Nick Sirianni wasn’t joking around about building a competitive environment.
The Eagles had an intense, physical first day of training camp on Wednesday, holding multiple full-team red zone drills and getting plenty of first-team offense vs. first-team defense work in.
Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know about the two players everyone has been waiting to watch, Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith, from Wednesday’s practice:
Jalen Hurts: Now that Hurts is the starter he is going to be graded and judged differently. He isn’t yet a fifth-year starter, but he also isn’t the backup he was last year, and should be viewed through the lens of what he is — the team’s starting quarterback.
With that in mind, Hurts did not have a good first day of camp.
Hurts finished the day 5/14 with one interception and just two touchdowns despite the fact that he took 15 rep inside the red zone. Hurts’ struggles aren’t a reason to hit the panic button, but there is no question the coaching staff was hoping to see the first-team offense play better with Hurts running it.
Hurts issues were with both decision making and accuracy.
Hurts worst throw of the day came from about 10-yards out. After dropping back he rolled to hi left and instead of running he whipped it into the corner of the end zone trying to hit DeVonta Smith. The pass was a dangerous one and was nearly picked off by Darius Slay. Perhaps in a game he would have run it, but it was a risky decision to try to make the throw.
Hurts’ lone interception of the day actually might have not been his fault, as he completed a pass to running back Kenny Gainwell on the one-yard line, but the ball was ripped away by cornerback Josiah Scott and intercepted. Hurts fit the ball into a tight window but the end result was not a good one.
One play that was a sign of how Hurts just wasn’t at his best was a missed throw to running back Boston Scott. Scott was wide open over the middle of the field, about five-yard from the line of scrimmage. Hurts lead him too far and the pass was incomplete. It is a pass Hurts made often last season, and is very capable of making, but he just missed.
Hurts best throw of the day was, ironically, incomplete. Hurts squeeze an absolute dime of a pass in-between four defenders to receiver Travis Fulgham in the end zone, but the pass — which wasn’t easy to catch because Fulgham was likely surprised it got to him — was dropped.
Overall, Hurts wasn’t at his best on Wednesday. It isn’t a cause for concern, but in his first training camp practice as the starter, his play was disappointing.
Quarterback Stats:
Jalen Hurts: 5/14, 2 TD, 1 INT, 20 reps (all 1st-team)
Joe Flacco: 6/10, 2 TD, 16 rep (all 2nd-team)
Nick Mullens: 8/8, 12 reps (all 3rd-team)
Quarterback Grades:
Jalen Hurts: C-
Joe Flacco: B+
Nick Mullens: B-
DeVonta Smith: One thing is very clear about DeVonta Smith — he is going to play a lot for the Eagles right away. There is also a very good chance he leads them in targets.
Smith took nearly every snap with the first team offense on Wednesday and looked very much like he is going to be the team’s No. 1 receiver. Smith lined up on the outside and was opposite Darius Slay for the majority of his reps. Smith didn’t look small or undersized out on the field, a concern some had coming out of Alabama.
It seems pretty obvious that Smith is going to be a great receiver. During one set of drills the Eagles were practicing catching the ball in the back of the end zone. Smith did an outstanding job each time he was up, getting his feet down right up against the sideline and making the catch. Perhaps the poor receiver play this team has had made that so noteworthy, but it definitely stood out compared to the other receivers.
Smith had five passes thrown his way with the first-team offense, easily the most of any player. During one red zone drill he had three-straight passes come his way. Hurts and Smith finally connected on the last one as Smith got open along the back of the end zone and made the catch for the touchdown.
The Eagles seem like they are going to find different ways to get the ball into Smith's hands, as he caught a wide-receiver screen during one team drill. The play wasn't very effective, however, as he was "tackled" almost immediately.
Hurts didn’t have the best day passing the ball, but even with his quarterback struggling, Smith still had a strong practice.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!