Battle In The ‘Boro

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Amid clear skies and humid conditions, players from both the Eagles and Patriots began trickling onto the practice field just under an hour before the 10:30 a.m. start time, when the two teams would clash for a two-hour, 13-minute joint practice.

The intensity and focus were apparent from the start, with both sides exhibiting a competitiveness that compared to a game-like setting.

Among the notable pre-practice developments, Eagles second-round defensive back Cooper DeJean was dressed out and primed to participate in the session.

Before practice, when asked, head coach Nick Sirianni revealed the rookie would get some individual work. DeJean sustained a hamstring injury during offseason training, and the team has been cautious with easing him back.

Tuesday, of course, marked the end of the projected three-week recovery timeline.

DeJean after practice said he expects to rep at nickel and corner, the two positions in which he saw time during spring practices.

“I haven’t heard anything other than that right now,” he said. “So, those are the two positions I’ve been watching closely.”

In injury news, LB Oren Burks (knee), TE Grant Calcaterra (shoulder), S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (shoulder), TE Albert Okwuegbunam (abdomen) and S Caden Sterns (knee) didn’t practice, while WR Parris Campbell (groin), DB Cooper DeJean (hamstring), DB Mehki Garner (hamstring), and LB Brandon Smith (concussion) were listed as limited.

Burks hasn’t practiced since Day 1 of training camp, sustaining an injury following the individual period. Smith, a third-year pro, has missed quite a bit of time as he works his way back from the head injury. Campbell, it seems, returned just in time to state his case in the depth receiver battle.

Notable first-team inclusions: Mekhi Becton at right guard; Johnny Wilson opening with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith; Quinyon Mitchell at nickel; and Isaiah Rodgers at outside cornerback opposite Darius Slay.

ITB PHOTO/ANDREW DICECCO: The Eagles and Patriots conducted a joint practice Tuesday leading up to their Thursday preseason game.

Let’s get to the observations.

* With much of my focus fixated on Eagles defense, working exclusively on the left field, one of my primary takeaways was just how dominant their defensive line was for the duration of practice. Defensive tackles Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams were extremely physical at the point of attack, consistently placing Patriots quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye under duress.

For perspective, there were at least six sacks – two-hand touch, of course – compiled against Brissett and eight against Maye. Williams often gets overshadowed by Carter and – to an extent – Davis, but the fourth-year pro was quite disruptive, giving the Patriots interior fits. For perspective, along with Carter and Davis getting home, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Nolan Smith, Nakobe Dean and Ben VanSumeren were among those who participated in the sack brigade.

* He’s had a quiet summer, but I came away really impressed with the performance of EDGE Bryce Huff, who picked up a sack with power and force off the edge and followed it up with some physical plays against the run, most notably shutting down an Antonio Gibson run. Jotted down the No. 0 multiple times. No longer working against Lane Johnson, at least for one day, Huff flashed.

There were also multiple instances where fourth-year DT Marlon Tuipulotu stood out with his interior penetration and shutting down running lanes.

ITB PHOTO/ANDREW DICECCO: 1-on-1s are always an exciting part of joint practices.

1-on-1 Highlights

* Eagles TE Dallas Goedert vs. Patriots S Kyle Dugger: Goedert won at the line and released outside. QB Jalen Hurts hoisted a perfectly placed pass down the right sideline, hitting Goedert in stride for the touchdown.

* Eagles S Reed Blankenship vs. Patriots TE Jaheim Bell: The rookie TE gets a jump on Blankenship, but the safety managed to get a hand in late to break up the would-be touchdown. This drill doesn’t exactly favor Blankenship, who often trails. Kudos for closing late to make a play on the ball.

* Eagles CB Kelee Ringo vs. Patriots WR Kawaan Baker: Ringo got his hands on Baker at the line, but the wideout managed to shake free at the top of his route to separate enough to bring in the short throw.

* Eagles DB James Bradberry vs. Patriots TE Mitchell Wilcox: Bradberry got handsy with Wilcox at the onset, appearing to wrap his arm around his waist, but Wilcox ended up reeling in the long pass. Bradberry was also flagged on the play.

* Eagles WR DeVonta Smith vs. Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez: Running a nifty route, Smith created separation at the top to bring in the comeback.

* Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell vs. Patriots TE La’Michael Pettway: Mitchell got his hands on Pettway at the line, impeding the timing between Pettway and QB Drake Maye, before getting his right hand in to break up the short crosser.

