Eagles Training Camp Practice Notes: Backup quarterback battle heating up

EAGLES PRACTICE NOTES

• EAGLES INJURY UPDATES:
  • DID NOT PARTICIPATE:
    • WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring)
    • WR Makai Lemon (hamstring)
    • WR Britain Covey (hamstring)
    • S Cole Wisniewski (hamstring)
    • EDGE Keyshawn James-Newby (ankle)
  • LIMITED PARTICIPATION:
    • OT Lane Johnson (“progressing his workload”)
      • Good to see Lane back after he missed the last four practices.
    • LB Chance Campbell (groin)
    • OG Micah Morris (shoulder)
  • IN-PRACTICE INJURY:
    • C Cam Jurgens visited the medical tent and did not return to practice. Obviously one to monitor.
• JALEN HURTS UPDATE:
  • Hurts went 9/11 today, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks’ charting. It was a relatively lighter workload for him as a passer with the Eagles working on a good share of run plays.
  • First play in 11-on-11: under-center play-action with Hurts rolling right to complete a short pass to a wide open Elijah Moore, who was in motion prior to the snap. Scheming up an easy completion, what a concept.
  • Hurts’ flashiest completion came on a play where he stood in the pocket and ripped the ball over the middle to Darius Cooper in a tight window.
  • Hurts connected with Dallas Goedert on a curl route at the numbers with Riq Woolen nearby. Hurts hit Goedert again short with Jihaad Campbell trailing.
  • Hurts juked Cooper DeJean in the open field after taking off running on a play where he may have been sacked due to instant pressure from Jalen Carter allowed by Jake Majors, who was filling in for Jurgens.
  • Hurts got Moro Ojomo to jump offside on a hard count in the red zone.
  • All told, a nice showing from QB1 as he turned 28 years old today. Hurts’ teammates sang happy birthday to him during the post-practice team huddle.
  • Between this practice and Wednesday’s session, Hurts is starting to stack some good performances. That’s the kind of consistency you like to see.
• BACKUP QUARTERBACK BATTLE UPDATE:
  • It was Tanner McKee’s turn to go up first with the second-team offense today. In terms of performance, McKee has been behind Andy Dalton thus far (though it’s been close) but today was the former’s best practice of the summer.
    • McKee ripped a ball to Danny Gray along the right sideline for probably his best completion of camp at the time of that throw.
    • McKee had multiple good connections with Darius Cooper, who continues to shine. McKee completed a nice pass to Cooper over the middle. He found Cooper again with timing and anticipation on a pass along the left sideline.
    • McKee capped off his strong showing with a touchdown ball to Johnny Wilson, who made the contested grab, in the back right corner of the end zone.
    • The bad: McKee had a pass batted down near the line of scrimmage by Smael Mondon Jr. McKee overthrew Gray on an out route to the left side of the field.
  • Dalton didn’t have a bad day, either.*
    • The veteran quarterback connected with Wilson on a deep pass that would’ve set the offense up a little short of the goal line. It did feel like the ball hung in the air a long time but was nevertheless completed. Dalton’s lack of zip/arm strength does stand out at times.
    • Dalton hit Erik Ezukanma and Samari Toure on similar routes to the left side later in practice.
  • I’d still put Dalton a little ahead of McKee for now … but the latter made up some ground on Friday morning.
• Markel Bell, not Fred Johnson, took first-team right tackle reps again today with Lane Johnson being eased back into practice. Unlike the QB2 battle, Bell and Fred Johnson have not been rotating on and off each day. It seems like the rookie Bell might be pulling ahead of the veteran for at least the backup RT job, if not more.
• OFFENSIVE LINE VS. DEFENSIVE LINE 1-on-1, NON-STARTERS EDITION:
  • Jake Majors got cooked by Byron Young.
  • Michael Jordan anchored well against a bull rush from Gabe Hall.
  • Myles Hinton shut down Zion Wilson. (No. 78 on offense vs. No. 78 on defense.)
  • Ty Robinson was totally stifled multiple times by either Jordan or Micah Morris (hard to distinguish between No. 79 and No. 76 in the Eagles’ jersey number font.)
  • Wee Willie Lampkin gave up no ground to Zion Wilson.
• Not sure why the Eagles were rolling with Majors, and not Drew Kendall, as the first-team center after Jurgens left practice. On one hand, it’s not surprising since Majors has commonly repped on the second-team offensive line. But he hasn’t looked good and you would think Kendall would be better served by those reps.
• Jordan Davis notched a “sack” prior to Jurgens leaving practice. Good pressure up the middle.
• ELI STOWERS ALERT! I noticed the rookie tight end made a good catch along the right sideline. Nothing fancy but good to actually notice him on a reception beyond five yards. Signs of life.
• Couldn’t make out who it was but I saw an Eagles defender bounce off Dameon Pierce in the middle of the field on what turned out to be a long run.
• The Eagles had a period where the first-team offense went against backups on defense. Undrafted rookie safety Kapena Gushiken (Gush, as Vic Fangio once referred to him) did a nice job of punching the ball out of E.J. Jenkins’ control for a fumble. He recovered it as well.
• Ezukanma had a bad drop.
• Toure failed to catch a deep attempt that wasn’t an easy play to make but did hit him in the hands.
• Someone was wearing a Jason Babin jersey at practice. Curious.
• Special guests at today’s practice: new Sixer Jaylen Brown (who dapped up Saquon Barkley at one point and mostly hung out near Big Dom), Torrey Smith, and Vinny Curry.