Getty Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata celebrates a big play with Kenny Gainwell.
The Philadelphia Eagles were missing two key starters on Day 6 of training camp. Receiver DeVonta Smith suffered a groin injury, while left tackle Jordan Mailata was out with a concussion. Luckily, they aren’t expected to miss too much time.
The team also lost backup left tackle Andre Dillard to a concussion. That left veteran Le’Raven Clark guarding Jalen Hurts’ blindside at Thursday’s practice. Head coach Nick Sirianni revealed the injuries happened at Tuesday’s session, although he couldn’t pinpoint the exact play.
“I don’t know the exact play on either of them, and neither of the guys were able to say the exact play that happened on either of them,” Sirianni told reporters. “So obviously it’s football and there are no more collisions than the O-line and D-line have, right? They’re wearing the Guardian Caps because they have the most collisions. Because we could say, ‘Well, we’re not live’ but the O-line and the D-line are live every single play, and so I don’t know exactly how it happened but obviously we’ll be very cautious with both those guys.”
DeVonta Smith suffered a groin injury at Tuesday’s practice. Nick Sirianni doesn’t sound too worried, just being “cautious” with him. A lot of “wear & tear” since Smith gets a ton of reps. #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
Head injuries are a big deal in the NFL these days, hence the Guardian Caps and bubble wrap. Mailata and Dillard will have to test out of the concussion protocol. Meanwhile, Smith’s absence appeared to be precautionary due to the high volume of targets he gets at camp. Jalen Reagor received the first-team reps in Smith’s place, with Quez Watkins seeing extra burn.
“I can’t give you, again, the certain play that it happened,” Sirianni said of Smith’s injury. “Again, we’re being cautious with him. We know how important he is to this organization, and I don’t exactly know the certain play [where it happened]. They’re running a lot, he’s always at the top of the charts of who ran the most, so just a little bit of wear and tear there.”
It takes everybody.
The rest of the Eagles injury report read:
DeVonta Smith has a groin injury. The practice participation update:
WILL NOT PRACTICE
Grant Calcaterra – hamstring
Andre Dillard – concussion
Jordan Mailata – concussion
Mac McCain – knee
DeVonta Smith – groin
Greg Ward – toe
LIMITED
Zach Pascal – illness
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Eagles Offense Nearly Installed, Good Balance
The defense seemed to be getting the best of the offense early on at Eagles’ camp. Turnovers were starting to become an issue, but credit Jonathan Gannon’s unit for flexing their muscle. Quarterback Jalen Hurts shined on Thursday – his second straight stellar outing – and didn’t throw a single interception. Sirianni has been encouraged by everyone’s progression.
“There’s no doubt we have good balance on both sides of the football, and the defense is presenting challenges, both with the looks and then with the players we have on that side of the ball,” Sirianni said. “So I gotta watch the tape and see. I know we didn’t turn it over as much today.”
It was a scorcher today. #Eagles went nearly two hours in it
The Eagles were on the field for nearly two hours on Thursday, their longest camp practice this summer, under 91-degree temperatures that prompted a heat advisory in Philly. Afterward, Sirianni revealed that the install portion is almost complete. The offense is expected to be fully in place after eight days, or two more practices.
Nick Sirianni says the offense is almost fully installed. It takes 8 days to get it done. Today was the 6th practice of camp. #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
Fletcher Cox Sees ‘Really Special Team’
Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox has been a part of many memorable Philly playoff runs, including the 2017 Super Bowl championship. He sees a “really special team” building confidence every day and ready to fly. Remember, Cox inked a one-year, $14 million to return after initially being released in the offseason.
“I wanted to come back, obviously, I feel like this team could be really special, especially with the guys we brought in and the guys we got coming back off injury from last year,” Cox told NFL Network. “I think this team could be special, we can build with it.”
We outside ☀️