August 03, 2025
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles speaks in a press conference after a Philadelphia Eagles practice at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia, Pa. on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.
The Eagles were at it again on a beautiful Sunday in South Philly.
There has been a heightened intensity of late and the players are chirping and trash talking, even when they're watching their teammates. And with notorious trash talker Brandon Graham now retired, it's becoming clear to onlookers that there might not be a better teammate to have than Saquon Barkley, who is looking more and more like Graham's emotional locker room heir apparent.
The Offensive Player of the Year will start us off by earning his second offensive game ball of the summer. A look at Sunday's standouts:
The second team offense was on the field and in the red zone, trying to score with under 10 (pretend) seconds to play. Defensive lineman Jose Uche jumped off sides and players on both sides of the field went crazy. The football was placed back a the six yardline, instead of being moved closer to the goalline, and Barkley was not having it.
Sprinting to the center of the field, Barkley started having words — friendly words and with smiles beaming — with Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. Tanner McKee and the offense failed to score, much to Barkley's dismay, and the dismay of several rowdy offensive teammates.
When the third team offense was subsequently on the field, the support from Barkley and company was the same.
"Those guys are out there competing, they're playing hard, they are our teammates and we get excited," offensive lineman Landon Dickerson said after practice. "Saquon is great, on the field and off of it. He comes in with energy every day and a smile on his face and wants to go out here and address things, make sure we're running it the right way and everyone is on the same page — including quarterbacks, offensive line, everybody."
When he was on the field, Barkley saw a heavy work load again. Early on, he burst through a hole for a big pickup in 11-on-11 drills. He picked up a first down on a shovel pass, and had four touches in a row during the first team offense's final drive. Several times after a play was whistled dead, Barkley simply shouted "I can keep going!" as he slowed down.
He also had a spectacular catch on a very low throw near the sideline. Many remember a few key Barkley drops from last season — the team seems to very much trust him in the passing game. He is prepping for another monster year.
Honorable mention: Tanner McKee, QB (looked really good, particularly in the two-minute drill); DeVonta Smith, WR (made a dazzling catch on the sidelines on a perfectly thrown timing route from Jalen Hurts).
There were a few players who had good days on defense, making it a particularly difficult game ball to distribute Sunday. Cornerback Eli Ricks continues to get his hands on footballs while making a convincing case for a roster spot. Josh Uche had a "sack" as did Jalyx Hunt in 11-on-11 drills. But we're going to give the slight nod to rookie linebacker Campbell, who once again looked fantastic playing in the middle of the field.
In team drills, Campbell also contributed what would certainly have been a sack of McKee, when the second team was on the field. He also made a very athletic pass breakup on a pass over the middle from Hurts to Barkley going up against the 1's.
Campbell looked comfortable playing alongside both the 1's and the 2's. He's getting better and better at rushing the passer and he clearly has spot on ball instincts. It seems almost a foregone conclusion that play like this should have him starting alongside Zack Baun come September.
Honorable mention: Eli Ricks, CB; Josh Uche, DE, Jalyx Hunt, DE
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