Eagles Training Camp Thoughts: 'Discipline And Unity'

STEPPING UP. It has been a great start to camp for DeVonta Smith. He has made some nifty catches and has given Quinyon Mitchell all he can handle when they are matched up in coverage.

“He’s been a Heisman Trophy winner, and he’s been a champion at every level, knowing what it is to win,” said Hurts. “So those are things that I cherish and value. I also know that he’s been very diligent in his work throughout this whole journey, since I’ve known him, since I was 17. I know he’s worked really hard and been intentional.”

THE OTHER A.J. That would be Epenesa, the 54th player taken in the 2020 draft by the Bills, a team that employed him for all six of his NFL seasons. He joined the Eagles as a late-signing free agent and brought his 24 career sacks with him.

Epenesa has the distinction of collecting the first turnover of camp with a heads-up play, diving for an interception after a high throw from Cole Payton clanked off Danny Gray’s hand. He has also drawn praise from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

“I told A.J. this, and I told him in front of the whole team too. For a guy that's being asked to do a few things that he's never done before, I thought he did a nice job (Wednesday) with it. It was very encouraging.”

NEW LOOK. It wasn’t just springtime talk. The offense is different - more motion, more under center for Hurts, and more throws over the middle. Hurts seems to be adapting OK, but the new look remains a work in progress, as you would expect. As for lining up under center, Hurts said, “I think it’s an extension of what I’ve done already in that department. It’s been an area of my game that I’ve always had. We just haven’t done it a lot. We’ll just be putting it on tape more.”

DEFENSE. It has been impressive, as you would expect with Fangio returning for his third season. “I'll say this training camp feels a lot different than the first training camp Vic was here,” said linebacker Zack Baun.

“We know our stuff; we know what to expect from Vic. He knows what to expect from us, and it's bringing along the new guys that just got here, or have been here for only a year, and then continuing to grow and evolve, and do different stuff, and new stuff, and tweak things, and put guys in different positions based on strengths and weaknesses. It's really cool.”