The Philadelphia Eagles opened NFL training camp in shorts and t-shirts, but now the real fun will begin on Monday when the pads come on.
Until then, here are the four biggest surprises that we've seen over the first week of camp.
1. Safety Sydney Brown Had a Good Offseason -- Still Needs More Reps
There has been a lot of skepticism surrounding Sydney Brown this offseason, but he appears to be kicking off camp the way he needs to be since returning full speed from his knee injury.
He does, however, need more good practice reps, according to Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
“[Sydney Brown] just needs to go out there and play good," Fangio said. "So much of the safety position is just like ILB, where instincts and play recognition play a major part in how good you are. And, he just needs a lot of reps. He didn’t start practicing last year until October, and I think at that point you’re in game weeks, where you don’t practice a whole lot, you don’t have a lot of reps, so he didn’t have a great opportunity last year because of his injury.
"Hopefully, now, we’ll see exactly what he can do. He had a good offseason, he did well yesterday, and we’ll see how he does."
Per reports, Brown has been splitting first-team reps with rookie Andrew Mukuba.
2. Jihaad Campbell Already Practicing at Full Speed
There wasn't a lot of confidence that Eagles' 2025 first-round pick Jihaad Campbell would be joining his teammates at the start of training camp, so it was a good surprise when he was spotted on Day 1.
“It was good to see [Jihaad Campbell] out there," Fangio said. "Wasn’t expecting him out there. The trainers have been telling me all spring that it would be some point in August when he’d be out there. So, I’m learning that our trainers like to understate and overachieve so they look good. But, it was good to get him out there.”
Campbell has been taking first-team reps at both inside linebacker positions.
3. DT Moro Ojomo Embarrassed RG Tyler Steen at Right Guard
Tyler Steen is on tap to take over the right guard position with Mekhi Becton out of the picture, though defensive tackle Moro Ojomo has been embarrassing him, according to Delaware Online's Martin Frank.
"The Eagles' much-anticipated competition at right guard, led by Tyler Steen, might have to go back to the drawing board after the defensive tackle lined up against him pretty much had his way," Frank wrote. "No, it wasn't Jalen Carter, who sat out a third straight practice on July 26 with a shoulder injury. Rather, it was Moro Ojomo, lined up against Steen during much of practice, who pretty much controlled the line of scrimmage."
We have to remember it's still way too early to cancel out Steen just yet, and that we'll know a lot more when the pads come on.
Additionally, left guard Landon Dickerson has been impressed by what he's seen from Steen so far.
4. Second-Year Edge Rusher Jalyx Hunt is the Real Deal
Second-year edge rusher Jalyx Hunt is in line for a breakout year if he lives up to the hype.
The hype I am talking about is that Eagles' left tackle Jordan Mailata has compared his offseason development to Micah Parsons.
"Oh man, he’s going to be special, man," Mailata said. "His burst. He has tendencies like Micah [Parsons], just to be able to cut on a dime like that… How did I go from Josh Sweat to Jalyx? It's crazy! I'm like, 'Howie, give me a break for one year, Jesus!' Jalyx is going to be a star.”
Mailata isn't the only Eagles teammate that sees a star in Hunt. Fellow edge Nolan Smith does, too.
“Oooh! That boy gonna be the best thing since sliced bread, for real,” Smith said. “That boy good. I just try to tell him keep his head down and keep working.”
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