The first of two joint practices between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets are in the books. And by most accounts, the Eagles once again outshined their opponent in their joint session.
Here are four takeaways from the reports out of the Eagles practices Tuesday in New York.
Eagles defensive front dominates
This one shouldn’t come as much of surprise. The Eagles are expected to have one of the best starting defensive lines in football entering the 2021 season, while the Jets are expected to have one of the worst offensive lines.
First round pick and presumed starting guard Alijah Vera-Tucker was out for Tuesday’s practice, and starting left tackle Mekhi Becton was taken out after getting banged up. Without their two premiere starters, the Eagles absolutely dominated the Jets up front.
Javon Hargrave, someone who’s had an outstanding summer, continued his dominance against the Jets, recording a handful of sacks. Fletcher Cox got in on the action too, although he was limited in Tuesday’s session. Without Vera-Tucker in, veteran guard Dan Feeney got the nod. He was unable to contain Hargrave all day, according to reports.
Even without Derek Barnett in Tuesday’s practice, the defensive line had their way. Regardless of how well we expect this defensive line to be in 2021, it’s always good to hear when they dominate lesser competition. In any competitive sport, you’re supposed to beat the teams who aren’t as good as you on paper — that goes without saying. The Eagles did that on Tuesday.
Hurts’ continuous improvement
We have only seen two series of Hurst in game action so far this year, but reports out of camp continue to suggest Hurts is improving. His accuracy is something we’ve all called into question during this offseason, but Hurts has seemingly gotten better in that area every step of the way in camp.
Hurts also had a nice deep ball to both Dallas Goedert and Zach Ertz. He completed a pass out of the backfield to Miles Sanders for a first down during team drills, and he capped off team drills with a touchdown pass to Jalen Reagor on a flat route.
I’m hoping we get to see some more game action from Hurts and the starters in this Friday’s preseason finale. But ultimately, his continuous improvement during camp, especially in these joint practice sessions, has put my mind at ease. I’m excited to see what he does this season.
A Travis Fulgham sighting
Travis Fulgham has had a quiet camp this year. Heading into a season where we argued numerous times that he is an “X” factor for this offense, he’s been disappointing thus far. But, he did show up in a big way on Tuesday. hauling in a number of passes from both Hurts and Joe Flacco.
Fulgham also had a solid one-handed grab during this same 1-on-1 period, although there is no video of it.
Hopefully this materializes in the preseason game Friday. Regardless if the starter suit up, Fulgham should get ample playing time. His success this year could be a driving force in how good this wide receiving corps can be as a whole.
An update on the Tyree Jackson injury front
On Tuesday’s injury report, tight end Tyree Jackson was listed as month-to-month after injuring his back during camp last week. The injury is likely going to keep Jackson out for 8-10 weeks, well into the regular season.
The month-to-month designation is important, even though we expected the injury to last multiple months. It’s probably an indication that he’ll make the original 53-man roster and that the team is expecting him to play sometime this season.
If the Eagles placed him on IR right off the bat, Jackson wouldn’t have been eligible to return at all this season. And they’re unable to give him the PUP designation because he’s already practiced this offseason. So, placing him on the 53-man and then placing him on IR will allow him to return after just three weeks. He may not be ready by then, but it keeps the door open for a return while also clearing up an extra roster spot until he’s ready.
Richard Rodgers will likely be the third tight end while Jackson recovers.
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