In Their Defense

PHILADELPHIA — The pads were on, and the heat and intensity turned up Sunday on Day 14 of Eagles training camp.

For the second consecutive day, it was the Eagles’ defense that triumphed, attacking the line of scrimmage and swarming to the football at high frequency.

The morning practice clocked in with a running time of one hour, 53 minutes.

In injury news: DT Gabe Hall (hamstring), OL Matt Hennessy (back), TE E.J. Jenkins (knee), T Lane Johnson (Vet Day), WR Joseph Ngata (ankle), DT Moro Ojomo (hip), TE Albert Okwuegbunam (abdomen), WR John Ross (concussion), OL Tyler Steen (ankle), S Caden Sterns (knee), WR Johnny Wilson (concussion) didn’t practice.

Limited were LB Oren Burks (knee), TE Grant Calcaterra (shoulder), DB Cooper DeJean (hamstring), S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (shoulder).

During practice, RG Mekhi Becton exited early with what appeared to be a right leg injury.

Some depth chart notes:

* First up at cornerback were Darius Slay and Isaiah Rodgers.

* First-team linebacker tandem to start was Devin White and Zack Baun. Nakobe Dean and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. also received first-team reps.

* At wide receiver, a position light on numbers, Britain Covey and Parris Campbell rotated with starters.

ITB PHOTO/ANDREW DICECCO: Defense ruled the roost for the Eagles on the 14th practice of training camp.

Let’s get to the observations:

* While it’s worth mentioning RT Lane Johnson was resting, and Brett Toth replaced the injured Mekhi Becton at right guard, the Eagles’ defense generated quite a bit of pressure. In a game setting those pressures are parlayed into sacks, and QB Jalen Hurts would’ve been sacked a handful of times. DT Jalen Carter was a menace along the interior, while EDGE Josh Sweat registered a hat-trick with three sacks (two-hand touch style). Sweat, also a standout at Saturday’s session and last week practice against the Patriots, has had a good camp.

* Despite the sloppy practice offensively, Jalen Hurts tallied a smattering of pinpoint passes, perhaps none more impressive than the vertical shot to WR A.J. Brown, who beat Isaiah Rodgers down the left sideline for a score.

*As written here throughout camp, I still believe once the dust settles it’ll be Nakobe Dean alongside Devin White for the Week 1 starting lineup. Dean, who plays with such aggression and tenacity — almost as if he has a chip on his shoulder — is not only the Eagles’ most physical linebacker, but also their most talented.

Dean was all over the field Sunday, collecting a sack on Hurts, filling gaps and attacking downhill against the run, along with providing sideline-to-sideline coverage. His best play came on a throw for WR DeVonta Smith. Dean, who read it the whole way, closed quickly, and got his hand in to break up the pass. The third-year LB is also a thumper in the running game, delivering pops to Saquon Barkley, Will Shipley and Ty Davis-Price. One would be hard-pressed to identify an Eagles’ defender who has had a better week than Nakobe.

* Elsewhere at linebacker, rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr. continues to turn heads. The Clemson product burst through the line for what likely would have amounted to a sack in a real game. In addition to his instincts and physical prowess defending the run, Trotter Jr. showcased his coverage chops on consecutive plays during a team period. In coverage against TE Grant Calacaterra, Trotter Jr. seemingly anticipated the Tanner McKee pass, breaking on the ball and getting a hand in the breakup the pass. On the ensuing snap, Trotter Jr. got a hand up to registered a pass breakup at the line of scrimmage.

* As impressive as rookie CB Quinyon Mitchell has been, his number was had by WR DeVonta Smith, perhaps most notably on a play in which Smith caught the ball in front of the rookie, then proceeded to shimmy around Mitchell and continue his course upfield after the catch. Mitchell, by the way, opened as the first-team nickel but kicked outside in base defense.

* Not a great day for QB Tanner McKee, whose passes were largely off the mark. The pressure appeared to impact his poise. The second-year QB tossed a pair of interceptions, the first being a Julian Okwara deflection that landed into the waiting arms of LB Ben VanSumeren. The other, occurring during a red zone period, was courtesy of veteran CB Parry Nickerson, who read McKee’s eyes and undercut a pass intended for WR Britain Covey. Nickerson turned on the jets, returning the pick 95 yards down the left sideline for a score, much to the delight of his defensive teammates.

Nickerson also logged a pass breakup along the left sideline on a Kenny Pickett pass intended for Covey.

OL/DL 1-on-1s

* OL Landon Dickerson vs. DL Milton Williams: Dickerson fended off Williams, with Williams unable to generate any forward momentum. Dickerson has done a nice job keeping Williams at bay the past two practices.

* OL Max Scharping vs. DL Bryce Huff: Huff won easily, deconstructing the block and getting around Scharping, who has struggled this summer. Early in practice, during a team period, rookie Jalyx Hunt gave Scharping some trouble.

* OL Trevor Keegan vs. DL Brandon Graham: In a battle of former Wolverines, it’s the veteran Graham who on the rep, getting around Keegan.

Highlights from a brief live period

* S Tristin McCollum, on the first play, delivered an audible pop to RB Lew Nichols but failed to wrap-up. Nichols fell forward for some extra yards.

* QB Will Grier wasn’t asked to do much other than handoff, but when he was asked for more, it wasn’t encouraging. His first pass was a short dump to RB Kendall Milton in the left flat, with EDGE Terrell Lewis halting Milton immediately upon completion. Grier’s next throw might have been impacted by a Julian Okwara rush, but the pass went right through the hands of LB Brandon Smith, who was unable to bring in two potential interceptions during practice.

* While I’ve often written about the steady development of fourth-year EDGE Patrick Johnson  — he had some quality rushes on Sunday — another veteran, Terrell Lewis, caught my attention. Early in practice, Lewis got around RT Darian Kinnard and got a hand up to bat away a Kenny Pickett pass. Lewis also logged some quality rushes, in addition to his open-field stop on Milton during the live period. Could potentially stick on the practice squad.

* It may be time to start viewing DT Thomas Booker IV as a legitimate candidate to sneak onto the 53-man roster. While he’s flashed throughout camp, Booker, a third-year pro, has recently made it a daily occurrence. Showing good burst and power, Booker bolted past veteran Nick Gates — who didn’t even appear to get a hand on him — during 1-on-1s and later beat massive OT Anim Dankwah with power on the ensuing rep. Then during a team period that followed, Booker impacted consecutive plays, most notably casting aside Brett Toth en route to stopping Saquon Barkley on a run up the middle.

* While a longshot to make the 53-man roster, WR Jacob Harris is definitively ahead of all the backend of the roster wideouts vying for roles. Working in Harris’ favor is his special teams acumen, where he has shown well. On Sunday, Harris had to twice climb the ladder to bring in a pair a Pickett intermediate throws, both of which featured Josh Jobe in coverage.

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