Eagles Training Camp Practice Notes: Cooper DeJean plays safety, Jihaad Campbell ahead of schedule, and much more

Observations from the NovaCare Complex.

Today marked the first Philadelphia Eagles training camp practice ahead of the 2025 NFL season! The non-padded session lasted for about 70 minutes. Here’s what I observed at the NovaCare Complex.

EAGLES PRACTICE NOTES

• JALEN HURTS UPDATE: The reigning Super Bowl MVP picked up right where he left off in the spring. The ball rarely hit the ground as he got it out quickly for a considerable number of shorter completions. There were a few instances where he did effectively push the ball down the field. Good start to camp for Hurts.

• EAGLES INJURY UPDATES: The Eagles officially placed Nakobe Dean on the active/PUP list. Jalen Carter (shoulder) and Kenyon Green (knee) did not practice but their injuries aren’t considered to be very serious. Jihaad Campbell (shoulder) and Cam Jurgens (back) were listed as limited. Tariq Castro-Fields seemed to get banged up late in practice. Myles Hinton was a full participant after leaving the Eagles’ final spring practice early.
• JIHAAD CAMPBELL UPDATE: The Eagles’ 2025 first-round pick was listed as limited but he didn’t seem to miss many reps, if any. It’s possible he wouldn’t have been practicing to the same extent if the team was in pads. We’ll see how that goes once those come on. Still, good to see him out there after Vic Fangio previously said he wouldn’t be able to practice until August. Campbell lined up at second-team linebacker next to fellow rookie Smael Mondon Jr. in team drills. He broke up a Tanner McKee pass meant for Danny Gray at one point.

• COOPER DEJEAN IS SOMETIMES A SAFETY: The Billie Jean remix about Cooper DeJean not being a safety is no longer true. DeJean took two reps lined up on the back end of the defense next to Reed Blankenship (The Exciting Whites package) when the Eagles were in base on Wednesday. Fangio previously talked about this possibility back in the spring but we didn’t actually see DeJean line up at safety during the media-attended OTA and minicamp practices. It’s clear that the Eagles want DeJean to be on the field for 100% of their defensive snaps, as they should.

• POSITION BATTLE UPDATE — SAFETY: While DeJean started in base, Sydney Brown was the first safety up in the Eagles’ nickel package. The next 11-on-11 period saw Andrew Mukuba lining up next to Blankenship. So, Brown and Mukuba appear to be splitting reps. Fangio previously insisted that Tristin McCollum is in the mix to start but he’s not getting first-team reps. Neither Brown nor Mukuba stood out in a major way on Day 1.
• POSITION BATTLE UPDATE — LINEBACKER: Jeremiah Trotter Jr. continues to be the top linebacker next to Zack Baun. Trot Jr. stood out to me with his play diagnosing skills; he often appeared to be in the right place. Campbell will likely overtake Trot Jr. at some point but the second-year linebacker isn’t going to go down without a fight.
• POSITION BATTLE UPDATE — CORNERBACK: DeJean playing safety in base means he was no longer at right cornerback like he was in the spring. Kelee Ringo was the first-team RCB in three of the four 11-on-11 periods with Adoree’ Jackson getting one of those looks. Jackson was also first up at RCB in 7-on-7. Ringo allowed two downfield catches on Wednesday. He got beat deep by Terrace Marshall on one and then he lost a contested battle to A.J. Brown on another. He later allowed a shorter completion to Marshall despite having tight coverage.
• POSITON BATTLE UPDATE — RIGHT GUARD: Tyler Steen exclusively lined up at first-team right guard. Matt Pryor was the second-team right guard once again.

• POSITION BATTLE UPDATE — PUNT RETURNER: Cooper DeJean, Jahan Dotson, Ainias Smith, Giles Jackson, and Taylor Morin were practicing returning punts … in that order. It was surprising to see that Avery Williams (who is back after missing spring practices due to injury) was repping on punt coverage instead of returning.
• POSITION BATTLE UPDATE — QB3: Kyle McCord was in ahead of Dorian Thompson-Robinson. DTR was always ahead of McCord in the spring.
• QUINYON MITCHELL SHUTS DOWN A.J. BROWN: Facing tight downfield coverage by Mitchell, Brown attempted to make a one-handed catch along the left sideline. But Q was able to break up the throw from Hurts. Mitchell had another PBU while up going against the second-team offense later in practice.
• JALYX HUNT IS “GOING TO BE A STAR”: Hunt got to Hurts for a “sack” on one rep. Speaking after practice, Jordan Mailata (who Hunt often goes up against) had high praise for the second-year edge rusher.

• TANNER MCKEE CONTINUES TO INSPIRE CONFIDENCE: McKee continues to look sharp for QB2 standards. His best throw was a deep completion to Marshall for a touchdown down the left sideline. The ball went just over the outstretched arm of Ringo. McKee also ran for a first down on a QB keeper that fooled the entire defense.
• KEEP AN EYE ON TERRACE MARSHALL: The 2021 second-round pick flashed in spring practices and he made multiple noteworthy grabs on the first day of training camp. He might force the Eagles to keep him around.

• ROSTER NEWS AND JERSEY NUMBER UPDATES: In case you missed it, the Eagles signed DT Joe Evans and waived/injured OG Marcus Tate on Wednesday. Evans was seen wearing No. 61. Some other updates:

• VIBE CHECK: Eagles players are talking about how 2024 is behind them and 2025 is an entirely new season.

• DOWN THE DEPTH CHART: Hollin Pierce had a false start after hurrying to line up that ruined the third team’s final rep. The Rutgers alumnus was visibly frustrated about that mistake. Undrafted rookie Brandon Johnson broke up a DTR pass. Tariq Castro-Fields was flagged for defensive pass interference, which also happened at least once in the spring. TCF then did have a PBU on his next rep. Keilan Robinson dropped a pass in the flat from DTR.
• ELSEWHERE IN THE NFC EAST: The Washington Commanders are dealing with a Terry McLaurin hold out, the Dallas Cowboys are dealing with a Micah Parsons hold in, and Jaxson Dart is off to an electric start with the New York Giants.

UP NEXT: The Eagles practice again tomorrow starting at 10:00 AM Eastern. We’ll hear from Vic Fangio prior to practice around 9:40 AM. You can find more of the Eagles’ training camp schedule by clicking here.