* Eagles CB Shon Stephens vs. WR Ja’Lynn Polk: Polk exploded off the ball like a rocket and Stephens couldn’t make up ground. The rookie wideout brought in the Go route for an easy score. Polk was fired up after the play.

* Eagles CB Tyler Hall vs. Patriots WR David Wallis: Wallis released outside and took his route up the right sideline, with several steps on Hall. Wallis hauled in the Jacoby Brissett rainbow for a touchdown, just getting both feet inside the right pylon.

ITB PHOTO/ANDREW DICECCO: Things got a little tense during a special teams drill at Eagles-Patriots joint practice.

More Observations

* Early in practice, it appeared a methodical Patriots offense would pick apart the interior of the Eagles’ defense, as both Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye seemed averse to deep passes. As a result, running backs and tight ends were peppered, exploiting the linebackers and safeties. But the script would eventually flip, however, as the linebackers rebounded, playing faster, physical and swarming to the football. On more than a few occasions, I noticed some well-timed blitzes.

* Among the more memorable plays from the bunch occurred during a red zone period, when Jacoby Brissett fired for back of the end zone to TE Austin Hooper. LB Nakobe Dean got a hand in at the last second to dislodge the ball, and Zack Baun was there to come down with the interception. Bang-bang play, but good to see the linebackers force a turnover.

*While rookie LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. was among the linebackers exploited in the passing game a bit during the early stages of practice, the rookie settled in, flashing urgency and instincts. He was physical filling run gaps. On one play, Trotter Jr. seemingly read Brissett’s eyes, undercutting WR K.J. Osborn to snare an interception. The rookie linebacker continues to make plays. Trotter Jr. delivered a nice pop on one play in particular, shooting the gap to corral RB Kevin Harris.

* I found it interesting to see Dean join Devin White with the first team at the start of 11-on-11s, a spot that had belonged to Baun throughout camp. While Dean, like every linebacker deployed initially, was a tick slow to react on intermediary throws, I thought he settled in. The third-year linebacker continues to look far more comfortable playing downhill, but also he looked better in space than earlier this summer. Perhaps unnoticed by many, Dean has come on a bit, stacking productive practices and showcasing his ability to grow and develop. What stood out most about Dean was his physicality. He attacked blocks and welcomed contact. By comparison, a more physical player than Baun in that regard. He also logged two sacks against the Pats.

* Second-year CB Kelee Ringo has come close to a few interceptions this summer and had another opportunity during an 11-on-11 period, when Jacoby Brissett during a scramble drill attempted a pass to Bell. The ball ultimately caromed off Ringo’s hands. He needs to start converting those into interceptions. He was also (unnecessarily) flagged for interference on a deep throw down the left sideline on a Maye toss to rookie Javon Baker. The play would have ultimately been null, however, as Baun stormed through on a blitz for a would-be sack.

* Working on kickoff coverage, the Eagles kickoff team featured the usual suspects – Kelee Ringo, Patrick Johnson, Ben VanSumeren, Josh Jobe and Nolan Smith, but it also curiously included WR Jacob Harris. Harris, an excellent special teamer with intriguing athleticism, is further down the receiving pecking order, so perhaps it was merely a need with a core player like Grant Calcaterra out. Still, something to keep an eye on. The Eagles’ kick coverage unit is a fun bunch to watch, particularly VanSumeren, who flies down the field like a heat-seeking missile with little regard for the blocker in his way. Dean caught my eye in that regard as well. The pads were popping during this segment, with Pats RB JaMycal Hasty landing a forceful block on Trotter Jr., who had a bead on the returner.

* There was a sequence during Eagles kick return period that brought a brief moment of tension. With CB Isaiah Rodgers returning, Patriots LB Raekwon McMillan blew up lead blocker Kenny Gainwell. Patriots LB Pats LB Christian Elliss (remember him?) then hit Rodgers, who fumbled, which got returned for a touchdown.

Gainwell, on the ensuing snap, returned the ball down the right sideline, where it appeared TE E.J. Jenkins, along with Gainwell, took exception to something, prompting a brief skirmish. Both teams converged but were quickly separated.

* From what I saw of the offense, it was another ho-hum day for Jalen Hurts and the passing game. While big, explosive plays eluded the offense, Hurts’ ball placement was largely on the money, as the passing game seemed to exclusively run through wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Big-time volume day for Brown, who looked virtually un-guardable, particularly on intermediary throws.

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.