Posted July 24Jul 24

Eagles game ball: Who stole the show in the first practice of training camp?

A look at who impressed during the Eagles' first training camp practice on Wednesday.

By Evan Macy
PhillyVoice Staff

072424_EaglesPractice_Tanner McKee-0910.jpg Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice

Tanner McKee #16 of the Philadelphia Eagles throws during practice at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia, Pa. on July 24, 2024.

The offense was the story during the first official training camp practice of the Eagles' 2025 summer, as Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown continued to show they're among the best tandems in football.

But they're not who we're recognizing with our first game ball designations of this year's camp. It was two of the younger guys who impressed the most, Tanner McKee on offense, and Jihaad Campbell on defense.

Each afternoon after the Birds walk off the field at the NovaCare Complex, we'll hand out some hardware and recognize a player on each side of the ball who helped their training camp stock. Let's dive in:

Offensive game ball: Tanner McKee, QB

Hurts, as QB1, played as expected. He delivered the ball on time and accurately on all of his throws with the first team offense. But McKee played even better during extended time with the second team offense.

We're by no means endorsing McKee as any kind of threat to the Super Bowl MVP, but the team can feel pretty confident that they have a suitable backup should Hurts get injured at all in 2025.

On Wednesday, in 7-on-7 drills, McKee ripped a perfect 35-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Marshall streaking down the right sideline, beating Kelee Ringo by placing the ball where only the wideout could nab it.

His second-best throw was also threading a needle, with a diving Johnny Wilson snatching a McKee delivery just a foot above the turf for a completion in 11-on-11 drills. He also flashed a little speed, scrambling to his right with no one open and running for a sizable chunk of yardage.

A final highlight reel throw came on the last drive of team drills, with McKee once again connecting with Marshall down the sideline — helping his case for the final WR spot on the roster.

McKee was a sixth-round pick in 2023, and last year, he saw some game action when Jalen Hurts got concussed and Kenny Pickett got hurt late in the year. He earned a win against the Giants, throwing for 269 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, with his performance instilling enough confidence in the Eagles' front office to trade Pickett away this past offseason.

Honorable mention: Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown (connected several times during practice).

Defensive game ball: Jihaad Campbell, LB

There weren't too many players who stood out defensively, as the offense made most of the plays in 7-on-7 and team drills Wednesday. Campbell's mere presence on the field was newsworthy enough.

After dropping a bit to the Eagles in the first round of the NFL Draft back in April, Philly traded up a spot to snag the linebacker — their first pick at that position in decades. Teams drafting ahead of Philadelphia were unsure of his health, and sure enough, the Eagles didn't have him available to practice during minicamps back in the spring.

Somewhat shockingly, after getting shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum from a bowl game that the Alabama star sustained, Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni announced he would be practicing to start training camp.

Sure enough, there he was, manning the middle of the field with the second team defense all morning, with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. playing with the 1's since Nakobe Dean was put on the PUP list to start the season.

Campbell held his own in his first professional practice, and actually made an impressive breakup on a pass thrown over the middle of the field early in 11-on-11s. His development will be an important thing to watch as camp continues.

Honorable mention: Quinyon Mitchell (had a nice pass broken up), Cooper DeJean (played well from the safety spot in base defense).

https://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-game-ball-first-practice-training-camp-play-jihaad-campbell-healthy-backup-quarterback-tanner-mckee/