Takeaways from Day 1 of Eagles mandatory minicamp | Birds Huddle
Takeaways from Day 1 of Eagles mandatory minicamp | Birds Huddle originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
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Jalen Hurts and the Eagles back on the practice field today for the first of two days of mandatory mini camp.
Good news, Lane Johnson, Jalen Carter, both in attendance.
Basically the whole team on hand.
Makai Lemon and Jahad Campbell among those sidelined with injuries, but in attendance, both expected back for the start of training camp next month.
And with that, we welcome you here to Birds Huddle, presented by Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL.
Alongside Barrett Brooks and Dave Zangaro, I'm Amy Kriel.
And gentlemen, you were both over there at practice today.
Dave, what stood out?
for me, it's been Tariq Woolen and his play over the first three days we've gotten to watch them this spring.
He's as advertised, and it's not just me, Amy.
Like, you can tell his teammates have been really impressed- Mm-hmm by him.
It's just unusual to see a 6-4 corner who's 200-plus pounds move the way he- Yeah moves.
It's just, it feels unnatural.
I feel like it, it shouldn't be allowed to be that way, but man, he, he's been really impressive.
To get that, that guy on a one-year deal, it's exciting to think about what that secondary's gonna look like.
I'll take a cheat code in the secondary any day of the week.
6'4", 210- Big dude the way he runs, you know.
I mean, he was You know, we were joking on the podcast and he was like, "Man, it's, it's funny that, you know, you got, you know, Smitty running a route and he's got a shadow that's taller than him."
Right.
You know?
You don't see that a lot.
He's sticky.
Right.
He's sticky in coverage, and it's like you would know You understand he has straight line speed, but then you see him be able to, to gear down- Mm-hmm and to, to be as quick as he is.
It's been really fun to watch.
So i- it might just be as simple as, like, we see it in spring, it's gonna translate.
I hope so.
B, what stood out to you?
just that the, you know, in running this offense, these guys are not making mistakes.
They know what they're doing out there.
You know, nobody's confused.
You know, I thought, you know, going into this time there was gonna be guys making mistakes.
There were gonna, you know, times where they have to stop and you get yelled.
You don't see any of that.
Man has done a great job, a fantastic job of getting the offense in and implemented, and those guys are running it right now, and they're looking pretty good while they're doing it.
So I'm pretty surprised that, you know, there's been not, I mean, not many mistakes at all.
All right.
Let's head over to Jefferson Health Complex and talk to our John Clark.
John, always nice to see the guys out there, especially ones where there's been questions about their injury and their health.
We saw Lane Johnson out there.
How good was that?
Well, it's great.
Lane Johnson's the longest tenured Eagle if Brandon Graham doesn't come back.
He's going into his 14th season- with the Birds, and this is gonna be the first season without Jeff Stoutland for Lane Johnson.
But he's really taking to the new offensive line coach, Chris Cooper, and he feels this offense will be easier on the tackles.
Lane's been on an island for a long time, but he believes he's gonna be getting help from the guards.
They're gonna stretch out the defense.
The tackles, linebackers are gonna have to run all over the place defending the running game.
So Lane Johnson is really excited about this offense, and here is why he wanted to come back.
He did not want his career to end on that Liz Frank injury.
I thought I was having a really good season last year, and, man, there was nobody more disappointed than me, not being able to come in and play, to finish it out.
So I just, I didn't wanna go out that way.
you know, I think, far as performance-wise, I felt like I was still performing the same as, same as I always have, just, I had this foot injury.
It was, you know, I've been able to play through stuff, throughout the years, but this was just something that it took time.
I, I just, I didn't wanna go out on that note last year.
Yeah, and it was really good to see a starting offensive line out there at practice today, a healthy starting offensive line, 'cause that's really where the Eagles are gonna win, on offense.
And Lane Johnson, just like Jordan Mailata, told me he believes the pass protection will be a lot easier and simpler, and the running game will have more answers now under the new offensive coordinator, Sean Mannion.
