Bow To Devonta!

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles returned to the NovaCare Complex practice field Saturday morning following Friday’s walkthrough for their annual Military Day amid humid conditions.

The session, categorized as “green,” clocked in at 90 minutes, not counting the developmental period that followed.

The practice, again methodical with little wasted time in between periods, was the longest of the three days.

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore also spoke prior to practice, offering several relevant nuggets as he continues to implement his system.

In housekeeping news, LB Oren Burks (knee) and T Brett Toth (hamstring) didn’t practice. Second-year RG Tyler Steen, who opened practice as the first-team right guard, was unable to finish Saturday’s session.

But it was third-year OL Darian Kinnard — not veteran Mekhi Becton — who assumed the first-team right guard reps in Steen’s absence.

As I mentioned in my pre-camp 53-man roster projection, Kinnard is someone to watch closely.

Rookie LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who was dealing with a left calf issue Thursday, was back on the practice field. He served as the third-team linebacker opposite Brandon Smith.

On with the observations:

*Another efficient practice from QB Jalen Hurts, who continues to stack strong showings. Hurts, who delivered deep passes with touch and accuracy, was again decisive and seemingly in full command of the offense.

Hurts looked far more explosive on designed runs than a season ago and operates with the mentality of a signal-caller who knows exactly where to go with the football.

His best throw was a deep shot down the left sideline, placing the ball where only his receiver, WR DeVonta Smith, could haul it in. Smith skied over CB Kelee Ringo, who had blanket coverage, to bring it in.

* As for Smith, sometimes his consistency is taken for granted. The fourth-year receiver dazzled as a route-runner, showcasing stop-start suddenness and fluidity in and out of breaks and elite body control, reeling in a flurry of passes Saturday morning.

In Kellen Moore’s offense, Smith is positioned to thrive as a moveable, three-level threat keen on making the extraordinary look routine. His timing with Hurts has been tremendous through three practices.

*The throw of the day, however, belonged to quarterback Kenny Pickett, who dropped a perfectly placed rainbow down the left sideline during a 7-on-7 period into the waiting arms of WR Britain Covey, who secured the pass despite tight coverage from rookie CB Quinyon Mitchell.

Covey, by the way, creates separation with regularity and was quite active Saturday, reeling in several underneath throws and demonstrating his elusiveness in space.

The connection was notable for multiple reasons, highlighting the arm talent of Pickett and Covey’s route-running versatility. Covey has been largely overshadowed by veterans Parris Campbell and John Ross but has shown well when afforded the opportunity.

* The Eagles continue to show a multitude of looks, shuffling players in and out of the lineup. For perspective, Ringo opened with the first-team at CB opposite Slay during team drills. While the mixing-and-matching is nothing new as the trend has now persisted through three practices, Saturday it was the usage of Mitchell that was most notable. The 2024 first-rounder garnered some first-reps at inside cornerback and again looked fairly natural.

Mitchell also showed well during the 1-on-1 period, particularly on a rep against A.J. Brown. Brown had lost his footing, but Mitchell remained in phase and didn’t appear overmatched. Brown did get the better of the rookie on the ensuing rep, however.

* In other 1-on-1 news, Campbell got in front of Slay down the right sideline, reeling in the go-ball for the would-be touchdown. The pass from Hurts was on the money.

Hurts also uncorked a dime to Smith, perhaps the player of the day, who had beaten CB Isaiah Rodgers deep down the left sideline for the score. Rookie WR Johnny Wilson, matchup up against CB Eli Ricks, beat Ricks off the line to bring in the short crosser.

* Speaking of Ricks, the second-year CB garnered a handful of first-team reps and, at least to my eye, is ahead of several other outside corners vying for a roster spot.

While Ricks surrendered a completion to the speedy Ross, who leaped to reel in a sideline reception, he did a nice job on another rep, shadowing Ross on a scramble drill and mirroring him stride for stride.

* Eagles DC Vic Fangio showed a bit more this morning, unveiling some dime looks and even some blitzing. On separate occasions the pressure occurred up the middle, with linebackers Devin White, Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean throttling downhill.

The linebacker unit as a collective has caught my eye in terms of their athleticism and urgency in flowing to the football.

White and RB Saquon Barkley have had some memorable encounters in the flat, with Barkley getting the better of White. And today was the second consecutive practice I noticed second-year LB Ben VanSumeren close quickly to flush a quarterback out of the pocket. On Thursday, it was Hurts. Today it was Pickett scrambling toward the sideline as a result.

* The Eagles also worked in some special teams drills into the 90-minute practice. K Jake Elliott connected on all six of his field goal attempts at the start of practice, but it was a drill toward the waning stages of practice that I found most notable.

With the Eagles fixating on a 1-on-1, beat-the-blocker drill with a returner back to field the ball, physicality and technique came into play. Grant Calcaterra was no match for Nolan Smith, who easily eluded the tight end in pursuit of the ball-carrier.

Dean, in particular, really shined in this drill, sticking to LB Brandon Smith like Velcro and eliciting words of praise from HC Nick Sirianni. There was also a strong rep on the ensuring sequence from CB Josh Jobe, who gave CB Zech McPhearson little room to operate, prompting words of encouragement from special teams coordinator Michael Clay.

* Lost a bit today was the performance of rookie RB Will Shipley, who showed well as both a blocker and receiver. In one play in particular, Shipley stonewalled a blitzing Dean, showcasing awareness and grit.

Shipley also exhibited some juice as a receiver, fielding some short underneath throws and quickly getting upfield. His burst and acceleration is apparent, and he wastes little time getting up field to extend the play. Shipley offers far more explosion compared to RB Kenny Gainwell, and for as dependable and trust as Gainwell is, it’s fair to wonder if Shipley eats into his touches.

*Third-year TE Grant Calcaterra continues to reprise his role as the No. 2 TE in Kellen Moore’s offense.

“Grant [Calcaterra] has really done an excellent job to be the second tight end currently,” Moore said Saturday morning. “His consistency throughout OTAs, early in training camp. He has a great awareness and understanding of the game.

“He teams up with Dallas [Goedert] really, really well,” Moore and so we’re excited about that and hopefully continues to build.”

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