Albert Breer Empties His Eagles Notebook From Training Camp

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.—I saw my 22nd and 23rd teams of the summer on the practice fields off Gillette Stadium, adjacent to the new New Balance Athletics Center. We’ll cover the Eagles’ side of things now …

• The biggest story in Philly’s camp is what the post-A.J. Brown offense looks like and, more specifically, how quarterback Jalen Hurts looks in it. Let’s start with this: It sounds as if Hurts has a good level of self-awareness of the perception around how the past couple years have gone and seems to be subtly working to fix it, given how intentional he has been about helping to build up relationships in the locker room. And I’ve heard that team-wide, too. It’s a huge part of Nick Sirianni’s belief system anyway, but it does seem as if there’s a concerted effort to create a tighter unit, which shows up on trips like this.

For example, the Eagles ran the ball effectively against the Patriots on Wednesday. The Patriots responded Thursday with some borderline shots at Saquon Barkley, and a bunch of guys came to his defense in the moment. So that part of it for Hurts and the Eagles seems to be in a good place. As for the football piece, with new OC Sean Mannion aboard, the Eagles will be under center more and will focus on reviving the run game, which should make things easier on Hurts and the skill guys around him. The flip side: It’s a scheme that demands precision, which will challenge Hurts in different ways.

Reunited. pic.twitter.com/awnmVE9jt9
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 20, 2026

• Then there’s how the Eagles will go about replacing Brown on the field, and along those lines, there’s a lot of optimism over how Packers import Dontayvion Wicks is progressing. Now in his fourth year, and having been with Mannion in Green Bay, Wicks’s size, ability to separate, physicality and toughness, as well as his route-running, have come to life—and there’s a belief that with more opportunities, after having been in a rotation with Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs his first three years, translate to more production.

The Eagles, of course, are also have DeVonta Smith and have added Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore and Makai Lemon, so they have options to try to find the right mix. And if you’re looking for a dark horse, Darius Cooper, an undrafted free agent in 2025, has had a really nice summer, looking like a smooth, savvy target in camp.

• Another question: Can the Eagles keep the offensive line assembly rolling without former O-line coach Jeff Stoutland, who announced in February he would be stepping away from the team after 13 seasons. There are a few guys to circle in that regard. The first is right guard Tyler Steen, who is the only member of the starting five who hasn’t been either a Pro Bowler or an All-Pro. Steen, a 2023 third-round pick who’s entering a contract year, has had a really nice offseason.

A couple of other interior linemen have brought hope that the team can withstand the loss of Stoutland over the longer term. One is 2025 fifth-round pick Drew Kendall, and the other is 2025 UDFA Willie Lampkin. Both are being cross-trained at guard and center, and look like they’ve got real futures with the team.

• The defensive line is another question, with Jaelan Phillips—who the Eagles made a very real effort to retain—now in Carolina. Jonathan Greenard, who had a down year in Minnesota last year and is a bit nicked up right now, is the obvious replacement on the roster. But the rush clearly will be by committee, and that’ll mean a few guys playing bigger roles within it. Three young guys in particular figure prominently into the plan. Moro Ojomo, who effectively replaced Milton Williams in the defense a year ago, is showing promise that he can be a larger part of the equation. And 25-year-old edge rushers Nolan Smith Jr. and Jalyx Hunt have done the same.

• On defense, DC Vic Fangio actually brings a lot more back than he did coming off the Super Bowl a year ago. Really, just three spots are turning over. The first is the edge rusher role that Phillips took on last year at midseason, which the Eagles acquired Greenard to fill. The second is the off-ball linebacker spot that new Raider Nakobe Dean is vacating, with 2025 first-round pick Jihaad Campbell stepping in there. And then there’s the strong safety position that Reed Blankenship left behind—and it’s there that you have perhaps the biggest position battle of camp, with veterans Marcus Epps and Michael Carter II battling for playing time.

Bottom line: If the Eagles can get good production from those positions, Fangio’s unit is going to be in good shape, with a ton of promising young talent.

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