SO FAR SO GOOD AS BIRDS START TRAINING CAMP
- Al Thompson
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Eagles training camp is now two days old and the only news coming out of NovaCare is that Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jalen Carter hasn't practiced at all the first two days of camp.
A report on Yahoo Sports stated Carter sat out the first Eagles training camp practice healing from a shoulder injury that is not supposed to be serious and is day-to-day.
Some of the other talk about the Eagles as they prepare for another Super Bowl run is what kind of shape is defensive tackle Jordan Davis. He showed to camp looking noticeably thinner and toned.
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio was asked about the weight loss by his four-year d-lineman out of Georgia.
“Yeah, he had lost a lot of that towards, like I said, last 6, 7, 8 games last year,” Fangio said. “He was down then too. Not down as much as he is now, but close. So it's nothing new.”
Another topic is how the versatility of defensive back Cooper DeJean has Fangio looking at his second-year defender in several positions in the secondary.
The second-year DC was asked how he started him outside in the base corner on day one, then Wednesday at safety...is there anything he wants to see? And how he's doing at each position?
“The primary motive is we'd like to have him be part of our base package and I do believe he can play safety,” Fangio said after Thursday's practice. “It's new for him so we're going to give him some work there. Then you'll see days in the base where he'll play some corner, so it's going to be an evolution and a lot of it will depend upon how well we do at those positions with the other guys.
“So we'll make the best decision for the team based upon. It's not only how he's doing, it's going to be determined by how everybody's doing. That's safety and corner.”
BEST SIGHT OF TRAINING CAMP SO FAR?
That would have to be the appearance of rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell out of Timber Creek High School and the University of Georgia.
The No. 31 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft would have likely been a top ten pick had he not torn the labrum in his left shoulder.
The message the Eagles sent out all off season was that the 2024 First-team All-SEC selection would not be on the field until mid August.
But there he was out there taking part in striking drills with all the other defensive players.
Fangio was asked what he saw from Campbell in this first action out there.
“It was good to see him out there,” Fangio said. “I wasn't expecting him out there. The trainers had been telling me all spring that it would be at some point in August when he'd be out there.”
Fangio was clearly setting up a punch line at this point.
“So I'm learning that our trainers like to understate and overachieve so they look good,” said Fangio, drawing a laugh from reporters. “But it was good to get him out there. Number one, it was just an hour of practice, but no earth shattering news to report yet other than it was good that he was out there and he's progressing.”
So far so good from a team that swears to a man that it is not defending anything. *
Email Al Thompson at al.thompson@footballstories.com.
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