Getty Zach Ertz and Nick Sirianni chat at Philadelphia Eagles' training camp.
Day 7 of Philadelphia Eagles’ training camp got a little uncomfortable at one point. The fiery scene came at the start of 11-on-11 drills when a pass from Jalen Hurts whizzed by Jalen Reagor’s head. It looked like the second-year receiver was either not expecting the ball or he was out of position. Either way, head coach Nick Sirianni wasn’t amused.
Sirianni ripped Reagor a new one in front of the entire team after the ball fell incomplete. This wasn’t the first time the 40-year-old coach has put a receiver on blast in plain view, nor was it the first time that Reagor has felt his wrath.
One thing he has been stressing all summer is accountability. After the gaffe, Hurts walked over to Reagor to talk it out and presumably love him up a bit. All in all, Wednesday was a solid session for the Eagles who are wearing pads but still not tackling to the ground. Practice lasted about 75 minutes.
John Hightower provided the offensive play of the day when he hauled in a deep pass from Hurts near the sideline over the outstretched arms of rookie cornerback Zech McPhearson. Good coverage, better throw. The whole roster erupted in cheers upon seeing the long 30-yard completion.
Nick Sirianni and his coaches are very active in teaching moments on the field especially with receivers and their foot work and running routes
Jalen Reagor says Nick eased his way in OTAs and now he is very very direct with coaching and holds them accountable
“It was just a regular go ball, just high-pointed it and was able to catch it on the sideline,” Hightower said of the play. “The new coaching staff is real detail-oriented, helping us on and off the field, telling us what we need to do, how we can get better, and how to improve.”
The latest Eagles news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Eagles newsletter here!
JaCoby Stevens Intercepts Jalen Hurts
Rookie linebacker JaCoby Stevens made the defensive play of the day when he sniped a Hurts’ pass right from the sky. To be honest, there didn’t appear to be a receiver in sight but Stevens still had the presence to get the spot and make the interception.
JaCoby Stevens is listed at 212 on the Eagles’ roster but said he’s bulked up and has a range of 215-225 pounds.
Remember, the sixth-round pick out of LSU is transitioning from college safety to NFL linebacker. Stevens told reporters he had diagnosed the play from previous practice and ran to the “landmark,” just as defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon had instructed.
“The story behind it is: at the beginning of camp basically Jalen and them ran a play-action pass and linebacker-wise we have to bust out of our coverage,” Stevens said. “That’s just Linebacker 101, play-action, play the run, bust out.”
Zech McPhearson — forget the Hightower catch — had another strong outing and ran with the first-team defense all day with Darius Slay out (veteran rest day). He played opposite Steven Nelson on the outside, with Avonte Maddox manning the nickel spot.
Michael Jacquet also flashed in 7-on-7 work down in the red zone on a nice pass breakup. Again, no real tackling at camp but McPhearson had a major “thud” on Miles Sanders. So did linebacker Shaun Bradley.
Working Hard After Padded Practice
Several Eagles players stayed on the field to work with their position groups after the whistle sounded. Hurts held a pitch-and-catch session with Greg Ward Jr. and Miles Sanders, with Dallas Goedert and Richard Rodgers hunched over watching. Sanders did drop an easy one during 7-on-7 drills. Meanwhile, Boston Scott looked dangerous and shifty out of the backfield.
Left tackle Jordan Mailata and linebacker Eric Wilson put in an extra 30 minutes devoid of the coaching staff. They appeared to be discussing proper blocking techniques and better tackling angles. Across the field, linebacker Rashad Smith was catching footballs while cornerbacks Avonte Maddox and Craig James raced toe to toe.
Eagles LT Jordan Mailata and LB Eric Wilson working together after practice
The wide receivers remain the most interesting position group this year. DeVonta Smith (knee sprain) once again observed the entire practice and even helped hand out footballs to his teammates. He’s the definition of a team player. The rest of the depth chart worked on 50-50 balls after practice with position coach Aaron Moorehead.
“That’s the beauty of it, I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on our receiver room,” Travis Fulgham said, “but we have a bunch of young, talented guys that are hungry to make some plays this year.”
Aaron Moorehead coaching up the WRs during stretches prior to practice. Day 2 with the pads on starts at 10 am. #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
