Eagles OTA observations: 1st glimpse of the 2026 team

Here are some observations from our first glimpse of the 2026 Eagles at OTAs.

By Dave Zangaro • Published May 27, 2026

The Eagles kicked off their spring practices this week and reporters got their first glimpse of the 2026 team on Wednesday afternoon.

Storms in the area forced the 90-man roster into the indoor practice facility at the Jefferson Health Training Complex. Although it was a tad cramped, the Eagles still appeared to do their full complement of 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s.

Here are some notes from Wednesday’s practice: 

1. The Eagles had strong attendance at Wednesday’s practice but the following players were not there: A.J. Brown, Lane Johnson, Dontayvion Wicks, Jalen Carter, Jihaad Campbell, Joe Tryon Shoyinka. On Day 1 Tuesday, the Eagles were missing just one player.

Of the group that missed Wednesday, Campbell is rehabbing a shoulder injury. And it would have been shocking to see Brown as he awaits a trade that seems inevitable after June 1.

Rookie safety Cole Wisniewski and linebacker Chandler Martin were in attendance but were not participating. Martin is coming off a torn ACL, while Wisniewski’s injury is unknown. Rookie defensive back Tucker Large is on NFI but was a spectator as well.

It was good to see Drew Mukuba, Johnny Wilson, Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens all participating on Wednesday. All four had some health concerns last year or this offseason. Mukuba is back from a fractured ankle in November. Wilson is back from a leg and ankle injury that needed surgery last summer. And Dickerson and Jurgens dealt with various injuries in 2025 and both had stem cell treatment in Colombia this offseason.

2. Some offensive depth chart notes:

• Rookie first-round pick Makai Lemon got plenty of work with the first-team offense. Lemon likely slots in as the No. 2 receiver behind DeVonta Smith this season, so the Eagles aren’t wasting any time getting him reps with Jalen Hurts. Without Dontayvion Wicks on Wednesday, DeVonta Smith, Lemon and Johnny Wilson got the early first-team reps. Good to see Wilson back in the mix after a devastating injury last August.

• Without Lane Johnson, rookie third-round pick Markel Bell was the first-team right tackle. Bell played left tackle at the University of Miami but said he did get practice reps on the right side. That’s where he is beginning his career with the Eagles.

• Andy Dalton was the second-string quarterback on Wednesday, while Tanner McKee was with the third team. The Eagles have been rotating their second-string QBs this week. Fourth-string rookie QB Cole Payton also got some reps.

• Second-team OL (L to R): Fred Johnson, Myles Hinton, Jake Majors, Drew Kendall, John Ojukwu

• Third-team OL (L to R): Hollin Pierce, Jaeden Roberts, Willie Lampkin, Micah Morris, Cameron Williams

• It’s worth noting that Hinton worked at guard in this practice. The 2025 sixth-round pick was a tackle-only during his rookie season, which was spent on IR.

• Veteran tight end Johnny Mundt got some playing time with the first-team offense as the TE2 and even caught a pass, something he has not been known for during his NFL career.

3. Some defensive depth chart notes:

• As expected, Marcus Epps was the starting safety next to Drew Mukuba in the Eagles’ nickel package. Cooper DeJean played safety in base and slid up to nickel in sub packages. The second-team safeties were Michael Carter II and Andre’ Sam.

• Without Jihaad Campbell, the Eagles rotated at the linebacker spot next to Zack Baun. First it was Jeremiah Trotter Jr., but Smael Mondon and Chance Campbell got some reps too.

• Jonathan Jones appeared to be the next corner up after the starting trio of Quinyon Mitchell, Riq Woolen and DeJean. Jones was mostly with the second team but got some work with the starters when Mitchell got a breather. Jones also got some third-team nickel reps.

• Carter II was the sixth defensive back on the field when the Eagles showed their dime package during a situational rep.

4. One of the best plays of the day came from veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones, who picked off an Andy Dalton pass and returned it for a touchdown during team drills. The entire defense followed him into the end zone to celebrate. Jones is the Eagles’ top CB backup.

5. Riq Woolen is every bit of 6-foot-4 and that length helped him get a pass breakup against DeVonta Smith on Wednesday. During team drills, Jalen Hurts slightly underthrew a deep ball to Smith down the left sideline. It looked like Smith had a step on Woolen but a combination of the underthrow and Woolen’s length led to a PBU. Woolen didn’t appear to get his head turned but read Smith’s eyes and got his arms in the way.

6. The Eagles wasted no time getting Makai Lemon with the first team. The rookie, who was wearing gold cleats, saw plenty of targets during 7-on-7s before the team drills. He saw three targets in a four-play span. The first was a nice catch in the middle of the field through traffic. But after a quick pass to DeVonta Smith, the next two Lemon targets fell incomplete. On the first, Lemon had a focus drop in the middle of the field; perhaps the Eagles’ flyswatting equipment, which is meant to mimic defensive linemen, affected him. On the second, Hurts tried to throw with some anticipation but the timing was off between him and Lemon and the pass hit the turf. But that’s why these guys are getting reps together in May.

7. You're probably wondering what this new offense looked like on Wednesday. While it was just one session, there were some notable differences. At the top of the list is the under-center usage, which is expected to be higher this season. We already saw that on Wednesday, along with some play action off of it. There was also plenty of motion in team drills too.

8. In the first full-team portion of practice, the offensive line opened a big hole for Saquon Barkley and he exploded through it. It’s just a non-padded practice in May but Barkley showed he still has plenty of burst.

9. Both Smael Mondon Jr. and Chance Campbell had pass breakups today. Nice moments for a couple of depth linebackers who want to prove they can be more than potential special teams contributors.

10. Early on Wednesday, the Eagles signed rookie receiver Brandon Hayes from Southeastern Louisiana. Hayes (6-2, 205) was with the Eagles on a tryout during rookie minicamp and is now on the roster. On Wednesday, he made a great grab down the field, rising above Kelee Ringo for a completion. On one hand, you’d like to see Ringo make a play against a guy who signed hours before. On the other, nice moment for the rookie.

Stupid Observation of the Day: I always enjoy seeing how the specialists help throughout a practice. On Wednesday, Braden Mann was fielding kickoffs for that drill and the Eagles’ punter was tossing the ball back with ease. He has a good arm; file that away for future trick play potential. And rookie long snapper Rocco Underwood was helping with the Peanut Punch drill. As the defensive players punched the football from the hands of a tackling dummy, it was Underwood’s job to receive it and put the ball back in its hands.

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