Eagles training camp practice at The Linc: Quez Watkins puts on a show; Jalen Hurts shows off his downfield touch | 8 observations

PHILADELPHIA -- The Eagles practiced in front of thousands of fans on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

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The Eagles wore jerseys with neon green lettering in honor of the Eagles Autism Challenge. Staff members wore shirts commemorating the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction of Harold Carmichael on Saturday night.

PREVIOUS PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS: Practice 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Here are eight observations from Sunday’s practice at The Linc:

Quez Watkins Night at The Linc

Wide receiver Quez Watkins has been sensational since returning from a non-COVID illness last week. At The Linc, Watkins put on an epic show.

He started his standout performance with an impressive leaping grab over CB Craig James for a touchdown in 1-on-1 coverage drills. QB Nick Mullens tossed a dime to Watkins, who jumped up and grabbed the ball over James, despite great coverage.

QB Joe Flacco then targeted Watkins in 11-on-11 red-zone drills. Watkins made a nice diving grab on a tight-window throw from Flacco. Watkins made the catch at the one-yard line.

Watkins’ biggest highlight catch came during the open-field 11-on-11 period. QB Jalen Hurts moved out of the pocket to his left, and launched a ball deep down the field to Watkins in the end zone. Watkins leaped up for the ball over starting safety Anthony Harris in coverage. Watkins willed the ball into his body as he fell to the turf and “scored” the 50-yard TD.

While the Eagles are counting on back-to-back first-round picks, DeVonta Smith and Jalen Reagor, to lead the wide receiver group, Watkins has emerged as a legitimate playmaker at the position.

Jalen Hurts, Downfield Dime Thrower

While Hurts didn’t throw a lot of passes during team drills, he did make the most of his downfield strikes.

The end-zone toss to Watkins looked like a dead play waiting to happen, but Hurts kept it alive as he scrambled away from pressure and heaved the ball downfield. Hurts put the ball where only Watkins could snag it and the wide receiver didn’t let him down (despite falling down to the turf).

Hurts followed up that heave with a rainbow bucket toss to WR Travis Fulgham down the right sideline. Hurts put the ball in front of Fulgham, who made a diving catch within the boundary, with CB Steve Nelson trailing by a step in coverage. The 30-yard gain took place during a two-minute drill.

Hurts later went back to Fulgham on a scrambling throw during the same two-minute period. It was an impressive throw on the run by Hurts.

Hurts had a rough practice on Saturday, but he clearly bounced back as a passer in front of fans.

1-on-1 fun

The fans in attendance were treated to some fun individual matchups at The Linc. The team split into two groups -- WRs vs. CBs and RBs/TE vs. LBs/Ss -- and did 1-on-1 coverage reps.

Here are some standout individual coverage reps:

- Reagor started 1-on-1 drills with a “go” route, beating Nelson despite an obvious hold for a touchdown.

- Fulgham’s battles against CB Darius Slay were physical. Fulgham won the first matchup with an inside move. From there, the two battled to three straight incompletions. The final incompletion seemed to be more of a ball placement issue than a Fulgham loss.

- WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, in the slot, got open on a slant route against CB Josiah Scott and made a nice catch.

- Watkins caught the aforementioned beautiful deep pass from Mullens off a “go” route vs. James.

The offensive line switch-up

The left tackle rotation continued at The Linc. While Andre Dillard started at left tackle on Saturday, Jordan Mailata got the first-team reps on Sunday.

Sua Opeta worked at left guard for the second consecutive practice, while center Jason Kelce and right tackle Lane Johnson started at their usual spots. Jack Driscoll started at right guard for the second straight workout.

The second-team offensive line looked like this: Dillard (LT), Ross Pierschbacher (LG), Nate Herbig (C), Kayode Awosika (RG) and Matt Pryor (RT). Herbig had a shotgun snap go over Flacco’s head at one point during team drills.

Awosika, an undrafted rookie, has been a pleasant surprise during camp. The rookie has played well in team and individual drills. He made the most of his 1-on-1 matchups on Sunday against sixth-round defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu.