Back over to you, Amy.
All right.
Thanks so much, John.
We appreciate you.
Thanks for your time.
All right.
Let's check out our three point stance now, presented by Toyota.
Stance number one, the Eagles can have the best offensive line in the NFL.
They were dominant in 2024, took a step back due to injuries last season.
So we heard John say that.
I mean, I think that was probably one of the best signs, is seeing those guys back out there.
So how good can they be, Barrett?
They can be very good because they have a totally different mindset as they had before.
You know, like, we talk about Stoutland University all the time, and I just made fun.
You know, I was like, "All right, we got Cooper Junior College."
Well, we've already graduated to Cooper College right now.
You know, they, they, you know, these guys have really taken on, the identity that Coach Cooper wants them to have, and that's to be intense, quick, and explosive, and they're doing all that at practice.
He gives them no breaks.
You know, they're drill after drill after drill.
Usually, you know, Stoutland had his guys, he had older guys that he could be like, "All right, you know."
Until, you know, the, the, the offense is out there and they, you know, come as a team.
He would have them guys, they'd be over there drinking water and just chilling out a little bit.
No, there's no time wasted.
Everybody's lathered up.
They're all doing it.
So I mean, that's one of my biggest things, that this offensive line will be great again 'cause they're working so damn hard.
That's super important.
I mean, we know that.
The offensive line has been dominant.
That makes the run game work.
That makes Jalen Hurts work.
So how much better can they be based on their, their health, I guess?
Yeah, I mean, that's still the biggest question to me, is, you know, when the season comes in September, are these guys gonna be healthy?
And we'll see signs along the way.
It, it's good to see all five of them out there in June.
We wanna see that in July.
We wanna see that in August.
But then really it comes down to, you know, can Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens on the interior of that line- Yes can they stay healthy?
Lane Johnson at 36 years old, is he gonna be the same dominant player?
I think we know the answers to those questions.
Right.
But until we actually see it, I, I, I think there is gonna be a little hesitation on my end to just expect them to be back to their dominant form because we have to see it.
Yeah.
And it, to me, it's the biggest question about this team, period.
It's about the health of that offensive line because, Barrett, you know, like the quickest way for any season to tank- Mm-hmm is to have injuries on the offensive line.
And you c- you try to have backups ready, but those five are those five for a reason.
Yeah, I mean, they're such high-level players.
Dominant.
Dominant.
it's really important that they get back as healthy as possible.
Let's check out our second stance.
It's Dallas Goedert concern.
He's gonna be a big part of this offense.
Entering his ninth season with the Eagles, it brings another new offensive coordinator now in Sean Mannion.
Here's Goedert on how things have changed for himObviously, there's similarities.
you can only do so much on offense.
but a lot of the key emphasis are a little bit different.
I feel like through watching, what he, he wants to happen, there's a lot of easy touches to the tight ends, getting the ball in space, scheming ways to get us open.
so I'm excited for that.
I think, the tight end's kind of a, a backbone of the offense, both in the run game, play action, pass game.
So, I think it'll be a, a really good system to be able to play in.
All right, Dave, let's talk about that system.
It is tight end-oriented, so how's he gonna thrive in that system under Manion?
It is, and I think he's excited about that.
He mentioned looking at some of the other tight ends in the NFL who have been in similar schemes, guys like George Kittle, Tucker Kraft, guys who have really thrived in this style of offense.
I think he has that ability.
Now, last year he was really good in the red zone.
He, he caught a lot of passes.
I did think his run blocking dropped off a little bit.
so I'm curious to see if he can get that level back to where it was before, because he's kind of known as being one of the best dual-threat tight ends in the NFL.
If he can do that in this offense, I think he's gonna have a really big season.
I mean, we've, we've long said this guy is gonna be the breakout tight end.
He's gonna be that guy, and he was seeing flashes of it.
He's been healthy at times.
Last year was probably the healthiest he's been since his entire time here, Barrett.
