August 01, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Jalen Carter #98 of the Philadelphia Eagles takes the field during training camp at the Jefferson Health Training Complex on July 29, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
It was a longer practice on Saturday and the defense still got the better of the offense.
With pre-snap motion on nearly every play now on the offensive side, and a bevy of targets from Jalen Hurts and the quarterbacks over the middle, Vic Fangio's defense has still looked prepared and more explosive.
Here's a look at some heroes from practice, as well as a few zeroes as we recap every day during training camp:
Jalyx Hunt, DE: We spotlighted Hunt after the first day of training camp, but he's been a force that can't be ignored and we have to highlight him again. If defensive players were allowed to tackle quarterbacks Saturday, Hunt would have gotten at least four of them. One of the saw him beat Jordan Mailata, while another came at the expense of Fred Johnson, playing at right tackle with the first team offense with Lane Johnson taking the day off. After his breakout season in 2026, Hunt has shown no signs of slowing down.
Jalen Carter, DT: Another d-lineman — this one the highest paid defensive tackle in the sport — Carter used his monstrous frame to tip a pass early in practice just beyond the line of scrimmage. Then, toward the end of the 100-plus minute practice, Carter powered his way into the backfield with a bull rush that would have been a clear sack in a game.
Britain Covey, WR: Is there room on the roster for the speedy wideout who often makes his impact on special teams? Covey showed the special teams talent in a drill where he was able to whack a ball out of a receivers hands. Later, playing reps with both the first and second team offenses, Covey caught three passes and served as sort of a security blanket over the middle of the field, doing his best Julian Edelman impression. Covey is in competition for a spot with Johnny Wilson, Darius Cooper and Quez Watkins — depending on how many WR make the 53-man roster.
Nolan Smith Jr., DE: We're nit picking here — as there weren't any real egregious errors or screw ups made on either side of the football Saturday. There were no turnovers and very few drops as the offense focused on some situational football out of the shotgun all morning. But on a red zone play toward the tail end of practice, Smith looked positively gassed trying to catch up to Hurts, who kept the ball on a broken play to score a touchdown. Smith should have been able to catch him and get a hand on him without pads and he simply did not. With Johnathan Greenard sidelined, Smith has a big opportunity here to impact the pass rush and solidify playing time (and confidence).
Jakorian Bennett, CB: Fighting tooth and nail to earn a sport as a depth cornerback on the NFL roster, Bennett had an up and down day for sure. While he did supply some pretty solid coverage on occasion, he also made a really bad pass interference infraction, essentially diving to tackle his assigned receiver on a deep pass from Andy Dalton.
Makai Lemon WR, Eli Stowers, TE: A quick knock on the Eagles top two offensive draft picks — neither of whom has done much of anything so far in training camp. Lemon missed minicamp, so there's a bit of an excuse there for the slow start. But the team is no doubt hoping to see some positive signs from the rookie duo as we get deeper into August.
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