Jets Announce Joint Practices With Eagles Before Preseason Matchup

Just a couple weeks away from the official start of training camp, the Jets are filling up the practice calendar. 

New York will be holding joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles on August 24 and August 25, before the two teams square off in their annual preseason matchup, the team reported on Thursday. 

This is the second such announcement from the Jets, as the team will travel to Green Bay for joint practices on August 18-19 with the Packers ahead of their preseason matchup at Lambeau Field. These mark New York’s first joint practices since 2005 under Herm Edwards, when the team practiced alongside the Giants. 

After 16 years, Robert Saleh is throwing them back on the schedule, likely due to the shortened preseason that was instituted this year to accommodate the 17th regular season game. With only three tune-up games instead of four this year, extra reps against other NFL teams could provide the insight that the coaching staff needs to make final roster decisions. The Jets will need to trim the roster from 80 to 53 players between August 24 and August 31. 

Coincidentally, that 17th game that was added in the offseason will pin New York against Philadelphia, making these practices quite a bit different from the ones in Green Bay. New offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur likely isn’t going to deviate much from a vanilla playbook, while defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich probably won’t be showcasing his team’s most exotic blitz packages. Those will certainly be saved for the December 5th showdown against the Eagles at MetLife Stadium. 

Breaking Down the New York Jets 2021 Schedule

Notable Jets that will be lining up opposite their former team include RB Josh Adams, DE Vinny Curry and WR Manasseh Bailey. QB Joe Flacco is the only former Jet who will be returning for the affairs. New York’s ties to the Eagles run a bit deeper than those four players, though, as Joe Douglas spent four years in Philadelphia prior to becoming the Jets general manager, helping scout several players on the Eagles’ current roster. 

From a matchup perspective, the Jets will get their first look at Jalen Hurts, who is set to enter his first full season as the starting quarterback in Philadelphia. He’ll test a young secondary with starting spots that are still very much up for grabs. On the other side of the ball, Zach Wilson and the new-look offensive line will square off against a slew of wily veterans in Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Ryan Kerrigan and Derek Barnett.

Of course, the goal of the joint practice is predominantly for roster construction purposes with several cuts on the horizon. But for the Jets, it couldn’t hurt to take a few notes on the guys across the field as well. 

The Eagles are 11-0 all-time against the Jets, and remain the only team in the NFL that New York has failed to defeat in their storied history.

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