So what do you expect from Dallas Goedert?
I expect him to, you know, be big in this offense, 'cause that's just what they do.
The West Coast offense is geared around you having a really good tight end.
And I think, you know, his ability to run routes and his You know, once he catches the ball, you know, that's when he really highlights himself.
You know, he can run out the catch.
You know, his yard yard is just crazy.
So I'm looking forward to him being an integral part in it, because you're gonna have a lot of 12 personnel, one running back, two tight ends, or even three to- tight ends on the field, because they're s- used so much in the run game and now the passing game in this offense.
All right, stance number three.
We're switching to defense.
Jalen Carter will get back to his all-pro form this season after getting voted to the second team in 2025.
Took a s- step back last season, 2024, pardon me, largely due to injuries as he played in just 11 games.
We know that he had that surgery.
So how confident are you that we see the best of him coming up in 2026, Barrett?
I'm looking forward to him being, getting back to or even better than he was before.
You, you see how hard he's training.
You know, I, I'm looking at videos on social media.
And they're not, not only the social media, he's gonna highlight all the stuff he's doing.
But just to look at him and understanding, you know, and talking to him this off-season.
You know, I had a, you know, conversation with him.
and, and he was like, "Look, I got so much to prove.
This is a money, contract year for me.
yeah, I wanna get paid.
I wanna go out there and show everybody I'm the most dominant force on defense, not just at the tackle position, but on defense."
So I mean, he said it, I'm believing it.
And, as we go forward, I think you will see him go out there and be a lot more healthier this year, which is gonna lead to him being more dominant this year.
I mean, he's in line for a big payday.
And I'm sure he is fully aware of that, as are the Eagles, Dave.
Yeah, huge payday.
We're talking about setting the defensive- Mm-hmm tackle market, and it could happen before this season.
That, that's certainly a possibility.
those injuries last year, both shoulders, you can't do much as a defensive tackle- No.
when you don't have any strength in your shoulders.
I think we saw him try to play through it.
It just wasn't the same.
He got those two shots.
and, and he seemed to play a little bit better when he- Mm-hmm came back.
But, it, I think the next step for him is just finding consistency.
Yeah.
Because we see flashes where he's one of the most unblockable players in the NFL, but it's about can he do that down in, down out.
And even last year, thinking back to what Vic Fangio said about him coming i, into the season a little out of shape, that's not good enough.
No.
Like, this is a guy who we're talking about could be the highest earner of defensive tackles in the NFL when he gets that new deal.
You gotta be more consistent.
You have to be that guy on snap one and snap 80 of a game.
I think if he does that, there aren't many players in the NFL better.
He has to be the best player on defense.
Yeah.
The best player.
I mean- He's gonna get paid like it like Quinyon, Cooper, all Yes, exactly.
A.J.
Brown apparently left his mark at the Eagles practice facility before he exited.
According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, last week Brown was back at the facility picking up some belongings.
Before he left, he signed a picture of himself on the wall, which is customary for the Eagles.
he also wrote though, quote, "The best to ever play here.
Always open," end quote.
Meanwhile, today head coach Nick Sirianni was asked about the end of the A.J.
Brown era.
There's a lot of good years here, right?
and done a lot of good things, with, when, when, with A.J.
here.
Two times in the Super Bowl, and I think he was All-Pro multiple times, Pro Bowl multiple times.
And, so I would say it was a, it was a great, it was a good run.
So many things that he's, that he did w- it was, that was good for, good for our football team, and always will wish him the best of luck.
And, but like I said, really excited about the guys in that room and where we are, but, you know, this is a team game.
Team game.
Best said would do it.
you heard Nick Sirianni mention the accolades that A.J.
Brown accrued when he was here with the Eagles.
Eight of his four seasons, over 1,000 yards, pair of Super Bowl appearances, of course the win, two Pro Bowls, three second team All-Pro selections.
He also set the franchise record for receiving yards in a s- single season.
