Business As Usual

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles on Sunday afternoon hit the practice field, beginning a revamped schedule ahead of their Wednesday morning, 10-hour flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The team has tried to structure the week to keep things as close to normal and routine as possible.

In addition to Sunday’s 3 p.m. practice, the Eagles will also practice Monday at 2:45 p.m. and again on Tuesday at 1:10 p.m.

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will speak Monday at 1:40 p.m, with head coach Nick Sirianni speaking again Tuesday afternoon.

In injury news, tight end Dallas Goedert (oblique), EDGE Jalyx Hunt (oblique), CB Isaiah Rodgers (unknown) and WR Johnny Wilson (concussion) returned and participated in some capacity.

ITB PHOTO/ANDREW DICECCO: The Eagles are keeping as normal of a practice sked as possible with a 10-hour flight to Brazil ahead on Wednesday.

So did offensive lineman Tyler Steen, who was plagued by an ankle injury for much of the summer. The Eagles don’t have to produce an official practice report until Tuesday, when the player status will be more definitive.

Sirianni, during his Sunday availability, confirmed what quarterback Jalen Hurts said on a local radio station with regards to blitz protections, when Hurts revealed that veteran center Jason Kelce previously shouldered that responsibility – a point made several times on the Inside The Birds podcast.

Hurts, as he put it, was “told not to worry about a lot of things.”

As Hurts continues to evolve in his role and take ownership of the offense, one of point of emphasis for him this offseason is working with new center Cam Jurgens in handling the protection calls.

“I mean, different guys – again, there are things that happen at the line of scrimmage – some teams that it’s all the quarterback; some teams that it’s all the center; some teams that’s a mix,” Sirianni said.

“And so, it was Jalen being able to do some other things at the line of scrimmage and Kelce handling a big portion of it. Yeah, what he said is 100% true.”

When asked about veteran Mekhi Becton and what Becton had done to earn the role of starting right guard, Sirianni remained non-committal.

For what it’s worth, Becton has repped exclusively with the first team for the past month and performed admirably in his transition from tackle, while Steen nursed an ankle injury.

Chalk up Sirianni’s eluding the question to competitive advantage.

“You guys will see who rolls out there for game one,” Sirianni said. “Mekhi had a good camp.”

Some housekeeping alterations for the program, at least in terms of uniform numbers: rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell shed No. 30 for his college number, No. 27.

Also, wide receiver Jahan Dotson will now wear No. 83, while tight end Jack Stoll inherits the No. 87 that Dotson surrendered. Rookie running back Will Shipley dropped down to No. 28 – he was previously No. 39 – and recently acquired defensive tackle Byron Young will wear No. 94.

Speaking of Young, the 23-year-old said he’s staying in a hotel at the moment, though his girlfriend made the trip to Philadelphia with him.

He also revealed some familiarity with defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, who was a member of the Seattle Seahawks coaching staff when Young was entering the 2023 NFL Draft.

Young said the Seahawks showed significant interest in him during the pre-draft process. Shortly after being claimed via waivers by the Eagles – maybe an hour after – an eager Hurtt reached out reached out to Young.

“He called me and seemed really excited to have me here,” said Young. “So, I’m excited to be here.”

Young, for his part, considered his strength to be stopping the run, citing it as an aspect he takes great pride in dating back to his days at Alabama.

And while it’s been a whirlwind of sorts and the onboarding process is ongoing, the 2023 third-round pick of the Raiders spoke for the first time Sunday at his locker.

“Right now, I’m just trying to make sure I learn everything,” Young said. “Learn all the basics of the defense. And if my name is called out there on Friday, I’ll be ready to go.”

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