The Eagles partook in their second official OTA practice open to media members Tuesday, and it was clear that the offense was a little ahead of the defense in the early going.
A few other things were also clear: The offense, mainly Jalen Hurts and backup Tanner McKee, threw extremely conservative passes all afternoon down at the NovaCare Complex in South Philly. This is spring football here, so there's no Hail Marys or red zone work. There were also some main stars absent from action on the field, including A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
In all, Hurts ran 22 plays with a makeshift first-team offense, most of them in 7-on-7 (without linemen on either side) with five more snaps in full 11-on-11 team drills. He completed 16 of 18 passes with a few QB runs mixed in.
Here's a look at the top five plays we saw during those drills:
No. 5.
We said it was a day dominated by the offense, but there was one particularly impressive defensive highlight. Late in practice, McKee looked for backup tight end candidate Kylen Granson down the right sideline. Rookie cornerback Mac McWilliams was with him stride for stride, and made a really great pass breakup, getting his hands on the football at the same time as Granson.
- MORE EAGLES
- Cooper DeJean could play safety for the Eagles, too, Vic Fangio says
- Eagles rookie NFL player comparisons: OT Cameron Williams
- Philadelphia Eagles 2026 draft picks
No. 4
It's really hard to gauge the running game in 7-on-7 drills with no pads or tackling. There were very few run plays called on Tuesday. But on the lone handoff we saw given to the 2024 Offensive Player of the Year, Saquon Barkley, he didn't do much. That's because Defensive Player of the Year finalist Zach Baun was waiting for him, and hit him for what would have certainly been a big tackle for loss between the tackles in live action.
No. 3
Rookie quarterback Kyle McCord didn't get many reps, but he made his last one count, planting his legs and firing an absolute rope to Granson, who got a lot of targets today, over the middle of the field for around 15 yards. He's going to wind up being the leader for the QB3 spot when training camp starts next month.
No. 2
Back to McKee for the second-best pass of the day, as the second-team offense featured journeyman wideout Danny Gray prominently, to the tune of five catches. His most noteworthy came early in practice, catching a really difficult ball for around 15 yards. Gray has speed, and was on the Eagles' practice squad during the postseason last winter. He only has one career catch in a real NFL game, which he caught with the Niners in 2022. He hopes to be in the mix for the final receiver spot at the end of August.
No. 1
Finally, even with Smith and Brown out, Hurts was able to hook up with one of his favorite targets. In a late practice 7-on-7 session, Hurts uncorked a beautiful rainbow deep ball down the left sideline (right in front of the watching reporters) and Dallas Goedert hauled it in basket style with both feet in bounds for what was close to a 25 or 30-yard reception. It was really the only deep throw of the day and by far the most memorable.
The Eagles will be back on the field, in front of Philly writers, one last time next week for their only session of mandatory minicamp.
Follow Evan on Twitter:@evan_macy
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