So he's not wrong.
He's the best wide receiver, but he just left it at that.
A question we're posing to you today: Will the Eagles be better off without A.J.
Brown?
You can vote by scanning that QR code you see there on your screen.
So this is a complex question.
We're asking for yes or no, but it is a complex question, Dave.
Could be addition by subtraction in certain aspects of that locker roomNo.
I mean, the answer to this is no.
Correct.
They're not a better team without- Correct A.J.
Brown, but it's not like this was a surprise.
They didn't wake up on June 1st, trade A.J.
Brown, and then think, "Oh, what are we gonna do now?"
Whoa, yeah.
I mean, they've been- They're not prepared preparing for this.
They have DeVonta Smith ready to slide into that wide receiver one role.
They've added Dontayoon Wicks, they added Mekhi Lemon.
So Hollywood Brown, Elijah, all those guys, they were planning on this, so it's not like a shock.
And this is an offense, too, that should be able to spread the football around a little bit.
To answer the question, like, no.
No.
You know, let's, let's not go crazy here.
He's a great player, but this was not a shock to me.
Yeah.
It, they're not gonna be better off in their offense.
I think, and that's not a knock on anybody they've got in there, Barrett, but he's had over 5,000 yards in four years.
Eagles have never had a guy had four straight years of 1,000 yards.
w- if we're talking about individual production- Yeah absolutely not.
But But you look at it, I, I just look at the last, what, six or seven games where we only averaged 15 to 17 points, and he was still on the squad, he was playing.
And in, in that aspect, I think that we can be a lot better than 15, 16 points a game.
You know, does our quarterback have to focus on calling the offense around his ability to go out there and make plays?
You know, during that time, 60 or 60, 70% of the snaps that were passing plays were probably called for his number.
You know what I'm saying?
For him to get the ball.
Will it change now?
Yes.
In this offense, it will definitely change.
It's gonna be spread out a little more.
I mean, De- you know, DeVonta will be just fine being the number one.
His number one and A.J.
's number one might be two different- things.
You know what I'm saying?
He might be more productive, you know, as a, as a wide receiver than A.J.
was in the system, because he's gonna be open.
He, he can throw a more forgiving ball to him as opposed to, A.J.
So I just think, you know, at this point, I, it would be hard for Manion to call plays the way he wants to call plays if he's, you know, thinking, "All right, I always gotta go to A.J.- Right I gotta get A.J.
involved."
And it's a good point, too, what Barrett brought up, is like last year the version of A.J.
Brown we saw wasn't as good- No as the version we saw before.
And I don't think it was a- Not at all yeah, I don't think- Not a bad version.
Not a slight, yeah not a bad version, but, and I don't even think it was a talent issue, I, I think it was a focus issue.
Yeah.
I think it was a, a guy who had checked out a little bit.
Mm-hmm.
And if that was the same player coming back, yeah, then it was time to move on.
Yeah.
And I, I, I do think the Eagles have the pieces in place.
Still a very good offense without him.
Yeah, to that end, Dave, do you think DeVonta is the, he is completely capable of stepping in, A, number one?
Absolutely.
Yeah.
And, and like Barrett said, they're different players.
Mm-hmm.
They're just different body types, different skillsets.
But, you know, you look at DeVonta Smith, and I, I think that he has just scratched the surface of what he can be in the NFL.
I think he's been underutilized during his career here, and a lot of that is because A.J.
Brown has been here, and he's kind of been in that shadow a little bit.
But you, you look at some of the receivers in this style of offense, this style of offense that can allow you to get open in different ways.
Like, let the offense help you a little bit.
You don't have to just line up one on one against the corner and win all the time.
You can let the offense do some of the work for you.
I think that's gonna be the case this year.
We thank everybody for logging in and voting.
80% saying yes, they'll be much better, 'cause they don't have to deal with- Drinking the same Kool-Aid I'm drinking.
They don't have to deal with a guy that's reading a book on the sidelines.
