Eagles Practice Rundown: The Cooper DeJean Experiment Continues

After being stuck indoors last week, the Philadelphia Eagles were outdoors on the practice field on Tuesday. While it’s only June, there is still plenty to watch for during these early practices in the City of Brotherly Love.

Following each practice, I’ll gather information from the credentialed reporters in attendance, broadcasted press conferences and add my own thoughts on top of it all. Here is the latest edition of my Eagles Practice Rundown!

Eagles Roll Call

Tuesday’s practice was voluntary but several players returned that were absent last week. According to multiple reports, there were eight total players that did not participate in practice.

• Cam Jurgens

• DeVonta Smith

• Johnny Wilson

• Avery Williams

• Elijah Cooks

• E.J. Jenkins

• Nakobe Dean

• Jihaad Campbell

DeVonta Smith, Johnny Wilson, E.J. Jenkins and Elijah Cooks were not at practice. Cam Jurgens and Avery Williams were working on a side field. Nakobe Dean and Jihaad Campbell were in attendance and Campbell had his helmet on.

Eagles On-Field Practice Reports

• Tyler Steen seems to be the clear front runner to start at RG. He’s been with the first-team OL during both OTAs that were open to the media, according to multiple reports.

• Matt Pryor, not Kenyon Green, was the second-team RG behind Steen, according to Brooks Kubena of The Athletic. This is especially notable because Pryor was the first-team LG when Landon Dickerson was out last week. He appears to be the top reserve RG right now.

• While Avery Williams didn’t participate in team drills, he was back at practice and is now listed at WR on the team’s official roster, as pointed out by Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation.

• After playing outside CB in base defense during team drills last week, Cooper DeJean continued to do so on Tuesday. It’s worth noting that Vic Fangio mentioned the possibility of DeJean also playing safety as well. Philadelphia’s coaching staff is experimenting with DeJean in 2025.

• Sydney Brown appears to be in the early lead to start at S next to Reed Blankenship. Although Drew Mukuba, Tristin McCollum and Andre’ Sam rotated in next to Reed Blankenship as well, according to multiple reports.

• Kelee Ringo opened as the first-team CB2 in nickel defense on Tuesday, according to multiple reports. Adoree’ Jackson also spent time there in team drills later on at practice.

• Eagles revealed a new look with DeJean at outside CB and Parry Nickerson at slot CB with the first-team defense. Rookie Mac McWilliams worked in as the third-team slot CB, according to Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation.

Eagles on the Mic

Five members of the Eagles spoke to the media at the podium on Tuesday. Here’s what they said!

• Prior to practice, Victor Fangio spoke with the media and offered some sobering injury updates. Fangio said that Jihaad Campbell won’t practice until sometime in August, while Nakobe Dean “won’t be back for a while.” Fangio also revealed that Jordan Davis is in his “best shape” since arriving to the Eagles.

• Veteran CB Adoree’ Jackson took the stage first and was quickly asked about his thoughts on Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Jackson said that both Mitchell and DeJean aren’t just good football players but they are also “good, genuine people.” He was also asked about Kelee Ringo, who he said was a “freak of nature.”

• Ringo was up next and received a question about how much he has grown since his rookie season in Philadelphia. “The game is slowing down a lot more, for sure,” Ringo said. “When the game slows down, you can play a lot faster.”

• Second-year LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. followed Ringo and was also asked about his growth from his rookie season. Trotter said that he has been able to improve his routine and plan as a professional in 2025. Trotter also described why he felt Super Bowl LIX was the perfect moment to finally unleash his father’s patented axe chop celebration.

• Nolan Smith Jr. was the final Eagles player at the podium following Tuesday’s practice. Smith spoke about Brandon Graham’s legacy and how he’ll never be able to fill his shoes because of everything that he did in Philadelphia. Although Smith did hint that he is going to honor Graham with his first sack celebration of the upcoming season.