Inside The Birds: Sweat Spearheads Active Camp Defense

With training camp in full swing at the NovaCare Complex, there have been plenty of observations and reactions from the first week of Eagles football.

On the latest Inside The Birds, Geoff Mosher and Adam Caplan give takeaways from camp and discuss new head coach Nick Sirianni.

Eagles fourth-year defensive end Josh Sweat has been a camp stud so far.

O-line Updates

Adam Caplan: “This week, barring something unforeseen, based on what we’re hearing, Brandon Brooks, who is day-to-day, should practice. He should be able to work this week but I didn’t watch him walk and he actually hopped over just to watch a drill and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’ Seumalo has a hamstring strain, I know they’re saying it’s week-to-week, this is not a bad one. I don’t know if you call it moderate but he’s going to be ready for Week 1, and Nick Sirianni actually said that last week. He said it’s all about Week 1. Now, because the Eagles are so conservative with these hamstring strains and these soft-tissue injuries, even if he’s ready in two weeks they probably won’t practice him. Whatever they do, they’re not gonna overdo it.”

Jordan Howard

Geoff Mosher: “You and I have heard and seen the same thing with our eyes and people we speak to [saying] Jordan Howard has showed out, he’s legit. I remember saying Kerryon Johnson, probably by resume, seems like the more talented player, but there’s something about when Jordan Howard comes here. He’s the guy as a backup running back and he’s definitely in good shape. I’ve seen him carry the ball more than any of the running back so far and it looks like he’s got some good explosion to him, or at least he’s good on his feet.”

Caplan: “I had a list of like 20 players I wanted to keep an eye on. He was one of them because I wanted to see what kind of shape he was in. He was at a crossroads after last season was dreadful. Chan Gailey didn’t want him, the former Miami O.C., they knew that early on after about a week he was demoted to goal line back, it’s ridiculous. He got paid $5 million last season to do nothing for Miami other than goal line. But Jordan Howard looks good. I mean his weight is clearly down. So you’re right, he looks good.”

Jalen Reagor

Mosher: “The Jalen Reagor thing is perplexing to both of us I think because I know that a couple of weeks ago we reported that he was in good shape, he had been working out all offseason with Jalen Hurts and some other wide receivers. We said that he had changed some of his training – because remember, in the past he would get a little bit too big and that’s why he got slower at the combine. So he had changed his training, we were told he was in phenomenal shape and doing really well. He came up here for camp, I think a couple days before it started and obviously, as Jeff McLane reported, he failed the physical conditioning test. It is true, a friend of his growing up, was murdered tragically. My understanding was that happened two weeks before he reported to camp. So, I would have to say, he was in great shape and focused and doing everything despite the tragedy in his life and then he came to Philadelphia and within a few days, something changed so that he wasn’t able to pass his conditioning test. There’s something that doesn’t compute real well.”

Caplan: “Yeah, he’s been limited all camp. I don’t quite understand as you and I know. What we had heard in OTAs, he looked like a first-round pick, he was serious. Great attitude, explosive, really did well on 1 on 1s. In fact, 1 on 1a, he did very well Saturday. He didn’t practice a ton, he did some work with the ones and then he did punt returns, one on ones, and team, but he didn’t take what a starter would take rep wise. They say he’s got lower-body soreness, they know better than we do, but they need this guy on the field, because they are real light right now [at receiver].”

Josh Sweat

Caplan: ”I’m gonna say this now, I shouldn’t, but I’m going to. I don’t care. Sweat will have more snaps per game on average than Derek Barnett. It’s not even close, Josh Sweat is just a better football player.”

Javon Hargrave

Mosher: “I heard he’s been a stud, having a great camp. Obviously, he and Fletcher Cox are the starters so he has really flashed and stood out, which is a million miles different from this time last year when he wasn’t even practicing because he tore his pectoral on the first day of camp working out. He’s great, he’s integrated into the new scheme. I think it’s gonna benefit him to be in this kind of athletic movement scheme as well and he’s got that nice burst off scrimmage.”

– Justin Morganstein (@jmotweets_) is a staff contributor to InsideTheBirds.com.

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