The Eagles held their mandatory minicamp at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday, as the last of the spring/early summer practices that were open to the media and the final glimpse of the Birds before things really get going for training camp in July.
Jalen Hurts remained careful and methodical with the football during drills, Saquon Barkley is trying to manage his workload after heavy usage from the Super Bowl run, and there were a few more looks at how the Eagles might be thinking about lining up this year, albeit under limited circumstances for now.
Still, there were a few highlights and names to recognize as the OTA equivalent of hockey's "three stars of the game."
Here were five standout plays from practice on Tuesday, working from the order they happened in…
• In one of the early 7-on-7 reps, coverage broke down and rookie linebacker Smael Mondon was left all alone covering DeVonta Smith. Yeah, it was a mismatch. Smith made a cut then was immediately up the field. All Hurts had to do was sail it to him for the easy big completion.
• With the second teams on the field, receiver Ainias Smith cut back and pivoted to make the sharp turn out toward the sideline, but Eli Ricks stuck to him the entire way at corner, cracking down quick and getting his hand in the way to break up Tanner McKee's pass.
• Having moved into 11-on-11s, Hurts sat in the pocket then made the check to receiver Terrace Marshall, who leaked out over the line of scrimmage and caught the pass in stride with plenty of green grass in front of him. The play was only one of a handful of noticeable catches Marshall made on Tuesday.
• In a third-and-goal scenario with the third teams out for 11-on-11s, rookie quarterback Kyle McCord zipped a beautiful ball to the back of the end zone through coverage and straight into the outstretched hands of tight end Nick Muse.
- MORE EAGLES
- Eagles rookie NFL player comparisons: QB Kyle McCord
- Nolan Smith is carrying the torch for the Eagles at EDGE, but won't fill Brandon Graham's shoes
- Eagles rookie NFL player comparisons: EDGE Antwaun Powell-Ryland
• The two connected again later on. In one of the last reps of the practice, McCord was running out of time and just looking to get the ball away. He tossed it toward the right sideline in the general area of Muse, who made a corner cut to the outside, and the tight end leaped out and came down with the ball to make the hard-earned completion.
Hey, who said you don't get effort in OTAs?
The "three stars"….
• 3rd – Kelee Ringo: He made a couple of pass breakups on Tuesday and held up about as well as any corner would in spring/early summertime reps basically designed for the offense to thrive. But there's room for him get on the field more this coming season, so even a show that he can cover well now can hold some promise for later.
• 2nd – Jalyx Hunt: There was a moment early into the 11-on-11 reps where he zipped straight off the edge and touched up Hurts with his hand raised still running to celebrate the practice form of a sack, then later on, he got around the corner and went chasing after his starting QB to force him to make a quick run out of bounds.
There's only so much linemen and pass rushers can do in OTAs, but Hunt, who looks to be a key part of the front seven for 2025, ran his reps with energy and made some noise.
Who said you don't get effort in OTAs?
• 1st – Terrace Marshall: It felt like every time you saw the ball go up, No. 46 was the one catching it, in both big and small play scenarios. He was everywhere on Tuesday, and the passes went his way as a result.
See you at training camp.
SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter
Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick
Follow Nick on Bluesky: @itssnick
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports