August 21, 2026
Bill Streicher/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles QBs are wearing cameras on their helmets during practices this year.
The Eagles just wrapped a set of some high-profile joint practices with the Patriots up in New England, and they're now several weeks into camp with their second preseason game on deck for Saturday night.
Already, there's been a lot of storylines to follow, from the installation of Sean Mannion's new offense, Jalen Hurts' part in executing on it, the health of the O-line and Lane Johnson's admission that this season might be it for him, Jalyx Hunt's ascension as a leading edge rusher, and this week especially, seeing A.J. Brown again, just to name a few.
With so much happening, there's bound to be a few more odds and ends that get a bit lost in the shuffle, but are still worth highlighting.
So here's a collection of them...
When the Eagles held their spring practices, the quarterbacks took the field with mini cameras mounted to the top of their facemasks.
Those were new tools for the Eagles to utilize in 2026, offering a film perspective of exactly what their QBs are seeing at the line of scrimmage.
Earlier this week, fans got to see what that perspective looks like for themselves, when the Eagles uploaded a clip to their social media channels of a camp touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to Dallas Goedert – from Hurts' point of view on the QB cam:
From the eyes of QB1 pic.twitter.com/EQNisXLgJW
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 18, 2026
It's an eye-opening look into how hard it really is to play quarterback in the NFL, keeping in mind that this was just a camp rep, too.
As for what the camera does for the QBs themselves...
"I think it gives insight and a bit of accountability in the huddle," Hurts said back on Aug. 5. "So I think there's an aspect of that that is very valuable."
A.J. Brown was the constant center of attention during the Eagles' joint practices with the Patriots this week, and every player and coach on either side knew that.
After the first practice on Wednesday, Brown stepped up to the press conference setup on the Patriots' side, likely well aware that he was going to see a lot of Philly media again wanting to ask about his trade away from the Eagles, while Jalen Hurts, at the opposite end, probably knew similar questions would be sent his way about the trade, too.
They kept it very diplomatic. A deteriorating relationship between star receiver and QB was always present in the rumors that led up to Brown's eventual trade to New England, but both were sure to keep their answers about it short and non-confrontational. They wanted to just move on.
Brown and Hurts were both asked, though, if they had spoken to one another since the trade went through. Hurts said he hadn't yet. Brown said he hadn't either, but added that he'd be open to "if our paths run across," which really didn't come off like he'd be going out of his way to.
But then on Thursday, Brown ran over to Hurts, and there was a talk, as captured by Bleeding Green's Brandon Lee Gowton:
BREAKING: Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown have now talked since the WR was traded to the Patriots. pic.twitter.com/TH3RkFi3Oj
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) August 20, 2026
So are they friends again? Who knows.
Was it notable that the meetup happened a day after the questions, and when Hurts was standing mostly alone at midfield and well in the view of the press for Brown to run over and say hi? Yeah, probably.
Is this the end of it now? They probably want it to be and are moving on. But for fans, especially in a heavy social media age, trading a player who was a clear difference-maker like Brown, but who left on somewhat bitter terms, isn't a deal so easily left behind.
The Eagles' preseason opener against the Ravens last weekend was a dud.
It's been clear for years now that under Nick Sirianni, the Eagles just don't value the preseason anymore as a serious means to actually get their starters ramped up for Week 1.
But even so, it still wasn't a great watch, especially when the Eagles had the ball.
Andy Dalton, Tanner McKee, and the offensive reserves just couldn't move. The whole unit just always looked out of sync, and limited playcalling for the night definitely didn't help.
If it wasn't for an improvised Cole Payton touchdown at the end, all with fourth-stringers and practice squad guys on the field, the Eagles would've been shut out.
Granted, it is the preseason, so it's hardly any cause for real concern.
Still, offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is aiming for a more coherent effort for this Saturday night's exhibition against the Pats.
"Obviously, we want to have a better performance offensively than we put on tape the other night," Mannion said back in Philly on Monday. "We got things that we obviously need to correct. I thought the biggest thing that stood out in the game was we weren't staying on schedule, right? We had a lot of first and longs, second and longs. Penalties led to a lot of that, a couple negative runs. So I think if we were able to be better stay on schedule, and kind of eliminate some of those miscues on early downs, we'll keep ourselves in more manageable third-down situations, and hopefully lead to a better result."
Mannion managed the offense from the sideline last Saturday in Baltimore.
This Saturday in Foxboro, he said he'll be calling the game from the booth up top for a different view, "to get a feel for both, then go from there," he said.
Mannion said he believes the Eagles' offense is overall in a good place mentally, but needs the fundamentals and execution to be sharper this time around, even if it will be only the reserves out there.
On Tuesday, I wrote about Jalen Hurts and the bizarre obsession that many national pundits, analysts, and fans across the NFL seem to have with just refusing to admit that, hey, maybe Hurts is actually a pretty good quarterback.
On Wednesday, former Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer went viral on Twitter (we're still not calling it X, shut up) for his analysis of Hurts on a web shot I'm not sure anyone genuinely knew existed until about 24 hours ago.
Is the criticism of Jalen Hurts fair?
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) August 19, 2026
Jordan Poyer: "He's not somebody that I would trust down 14 to bring my team back in the game ... but all he has done is win." pic.twitter.com/rI8OjZHKx6
"A quarterback in this league, your team is down 14 points with four minutes to go...Is Jalen Hurts somebody that you trust to bring your team back into the game? Their offense is good. Their offense is extremely good. Obviously, they got Saquon Barkley, you got one of the best offensive lines in the game, really good outside receivers, they've got a really good defense, so Jalen doesn't have to do a whole lot, right?
"But down 14 again, can Jalen bring his team back in the game? There's gonna be moments in the season where you're gonna be down 14, you're gonna be down 10 with two minutes to go, with three minutes to go. You're gonna have to make some throws, and those moments, can Jalen make those throws? Those are the questions that I think will be answered throughout this season, and I think we'll find out.
"Me? I don't know. He's not somebody that I would trust down 14 to bring my team back in the game, right? But again, I'm not gonna sit here and hate on Jalen because all he's done is win." [CBS Sports]
Yeah, so funny thing about that...
THE EAGLES WIN A THRILLER IN OT! #BUFvsPHI pic.twitter.com/sZpCdrwc7d
— NFL (@NFL) November 27, 2023
Wait, wait, it's actually funnier...
Oops.
If you remember or can see the community note in the clip above, Hurts led the Eagles back from a 10-point deficit against Poyer's Bills in 2023 – TWICE – to win in overtime.
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