Chart Toppers

PHILADELPHIA — The first of the final two training camp practices ushered in near-perfect weather conditions, with much of Tuesday’s practice being situational.

Categorized as a “yellow” – or more moderate — the Eagles were in shells and shorts. The practice clocked in at one hour, 46 minutes.

In injury news, OL Matt Hennessy (back), TE Albert Okwuegbunam (abdomen),WR  John Ross (concussion), OL Tyler Steen (ankle), S Caden Sterns (knee) and WR Johnny Wilson (concussion) didn’t practice.

Some things to monitor: RB Saquon Barkley was spotted being stretched out by a trainer during the session and was withheld from further team drills. Rookie OL Trevor Keegan exited practice early with a trainer.

Also, RG Mekhi Becton, who on Sunday left practice early with a leg injury, returned to practice, reprising his role on the first team. LB Oren Burks, a limited participant the past two days after missing virtually the entirety of camp, was full go.

Depth chart notes:

* Rookie CB Quinyon Mitchell opened the first set of team drills as the cornerback opposite Darius Slay in base defense. Soon after, Mitchell moved inside to nickel with Isaiah Rodgers replacing him on the outside.

* Second-year CB Kelee Ringo also saw some first-team work, while rookie DB Cooper DeJean repped inside and outside with the second team.

* At LB, Zack Baun took the field first, aligning beside Devin White.

* Veteran OLs Nick Gates and Fred Johnson received some first-team reps at right guard and right tackle, respectively. Brett Toth also worked in at right guard.

The first position player to take the field this morning, to no surprise, was second-year WR Joseph Ngata (ankle), who returned to practice after missing Sunday. Ngata headed right to the JUGS machine. He was joined shortly thereafter by RB Kenny Gainwell.

Let’s get on with the observations:

* Now 15 practices in, Jalen Hurts has yet to toss an interception. While the franchise quarterback has done a tremendous job of protecting the football, on Tuesday he connected on a couple of perfectly placed downfield throws. The best throw from Hurts included a pinpoint drop in the bucket down the left sideline — despite sticky coverage from Quinyon Mitchell — to A.J. Brown for 40-plus. Brown punted the ball after the rep.

The other notable throw went to DeVonta Smith, who has consistently been outstanding throughout camp. Running a vertical route down the left sideline, working against CB Kelee Ringo, Smith hauled in a contested catch thanks to a perfect strike from Hurts. Ringo, by the way, was flagged for defensive pass interference.

Smith registered another noteworthy play, snaring a mid-range laser from Hurts with Mitchell in coverage and churning out some extra yards.

* Veteran S C.J. Gardner-Johnson was at his chirpiest and chippiest, incessantly jawing at the offense while providing some audible pops, specifically on a pass over the middle to TE Grant Calcaterra and another later on a short dump to the left against Smith. On both occasions, Gardner-Johnson strutted away, celebrating with himself.

“A lot of energy,” CB Isaiah Rodgers said about what Gardner-Johnson has provided, before pausing. “A lot of energy. It’s everything, from on-and-off the field to in the meeting rooms. He’s definitely brought a spark in this room.”

Highlights From WR/DB 1-on-1s

WR A.J. Brown vs. CB Darius Slay: Despite sticky coverage from Slay, Hurts put the pass where only Brown could reel it in, with Brown absurdly bringing in a one-handed back-shoulder throw along the right sideline.

WR DeVonta Smith vs. CB Quinyon Mitchell: These reps have been a must-watch. In this matchup, Mitchell squeezed Smith toward the right sideline, providing blanket coverage on the rep and denying Smith a chance at running it down.

Smith wins the ensuing rep, however, hitting Mitchell with an in-and-out move to create separation and haul in the short toss. At the conclusion of the rep, the rookie cornerback complimented Smith. “That’s a route,” Mitchell said.