READ MORE: QB breakdown from practice No. 9

Perfect day for Jake Elliott

Kicker Jake Elliott had a nice showing in front of fans. The Super Bowl LII hero made all six of his field-goal attempts at The Linc. The makes came from 32, 40, 44, 28, 46 and 53 yards.

This season is very important for Elliott. The well-paid kicker is also forging chemistry with a new holder, punter Arryn Siposs, who is having a solid summer thus far.

Defensive Play of the Night

Flacco threw a pass down the middle of the field during a two-minute drill, and the ball went directly to safety Marcus Epps, who made the interception. Flacco was targeting QB-turned-TE Tyree Jackson, who didn’t seem to be ready for the pass. It might have been a miscommunication that led to the turnover.

Epps led the Eagles with two interceptions last season. He seems to be in the lead for the fourth safety spot behind Harris, Rodney McLeod and K’Von Wallace.


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Injury updates

The following players were limited in practice:

- DE Ryan Kerrigan (thumb)

- WR Michael Walker (foot)

The following players returned to practice:

- RG Brandon Brooks (hamstring strain, limited)

- LB Shaun Bradley (illness)

The following players were new absences from practice:

- OT Casey Tucker (biceps, week-to-week)

The following remained on the sideline due to prior injuries:

- DB Grayland Arnold (hamstring, day-to-day)

- DE Genard Avery (groin, day-to-day)

- TE Jason Croom (knee, day-to-day)

- DB Obi Melifonwu (hamstring, day-to-day)

- LG Isaac Seumalo (hamstring, day-to-day)

- WR John Hightower (groin, week-to-week)

- WR DeVonta Smith (knee, week-to-week)

- LB Davion Taylor (hamstring, week-to-week)

FS Rodney McLeod (knee) and OT Le’Raven Clark (Achilles) remained on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Second-round lineman Landon Dickerson remained on the non-football injury (NFI) list. Defensive end Matt Leo remained on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Eagles Autism Challenge

The Eagles announced a matching gift drive for new and existing participants of the 2021 Eagles Autism Challenge during Sunday’s workout.

The Eagles have partnered with retail chain Five Below to help participants meet and exceed their fundraising goals. The first $50,000 in online donations will be matched, dollar for dollar.

The matching gift applies to all online donations made between Monday, August 9 at noon and Monday, August 16 at 11:59 p.m. ET, or until the $50,000 matching gift has been released. To sign up or donate, visit www.EaglesAutismChallenge.org.

QB EVALUATIONS: Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

QUICK HITS

- RB Boston Scott had a big breakaway run during team drills. He bounced off defenders and surged upfield. Scott has had a strong third training camp in Philadelphia and seems poised to have a big role in the offense this year.

- The Eagles offense used speed 21 personnel (2 RBs, 1 TE) in front of fans. Scott and Miles Sanders were the two backs in first-team “speed.”

- TE Tyree Jackson was busy throughout practice. He caught two passes from Mullens early in team drills. His first catch was a wide-open grab in the middle of the end zone after beating a linebacker in coverage. He also made an impressive catch down the seam off a pass from Mullens. Jackson caught the ball and took an epic hit from DB Elijah Riley as he hauled it in. Jackson was able to secure the catch as he went to the ground.

Flacco also targeted Jackson regularly. Jackson made a pair of big catches during a two-minute drill led by Flacco to end the practice.

- TE Zach Ertz made his entrance to a massive ovation from the Eagles fans in attendance. Despite the trade rumors, Ertz is still beloved by the Philly Faithful.

- Random observation: When given the opportunity, DE Derek Barnett will wear sweatpants during practice. This beat writer respects that choice, especially in the heat of summer.

- The Eagles will have a walkthrough on Monday that won’t be open to media. They’ll return to open practice on Tuesday at 10 a.m. NJ Advance Media will have full live coverage on Eagles Extra (sign up for two weeks FREE now) throughout the evening.

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