Temperatures and temperaments were rising faster than mercury. And the sweltering heat in Miami was definitely playing mind games on the Philadephia Eagles in their first joint practice against the Dolphins.
Left guard Landon Dickerson made headlines when he flattened Jaelan Phillips on a Boston Scott run, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. That account had Dickerson getting pushed late, with left tackle Jordan Mailata jumping into protector mode.
Pro Football Network’s Adam Beasley blamed Dickerson for laying Phillips out with an “unnecessary WWE move.” Whatever the case, Dickerson’s initial pancake block led to Phillips shoving him to the ground. And a fight ensued.
The practice had a little extra juice to it after the Dickerson-Phillips altercation. Eagles receiver Quez Watkins blamed it on the weather. Temperatures spiked at 90 degrees with 66% humidity. Players were drenched in sweat as they walked off the field at Baptist Health Training Complex.
“Man, it’s hot here. That’s going to happen,” Watkins told reporters. “We’re all competing. We’re all trying to go hard, compete, and stuff like that … so, you know, we’re grown men, stuff happens.”
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Tyreek Hill Showcase Cheetah Speed
The Miami offense seemed to get the better of the Philly defense during the joint practice. Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill put his Cheetah speed on full display on his first rep against Darius Slay by beating him down the right sideline. The Eagles cornerback had pretty tight coverage on the play; Hill is just freakishly fast.
Hill also beat Slay on a ridiculous triple move later on. Those two guys battled before Slay left the session early with an undisclosed injury.
Meanwhile, rookie linebacker Nakobe Dean was asked for his first impressions of Hill. He downplayed being wowed by anything.
“It was my first time ever seeing him. I mean I wasn’t star-struck or anything,” Dean told reporters. “He’s a good player, and that’s why we do these joint practices, to go against other good players and get better before we get into the season.”
Part of the reason for Miami gaining huge chunks of yardage in the passing game surely had to do with Slay leaving early and James Bradberry (groin) being restricted to individual drills.
The Eagles were also down two camp standouts in the secondary: cornerback Josh Jobe (elbow) and safety Josiah Scott (hamstring). Zech McPhearson and Kary Vincent Jr. worked as the primary two cornerbacks for most of the practice. Here’s the full injury report, via The Athletic’s Zach Berman:
Eagles D-Coordinator Hypes Up Bradberry
Bradberry has enjoyed a stellar camp in his first year with the Eagles. He’s the thunder to Slay’s lightning in the cornerbacks room. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon credited Bradberry’s physicality and smarts when asked about him.
“He can play different styles of defense. He’s smart. He can cover. Gets the ball tough,” Gannon told reporters. “His level of understanding, especially being first year in the system, and he’s a vet, so he’s played a lot of ball. But just picking everything up. He’s been very comfortable with it. His understanding of what we are trying to get done with different coverages, he understands that and has been a great addition for us.”
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Eagles-Dolphins Practice: ‘Unnecessary WWE Move’ Instigates Heated Fight