Philadelphia ended the 2023 training camp on an explosive note after Jason Kelce and Zaire Franklin kicked off a tense brawl that caused the joint practice to end early.
The two teams will now have walkthroughs on Wednesday before Thursday’s preseason finale.
Then, August, 29 provides the official cutdown date for all 32 NFL teams, and the Eagles will work to trim their roster down from 90 to 53 ahead of the season opener at New England.
With the practices now closed to the media and regular season preparation underway, we’re looking at ten takeaways from Philadelphia’s 2023 training camp.
A.J. Brown is a problem
Brown spent the offseason getting stronger and faster, providing the Eagles with an even more explosive offensive weapon.
A.J. Brown pic.twitter.com/4gPMUQdxiB
— Chris Franklin (@cfranklinnews) August 22, 2023
Iron-sharpens-iron is real, and Brown’s improvement can only help DeVonta Smith grow even faster.
Jalen Hurts
Eliot Shorr-Parks likes to chart Jalen Hurts’ summer passing statistics, but it’s clear and evident that the Eagles have a star at the quarterback position.
Jalen Hurts Training Camp Stats, Entire 2023 Camp:
Here is my complete breakdown of Hurts play over the 15 practices open to the media after charting every play, every pass and every run
More detailed analysis with complete stats below but the bottom line is this:
I've been… pic.twitter.com/OXhm8rsr7X
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) August 23, 2023
Hurts continues to improve as a passer, and he’ll be in the thick of the MVP race from Day 1.
Eagles approach to running back position
Howie Roseman has avoided the big splash at the running back position, and as the Colts deal with a disgruntled Jonathan Taylor, the Eagles have assembled five talented players at the position.
D’Andre Swift will be dynamic in the passing game, Kenneth Gainwell will be able to do it all, while Rashaad Penny will be called upon to hammer the opposing defense.
DeVonta Smith
A.J. Brown has been incredible, but it’s DeVonta Smith who seems to ipmrove leaps and bounds on a daily basis.
Smith could end up as the best player in the duo thanks to his efficient route-running and he’ll finish this season as a top 10 pass catcher.
Eagles' offensive line sets the pace
He may have lost his temper, but Jason Kelce showed on Tuesday that the Eagles offensive line sets the standard for physicality on a daily basis.
Even after leaving Andre Dillard and Isaac Seumalo, Philadelphia still has the best unit up-front and stud reserves in Fred Johnson and Tyler Steen.
Georgia boys are going to raise PURE hell
Whether it be Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean or Nolan Smith, the Eagles are going to hav a dominant SEC presence on defense early and often.
Carter and Nolan Smith have help set a physical tone this summer, while Davis has remained steady with his dominance and Dean will quarterback the defense at middle linebacker.
Fresh faces at linebacker
The expectation was that Dean was replace T.J. Edwards, but Zach Cunningham and Christian Elliss potentially being starters was far from the plan prior to OTAs.
Cunninghamm looks the part and could have a career year, while Elliss has been a standout all summer, allowing for Davion Taylor to be released.
Shaun Bradley’s injury makes things cloudy from a special team’s perspective and could be a saving grace for Nicholas Morrow.
CB evolution
Josh Jobe has played well, and has allowed Sean Desai the freedom to slide James Bradberry inside during key situations or formations.
Kelee Ringo will take time to develop, while Mario Goodrich, Eli Ricks and Mekhi Garner have the look of future contributors of Philadelphia can stash them on the practice squad.
K'Von Wallace proves patience a virtue
It has been four years of continued improvement, but K’Von Wallace is starting to hit his stride, and it comes at the right time.
Philadelphia has Reed Blankenship as a talented second-year safety, and Sydney Brown is a lightening bolt as a rookie, but it could be Wallace, along with Terrell Edmunds who provide the steadiest influence.
Arryn Siposs survives for now
With Ty Zentner getting waived, Siposs is the lone punter on the roster and should be the Week 1 starter unless something shocking comes at the 53-man roster cutdown around the league.
