Eagles Day 2 Overreactions: A Pair Of Jalens, And A Competition Update

PHILADELPHIA – It’s too early to overreact to Jalen Carter’s shoulder injury, which has sidelined him for the first two days of Eagles training camp, especially after you see him on the field. He was certainly visible on Thursday, talking with teammate Nakobe Dean during the team stretch.

Carter was also waiting at the goal line when most of the defensive players, after their series of reps was over, ran 20 to 30 yards to the end zone. The defensive tackle greeted each with hand slaps or shoulder taps. When rookie Ty Robinson crossed the line a few yards away from Carter and began walking toward the sideline, Carter made it a point to track him down and give him a tap on the arm, giving him a head nod, too, as if to say good job.

This is part of the Eagles’ culture – connecting and it’s clear Carter learned his lessons well from the now-retired Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham, as well as others. He’s playing it forward.

That said, there is some stuff to overreact to after Day 2.

Jalen Hurts will be the NFL MVP. It’s amazing how comfortable he looks running Kevin Patullo’s offense. He made some nifty throws on Thursday, one where he laid the ball expertly over a leaping Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., and in front of a closing Sydney Brown that landed softly in tight end Dallas Goedert’s hands during a 7-on-7 drill.

Hurts threw one touch pass on a designed roll to his right, lofting it over a defender’s outstretched arms to Grant Calcaterra about five yards off the line of scrimmage. The ball hit the backup tight end in stride, as so many of his passes are doing.

“I think Jalen just continues to evolve and grow and keep throwing the ball and fitting in tight spots,” said Goedert. “I'm excited to see where that continues to go. …His knowledge of the game continues to go up. It should get easier every year.”

Improved passing offense. There’s no way this team finishes 29th in passing offense like it did last year. The Eagles will still run the ball, but defenses have had a year to study Saquon Barkley and the offensive line, so Hurts is going to pass more, and he’s ready for it.

“Between me, Jalen, Smitty, A.J. (Brown) - that's a combination that’s played a lot of football together,” said Goedert. “There are a lot of times we're on the same page and just seeing the game the same way. When you have really good wide receivers, a good running back, it just makes everyone's job a little easier.”

What competition? Tyler Steen is the right guard. Period. So many thought there would be a competition. The job is Steen’s.

“Tyler has really developed the past couple years physically, and communication has been good, said right tackle Lane Johnson. “He’s playing with more confidence, and I have confidence in him moving forward. I’ve had a chance to play with him a bunch the past couple years, so it’s good.”

Tight ends galore. This is going to be one of the hardest groups to evaluate when the roster chopping starts. One who really should get a good look and possibly land on the practice squad is Cam Latu, a third-round pick of the 49ers two years ago out of Alabama. His rookie season ended with a torn meniscus in a preseason game. He has good size at 6-5, 244, and has had a good-looking two days.

An appreciation. That’s what this is, more so than an overreaction – the music selection was insanely my speed. There was a two-song tribute to Ozzie Osbourne – ‘See You on the Other Side’ and ‘Crazy Train’ – right into a pair of timeless AC/DC pieces – ‘Thunderstruck’ and ‘Hell's Bells’ – followed by Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Sweet Home Alabama.’

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