Eagles practice observations: WR depth concerns; first look at rookie CBs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean

The Eagles held their first open practice of organized team activities — otherwise known as OTAs — on Wednesday at the NovaCare Complex. Here are my observations:

Roll call

The Eagles were missing several veterans for what was a voluntary workout. They were wide receiver DeVonta Smith, tackle Lane Johnson, defensive end Josh Sweat, cornerback James Bradberry, and kicker Jake Elliott. Second-year cornerback Kelee Ringo also wasn’t present, but the guess here is that he had a valid reason for staying away. The Bradberry absence is notable because there is a belief he could be released post-June 1, but he has otherwise been in the building at various points during the offseason, from what I understand. That doesn’t mean Bradberry will be starting next season, or even on the roster come September, but it has otherwise been business as usual for the 30-year-old corner who is trying to rebound from a tough 2023 season.

Sydney Brown was seemingly the lone injured player who was present and didn’t practice. The second-year safety is recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in the season finale. He did running and agility exercises on a side field. Brown has said that he hopes to be back by the start of the season, but the Eagles haven’t offered a timetable on his return. Linebacker Nakobe Dean (foot) and cornerback Zech McPhearson (Achilles) participated in stretching and individual drills, but neither appeared to engage in seven-on-sevens. The same could he said for rookie receiver Ainias Smith, who didn’t participate in rookie camp earlier this month.

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Depth chart notes

The Eagles didn’t conduct 11-on-11 drills, so there wasn’t an opportunity to put together a full unofficial depth chart. But reporters did get a glimpse of three units during seven-on-sevens. On the first-team defense, Devin White and Zack Baun were the inside linebackers, Darius Slay and Isaiah Rodgers were the outside cornerbacks, Avonte Maddox was the slot corner, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship were the safeties.

On the first-team offense, Saquon Barkley was at running back, A.J. Brown and Joseph Ngata were the outside receivers, Parris Campbell was at slot receiver, and Dallas Goedert was the tight end.

On the second and third teams, various players were shuffled in and out of the lineup, especially on the offensive side. The defensive units remained relatively the same. On the second team: Oren Burks and Ben VanSumeren were the linebackers, Quinyon Mitchell and Josh Jobe were the outside cornerbacks, Cooper DeJean was the slot corner, and Mekhi Garner and Tristin McCollum were the safeties. And the third-team defense: Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Brandon Smith were the linebackers, DeJean and Mario Goodrich were the outside corners, Shon Stephens was the slot corner, and Andre’ Sam and Blankenship — who filled in because of the lack of numbers — were the safeties.

Receiving help

With DeVonta Smith out, the receiver corps looked thin, especially after DeVante Parker’s recent retirement. I wouldn’t be surprised to see general manager Howie Roseman sign a comparable free agent off the street before the Eagles break for the summer. He may not want to steal repetitions from some of the younger guys this spring and could wait till training camp to address the third or fourth receiver spot.

Campbell has the most experience of the bunch and could end up the No. 1 slot. He has inside-outside versatility, like Brown and Smith, but if coach Nick Sirianni wants a third receiver who specializes in lining up in the slot, Britain Covey could be the answer. The Eagles have a lot of mouths to feed with their top skill-position players, so it’s not as if they need another receiver who needs a healthy dose of targets. But the drop-off from the starters is significant if either were to get hurt.

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Jalen Hurts, Year 5

The Eagles quarterback looked relatively comfortable in the new offense. Of course, a light practice in shells and shorts is a far cry from live football. Hurts hooked up with his favorite target, Brown, early and often. They connected on a comeback route with Brown getting in front of Rodgers near the boundary. Hurts later found the receiver wide-open vs. a deep zone. They had one mix-up on a slant in which the quarterback threw behind his receiver. Hurts tried for Goedert at one point, but Rodgers deflected the pass.

Hurts didn’t go to Barkley much early in seven-on-sevens, but he did dump several throws to backup running back Kenneth Gainwell. Later on, though, Hurts floated a pass to Barkley on a wheel route into the end zone, but White ran with the running back step for step, turned back, and knocked the pass down. Campbell caught a couple of passes in traffic, but he couldn’t pull in an ill-advised Hurts heave into double coverage.

Steen train

It looks like Tyler Steen, as expected, is getting the first opportunity to win the open right guard position. While there weren’t team drills, offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland did line up his first unit during individuals. The group from left to right: Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Steen, and Mekhi Becton (in for Johnson).

Matt Hennessy, who was signed in the offseason, was the second-unit right guard and is probably Steen’s early competition for the spot. Rookie Trevor Keegan could be in the mix, as well.

Down by the corner

Practice offered our first real on-field peek at the Eagles’ top rookie cornerbacks — Mitchell and DeJean. The former instantly looked the part and didn’t appear overwhelmed. It’s early, but Mitchell should be Bradberry’s and Rodgers’ top competition for the right-side spot opposite Slay.

Mitchell’s best moment came when he broke up a Kenny Pickett pass intended for rookie receiver Johnny Wilson in the end zone. He was in a deep zone and broke off his assignment to make the play. Mitchell played a lot of off-ball coverage at Toledo, so he has a lot of experience with his eyes on the quarterback. DeJean projects as Maddox’s top competition for the slot, but he got reps on the outside. He was in coverage on a Covey 10-yard out thrown by Pickett. He read a short pass to running back Lew Nichols and was in position to make a stop. But DeJean otherwise wasn’t tested much.

Assume the position

Baun played mostly on the edge for the New Orleans Saints, but the Eagles think he has an inside linebacker skill set and that’s where he has spent most of his time this spring. He certainly looked capable at practice playing alongside White at weakside. He had tight coverage on a short Hurts toss to Brown over the middle.

Maddox played a few snaps at safety, a position he filled in an emergency as a rookie and two years ago against the Chicago Bears. The Eagles will often cross-train defensive backs, particularly with middle field defenders. But with Cooper in the fold, Maddox may need to add tools to his box if he wants to stay.

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Pickett fences

Pickett passed the eyeball test upon first practice glance. He has a little more zip than I thought he might have and was ever accurate. If it weren’t for drops by tight end Albert Okwuegbunam and receiver Jacob Harris, the former Steelers quarterback might have been close to perfect on his passes. Pickett hit Campbell on a 20-yard sideline rope and hooked up with Gainwell on a back shoulder into the end zone.

Tanner manner

It’s been a while since we got to see Tanner McKee in competitive drills. The second-year quarterback isn’t likely to supplant Pickett as Hurts’ backup, but he is expected to be a development piece for at least another season. He doesn’t have a cannon for an arm, but Will Shipley had a McKee throw sail through his hands after he split wide. Later, the rookie running back bobbled a Hurts throw into the flat, but hung on. Shipley has been labeled undersized, but he has stout legs.

McKee’s best toss came when threaded a pass to tight end E.J. Jenkins through a tight window.

Extra points

In-person viewing confirmed recent pictures of defensive tackle Jordan Davis that suggested he lost weight and toned his body this offseason. … DeJean fielded punts alongside Covey. … The Eagles have four more OTAs this week and next, but the next session open for reporters is tentatively scheduled for next Thursday.