August 09, 2025
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
Cornerback Eli Ricks runs out from the tunnel at Lincoln Financial Field ahead of last year's open practice back on August 1, 2024.
Sandwiched between Thursday night's preseason opener and the open practice at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night, the Eagles were back at the NovaCare Complex on Saturday for the 11th session of training camp.
And things were mostly low-key.
The team ran through 11-on-11 drills, but the offense often played it safe with a lot of quick checks and short gains, which left the defense just looking to contain.
Some standout moments did emerge late into situational work, though, which also resulted in Saturday's game ball honors...
The second team was up during a scenario where the offense was pinned back on its own 1-yard line.
On the snap, quarterback Tanner McKee looked straight toward receiver Terrace Marshall for a quick out to the left sideline, but Eli Ricks was already way ahead of the play.
The cornerback jumped in front of the route, plucked the pass out of the air, and ran it the short distance back to the end zone for the pick six, punting the ball up into the sky in celebration as soon as he broke the plane.
Ricks, entering Year 3 in the NFL, has made those kinds of eye-catching plays in camp and the preseason before – and that includes a couple of pass breakups he made against the Bengals on Thursday night – but he hasn't put it all together into a fully sustained run yet, which has left him further down the depth chart and perhaps in danger of falling even further now that Jakorian Bennett has entered the fray.
Ricks did well to keep himself steady, though, with that pick six in Saturday's practice.
Plus, who knows? With Kelee Ringo and Adoree' Jackson both struggling to make a clear case for the starting cornerback spot opposite of Quinyon Mitchell, the Eagles might be in need of more cornerback depth than initially thought, which would leave more room for the 23-year-old Ricks to stay in the picture and make an impact.
Honorable mention: Cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields made a nice pass breakup on a quick slant to receiver Avery Williams in that same 1-yard line scenario when it was the third teams' turn to take the field. Then a bit later, with the situation changed to where the offense was pushing the ball toward the red zone, Castro-Fields barreled down on a quick out to receiver Giles Jackson by the right sideline and leveled him in the flat to stop the play with maybe only a yard or two gained.
The 26-year-old, who spent his first couple of years in the NFL floating around on waivers before finding his way on to the Eagles' practice squad last season, definitely ran his reps with an edge on Saturday.
An undrafted rookie out of Wake Forest, Morin ended Saturday's practice on a high note with the third-team offense working within the red zone.
On the final rep of the day, Morin ran a corner route from the right toward the back of the end zone with a defender hanging over his shoulder the whole way.
Third-string quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson went looking for him anyway, though, lofting a pass up that was going to be a tough grab for Morin, who is listed at just 5'11".
But the ball slipped past the taller defensive back and into the hands of Morin, who was able to secure it and keep his feet in as he fell to the grass for the touchdown.
Then Morin went and caught the 2-point conversion on a quick out to the left to fully wrap up the session as the horn sounded.
It put a bow on a nice day for the 24-year-old, maybe not in an effort that will propel him toward the 53-man roster, but it could snowball toward an opening for him on the practice squad.
Honorable mention: Receiver Johnny Wilson used his size to his advantage to turn in a big game against the Bengals in the preseason opener on Thursday night. Saturday's practice was quieter for him, but he did get some looks with the first team, and hauled in a high pass from Jalen Hurts in the seam that he was able to go up for in zone coverage.
It's worth noting that A.J. Brown didn't practice on Saturday because of a hamstring issue, which necessitated some different looks, but the Eagles did want to factor Wilson into one of those.
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