The Philadelphia Eagles hosted thousands of fans for their public practice at Lincoln Financial Field and there was plenty for those in attendance to get excited about, including their first real look at rookie wideout Makai Lemon, and some big plays defensively.
The Eagles were without several key young names for their practice in front of the Philadelphia faithful and while no injury looks worrying, the tone didn't take long to change.
Veteran tackle Lane Johnson was helped off the field with a trainer early into the night. Although it doesn't look to be anything significant, it certainly raised a few pulses around Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles can't afford to lose one of their most important offensive pieces, especially while the depth behind him is still marinating in the background. The good news is that the crisis has been averted for now, but alarm bells would've definitely sounded.
Jordan Davis also looked to pick up a minor upper body injury and was also aided off the field by a trainer before returning to drills with a brace. We'll see if there are any updates to both his and Johnson's status, though neither looks concerning.
Newly signed CB Riq Woolen has enjoyed a good opening camp for his stint in Philadelphia, but the Cherry on the Cake came last night with the former Seahawk picking off Jalen Hurts on two separate occasions.
The second pick was taken to the house on what was a very instinctive play. Woolen jumped in front of a ball intended for DeVonta Smith that was thrown without enough zip on it, giving the wiley CB time to recover and get in front of the Eagles' WR1.
With Woolen on one side and Mitchell on the other, it's fair to say this Eagles secondary is going to cause some problems in 2026.
It wasn't all bad for QB1, though. He found Saquon Barkley in the endzone with a perfectly placed ball over the top of a pair of defenders. His deep-ball accuracy remains a sight to behold.
He also found a wide-open Hollywood Brown for a touchdown. The ball was on the money and he did suffer a little pressure in the pocket, but it was a pass you'd expect him to make 10 times out of 10. Hurts also got Makai Lemon into the endzone for the first time in front of the home fans.
However, as Eliott Shorr-Parks notes, he hasn't been consistent. 13 interceptions over 16 practices isn't brilliant. Sure, practices are skewed in favor of the defense, but it's not the best look for someone that has been notoriously protective of the rock over the last couple of years, finding ways to deliver passes into the chest of his wideouts and limiting the chances of a pick. Hopefully that irons out by the season-opener.
As the QB2 battle rages on, the one common factor is WR Darius Cooper, who could well be in line to contribute on the offense in 2026. Cooper has become a preseason standout and showed no signs of slowing down at the Linc, although Dalton overthrew him early on. If Lemon needs more time to acclimate following a slow start, Cooper could likely push his way into the fold as the go-to WR3.
Over 40,000 fans turned up to the open practice, which is genuinely more than some NFL teams see during the regular season. The Eagles continue to boast one of the best fanbases in all of professional sports, and that energy is only going to ramp up as the team prepares for its final practice of camp along with the preseason sendoff against Cincinnati later this week.
