Eagles-Patriots Joint Practice: Everything you need to know from Day 1

The Eagles and Patriots kicked off the first of two joint practices Wednesday in Foxborough, and the early read from multiple outlets on the ground was the same: New England got the better of it.

Philadelphia’s offensive line had one of its best days of camp, but turnovers and a rough day from the secondary against a familiar face overshadowed it.

A.J. Brown makes his old team pay

A.J. Brown, traded from the Eagles to the Patriots on June 1 for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder, was the story of the day. He caught four passes in 11-on-11 work, beating Riq Woolen twice, once on a crosser, once on a fade route, and getting past Quinyon Mitchell on an in-breaking route after Mitchell had actually won their opening 1-on-1 rep of the day. Drake Maye looked sharp distributing to him, finishing 15-for-18 in team periods.

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Brown was asked directly whether he’s spoken with Jalen Hurts since the trade. His answer was one word: “No.” He kept things diplomatic beyond that, saying he wanted to “keep everything positive” and that there’s “love” on both sides, but he wasn’t interested in expanding on how the relationship ended. Make of that what you will, a one-word answer to that specific question says more than the follow-up spin did.

Eagles offensive line wins the trenches

The one clear positive for the Eagles: the starting offensive line handled its business. Lane Johnson beat Elijah Ponder, Tyler Steen got the better of Christian Barmore, Cam Jurgens won against Cory Durden, Jordan Mailata shut down Dre’Mont Jones, and both Drew Kendall and Markel Bell picked up multiple wins in their reps.

Landon Dickerson’s rep against Milton Williams was the only loss among the starting five. The backups were a different story, Myles Hinton reportedly went 0-for-4 and got beat badly in some of those reps, which is worth watching given the depth questions up front.

The Eagles offense also had its moments through the air early. Jalen Hurts delivered a strong deep corner route to Elijah Moore under pressure, and Will Shipley had what was described as maybe his best practice of the year, including a long touchdown on a wheel route. Dontayvion Wicks also had a strong day beating press coverage.

Turnovers pile up for the Eagles

Where things fell apart was in the back half of practice. New England’s defense forced five interceptions on the day, two from Craig Woodson, plus one apiece from Marcus Jones, John Saunders, and Kindle Vildor. Hurts threw multiple picks in 7-on-7 work as the Patriots’ blitz packages got to him, continuing a pressure problem that’s shown up at points throughout camp.

The final two-minute drill was rough for the Eagles across the board. The first-team offense never got a snap off before time expired, with Kevin Byard and Christian Elliss breaking up passes and Christian Barmore getting a sack to stall the drive. On the second-team side, Kindle Vildor intercepted Tanner McKee to end that drive as well. Not the way you want to close out a joint practice.

Other notes from Eagles-Patriots Day 1

DeVonta Smith was limited to individual drills and did not take reps in 11-on-11s, though he was present with the offense in the huddle. On the Patriots’ side, cornerback Christian Gonzalez missed his second straight week with an injury.

There was also a physical moment during a field goal period, Jalen Carter threw a punch, drawing words from Patriots linemen Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses before head coach Mike Vrabel stepped in to break it up.

Elsewhere, Jake Elliott went 3-for-5 on field goals in his first practice away from the NovaCare Complex, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio made comments suggesting he isn’t fully sold on Ty Robinson’s play this summer, though final roster decisions rest with Howie Roseman, not Fangio.

The two teams practice again Thursday before meeting in their preseason game Saturday at Gillette Stadium.