeJean reportedly suffered the injury during offseason training and is expected to miss about three weeks as a result.

"Obviously it sets him back to not be out here the first few weeks," coach Nick Sirianni said. "He’s going to have to get a lot of mental reps these weeks. I’m really confident that he’ll do that well."

Nick Sirianni’s college roommate, Jason Candle, is the coach at Toledo. And while Howie Roseman and his scouting staff had a lot of information on first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell, Sirianni’s relationship with Candle was valuable, Roseman said Wednesday.

Roseman brought that up to explain his involvement in hiring the new coordinators.

A report in The Athletic last week described Nick Sirianni’s relationship with Jalen Hurts as “a work in progress,” a description that came just weeks after Hurts was given an easy chance to say something nice about Sirianni giving the reins of the offense to someone else.

The question to Hurts in early June was: What have you noticed about Nick being open-minded to change up the offense like he has? What does that say about him?

Howard Eskin hasn’t been on the radio in about a month, but the longtime 94.1 WIP host sat along with the reporters Wednesday covering the first day of Eagles training camp Wednesday.

An Eagles spokesperson said Audacy requested a press credential for Eskin to cover training camp, and the team approved the request.

Let the roster battles commence.

Eagles players reported for training camp on Tuesday, meaning Wednesday’s opening practice will kick off the annual crunch from 90 players down to a 53-man roster late next month.

After months spent discussing sour tastes and offseason turnover, the Eagles will begin the 2024 season in earnest this week.

Spring workouts offered an early glimpse of how marquee additions and coaching changes might help the team reverse course from last year’s late collapse, but training camp will be the first prolonged opportunity to answer some of the biggest questions facing this season’s team.

A team with Super Bowl aspirations rarely has much intrigue when it comes to roster battles, but this year’s Eagles do have a few positions of interest.

The Eagles reported to training camp Tuesday and their first on-field workout is scheduled for today. We’ll get our latest looks at the new-look offense and defense being installed by new coordinators Kellen Moore (offense) and Vic Fangio (defense). A couple of roster battles will also heat up and likely continue for the next few weeks.

Veteran corner James Bradberry had been cross-training at safety before leaving the field during individual drills on the first day of June’s minicamp after suffering an abductor (hip) injury. That Bradberry was potentially moving back in the defensive backfield was enough evidence to show that the only way Bradberry remains with the team is if he earns a job providing depth. The Eagles suddenly have a lot of talent at corner but are pretty thin behind Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson at safety.

Moving on from Bradberry would be costly. According to Over the Cap, the Eagles would incur $15 million in dead money that could be spread between 2024 and 2025 if they cut him.

The Eagles report to training camp at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday and begin on-field workouts Wednesday.

An offseason that was longer than expected is finally over, and another season where the Eagles enter as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl is here. That offseason has brought both change — new coaches, players, and schemes, and the retirement of franchise legends Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce — and continuity — Nick Sirianni is back and so are many Eagles stars.