Bleeding Green Nation
Observations from the NovaCare Complex.
Today marked the first Philadelphia Eagles training camp practice ahead of the 2025 NFL season! The non-padded session lasted for about 70 minutes. Here’s what I observed at the NovaCare Complex.
JALEN HURTS UPDATE: The reigning Super Bowl MVP picked up right where he left off in the spring. The ball rarely hit the ground as he got it out quickly for a considerable number of shorter completions. There were a few instances where he did effectively push the ball down the field. Good start to camp for Hurts.
EAGLES INJURY UPDATES: The Eagles officially placed Nakobe Dean on the active/PUP list. Jalen Carter (shoulder) and Kenyon Green (knee) did not practice but their injuries aren’t considered to be very serious. Jihaad Campbell (shoulder) and Cam Jurgens (back) were listed as limited. Tariq Castro-Fields seemed to get banged up late in practice. Myles Hinton was a full participant after leaving the Eagles’ final spring practice early.
JIHAAD CAMPBELL UPDATE: The Eagles’ 2025 first-round pick was listed as limited but he didn’t seem to miss many reps, if any. It’s possible he wouldn’t have been practicing to the same extent if the team was in pads. We’ll see how that goes once those come on. Still, good to see him out there after Vic Fangio previously said he wouldn’t be able to practice until August. Campbell lined up at second-team linebacker next to fellow rookie Smael Mondon Jr. in team drills. He broke up a Tanner McKee pass meant for Danny Gray at one point.
COOPER DEJEAN IS SOMETIMES A SAFETY: The Billie Jean remix about Cooper DeJean not being a safety is no longer true. DeJean took two reps lined up on the back end of the defense next to Reed Blankenship (The Exciting Whites package) when the Eagles were in base on Wednesday. Fangio previously talked about this possibility back in the spring but we didn’t actually see DeJean line up at safety during the media-attended OTA and minicamp practices. It’s clear that the Eagles want DeJean to be on the field for 100% of their defensive snaps, as they should.
POSITION BATTLE UPDATE — SAFETY: While DeJean started in base, Sydney Brown was the first safety up in the Eagles’ nickel package. The next 11-on-11 period saw Andrew Mukuba lining up next to Blankenship. So, Brown and Mukuba appear to be splitting reps. Fangio previously insisted that Tristin McCollum is in the mix to start but he’s not getting first-team reps. Neither Brown nor Mukuba stood out in a major way on Day 1.
POSITION BATTLE UPDATE — LINEBACKER: Jeremiah Trotter Jr. continues to be the top linebacker next to Zack Baun. Trot Jr. stood out to me with his play diagnosing skills; he often appeared to be in the right place. Campbell will likely overtake Trot Jr. at some point but the second-year linebacker isn’t going to go down without a fight....