WR Britain Covey vs. DB Cooper DeJean: DeJean provided some cushion, but Covey elicited some deception with nifty footwork to manufacture space and bring in the underneath throw. Covey on the following rep couldn’t bring in the Out route.

WR Jacob Harris vs. CB Eli Ricks: Harris created separation at the top of the route and worked back to the football to bring in the pass. Following the play, Ricks received some coaching instruction from DBs coach Christian Parker.

In their next face-off, Harris skied over Ricks to bring in a catch along the right sideline.

WR Austin Watkins vs. CB Zech McPhearson: Physical rep for McPhearson, but credit Watkins for corralling the contested comeback route. Rookie Ainias Smith was particularly excited for Watkins following the sequence.

WR Parris Campbell vs. CB Isaiah Rodgers: Campbell shook Rodgers at the top of his route to bring in the Hurts throw.

WR Ainias Smith vs. CB Quinyon Mitchell: Mitchell has been a tough assignment for most pass catchers, but in this rep, Smith generated enough separation at the top of the route to haul in the comeback.

More Observations

* Rookie fifth-round WR Ainias Smith turned in his best practice of the summer, securing multiple passes during team drills and winning his share of 1-on-1 reps. As I always say, every young player progresses at a different rate, so patience should be exercised. For Smith, stacking productive practices has culminated in a seemingly more confident player.

* Veteran T Fred Johnson, recently singled out by HC Nick Sirianni for his strong camp, generated some standout plays. The mammoth tackle produced some extra physical reps, notably bowling over CB Eli Ricks in the open field — much to the chagrin of Gardner-Johnson, who voiced his displeasure — as well as LB Brandon Smith. Johnson climbed to the second level with urgency.

* Rookie fourth-round RB Will Shipley has had a nice camp but engineered a handful of explosive runs, highlighting his burst and acceleration through the hole and in the open field. While I view Shipley as having more of an impact in the receiving game as a rookie, his vision and juice really surfaced.

* The defensive line was again active, generating push at the line of scrimmage and impacting plays. Two plays in particular that stood out were a pass breakup at the line by DT Milton Williams and a DT Jalen Carter “tackle” for loss against Saquon Barkley, where the interior defender read the play perfectly to storm through the line and wrap up the running back. Carter has been on a summer-long tear and is poised to produce All Pro-level numbers.

* Strong effort from several depth members of the defense. Rookie third-round DE Jalyx Hunt collected a “sack” of Kenny Pickett early in the session and EDGE Patrick Johnson got home later for a would-be sack against Hurts. Veteran DE Brandon Graham joined the sack party as well. Veteran EDGE Julian Okwara also provided some pressure off the corner.

Second-year DT Moro Ojomo continued to shine, moving quarterbacks off their spot and proving disruptive along the interior.

* The battle to determine the No. 3 tight end is still very much open-ended, so the return of E.J. Jenkins (knee) was timely. Sporting a sleeve on his left leg, Jenkins notably reeled in a short Kenny Pickett pass to the left early in the session for a nice pickup. Later, the 6-foot-6, 260-pound former wide receiver secured a pass over the middle from Tanner McKee despite taking a hit from rookie LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Jenkins received praise after the play. There’s still time, but Jenkins has done enough to command the inside track at winning the job. His blocking ability, by the way, has really stood out.

* Good defense from EDGE Nolan Smith, who ran with TE C.J. Uzomah down the right sideline. Pickett tried to fit the pass in for a would-be touchdown, but the swarming coverage from Smith shut it down. Smith afterwards chided Uzomah for “panicking,” to which Uzomah denied, suggesting Smith was the one who did.

* Undrafted rookie S Andre’ Sam has quietly had a strong summer, and caught my eye Tuesday on multiple occasions. The LSU product appears to be processing things at a faster frequency and often finds himself in the center of the action when on the field. On Tuesday, he flashed closing speed, throttling down and pulling up on a McKee pass to rookie RB Will Shipley.

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