Philadelphia

Eagles

It’s early in camp and this is nothing to be alarmed about. Smith was on the injury list with a back designation at points last season and played through it successfully. We’d still rather see him in pads, but until we get a more dire update he’s in a good spot.

Smith’s absence from Monday’s practice is likely due to precaution as the Eagles aim to keep everybody in top shape before the season starts. We won’t read too much into this for now, but it is worth noting that no timetable was given for his return.

Hicks took to Instagram to announce his decision to walk away from the game. The veteran linebacker spent last season with the Browns and was set to return to the team in 2025 before opting to retire. The former third-round pick won a Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2017 and started 131 of the 134 regular-season games he appeared in during his career. He started all 12 games he appeared in for the Browns last season, tallying 78 tackles, two sacks, and four pass breakups, and now leaves a hole in the middle of the defense that will likely be filled by Jerome Baker. Hicks boasts five 100-plus tackle seasons to go with 13 career interceptions and 16.5 sacks.

It sounds like this could be a matchup-specific tactic, in the event that Mitchell “might need to travel with wide receivers or play receivers on different sides of the field.” In his breakout rookie season last year, Mitchell logged 1,080 snaps on the defensive right side of the field and zero on the defensive left. If he can handle it, this would make the Eagles’ top-tier defense even stronger.

Davis now tips the scales at 330 pounds. This is the lightest he’s been since his sophomore year at Georgia, per PHLY Eagles’ Zach Berman. Davis has functioned as a rotational player since the Eagles drafted him in the 2022 NFL Draft’s first round. A well-conditioned Davis on the field for all three downs could take a step forward in his fourth season.

Released by the Browns in late June, Okorokwo is a fine situation pass-rusher and likely will help fill the void left by Josh Sweat in Philadelphia. Okoronkwo had 7.5 sacks in two years with the Browns after a stint with the Lovie Smith Texans in 2022 got him onto the grander NFL radar. Philadelphia also added DT Jacob Sykes and waived RB Lew Nichols and DE KJ Henry to make room for Sykes and Okoronkwo.

Shipley was a fourth-round pick out of Clemson last year and played sparingly out of the RB3 role. Mosher is watching how the 22-year-old will step up to fill the back-up running back role that Kenneth Gainwell - who departed for the Steelers - occupied last season. Gainwell was important in pass protection and a good presence when Saquon Barkley was out on possessions for blitz pickup and pass-catching. Mosher says, “if Shipley can show growth in those areas, he could undertake Gainwell’s role and give the offense even more optionality.” The Eagles added AJ Dillon in the offseason, though Dillon is more of a downhill-runner than a third-down back for the RB2 role. Shipley won’t have much value in redraft leagues, but could find his way to production through filling in an open role in the Eagles backfield.

Goedert said Patullo has made tweaks to the run-heavy Philadelphia offense that could create more opportunity for the team’s pass catchers. “Throughout OTAs, I’ve really loved what he’s doing with the offense,” Goedert said when asked about Patullo, who took over the Eagles offense after Kellen Moore was hired as Saints head coach. “Little changes here and there and I’m really excited for the opportunity just to — with the connection I grew with him the last four years. What he sees in me in different ways that he’s going to get me the ball I’m really excited for.” Among the game’s best yards-after-catch tight ends, Goedert will enter 2025 as the Eagles’ clear No. 3 targets behind AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. In 2024, Goedert was targeted on 25 percent of his routes, the seventh highest rate among tight ends. Goedert’s fantasy prospects would get a boost with more looks near the end zone; last season he had just three targets inside the ten yard line and nine inside the 20.

DiCecco said several Eagles players this spring have suggested that the team’s offense under Patullo could be more balanced after being among the NFL’s run-heaviest units in 2024. The Philly offense would still revolve around Saquon Barkley following his 2,005 rushing yards in 2024, though the team could try to “preserve” the centerpiece of their offense with a slightly lighter workload in 2025. Barkley, 28, last season recorded 378 touches, the most of his NFL career. More passing for the Eagles would primarily benefit DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, who dominate targets in the Philadelphia offense. The Eagles in 2024 had the fewest pass attempts (448) in the NFL.