Like in the famous Eagles movie with the same name, you always have to look at the “silver linings” of things. Today was not a good day for the offense, no, but on the flip side, it was a good day for the defense. This is important because last season, the defense struggled a lot.

Today’s practice started with Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon addressing the media at a press conference. Gannon discussed the practice schedule throughout the summer as well as the additions of Haason Reddick and Jaquiski Tartt. 

“We’re in the process of figuring those things out with not just Haason, but with everybody. So, you know, it’s a process that we take that “Hey, let’s kinda see what we like, what we don’t. This is what this guy is good at, what he’s comfortable at, what we need him to do, what looks good, what doesn’t, what we wanna add, what we want to throw away,” Gannon said. “It’s all a process and getting better every day,”

When talking about dropping Reddick into coverage, Gannon said, “He’s a really good cover guy. Sometimes that’s a matchup-driven thing, and he knows that when he would be dropping, like all our overhang players, there’s a reason why we do that.” 

Offensive lineman Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce addressed the media as well. Today, the NFL started to require players to wear guardian caps to protect them from concussions and other injuries. The guardian caps provide 20% more protection, according to Kelce. The veteran center also sported bubble wrap during the Friday practice, saying that it provided extra protection by “2 or 3 [percent].”

Jalen Hurts threw an interception, a handful of incompletions and a was sacked on the second day of practice. Not a good look for Hurts, but luckily for the defense, they will be facing a lot of quarterbacks in the same boat as Hurts next season. There are a handful of quarterbacks that are going to give the Eagles a run for their money (Dak Prescott, Aaron Rodgers, maybe even Kyler Murray.) 

That being said, the Eagles also face a lot of young quarterbacks next season. With the stacked defense that the team currently has, the players should have no problem getting to those quarterbacks and causing trouble. Next season is going to be a redemption season for how things panned out in 2021 with Gannon’s defense. People were frustrated with how the defense played more conservatively, especially against veteran quarterbacks. This season, there’s almost no reason not to be aggressive against both veteran and young quarterbacks.

It’s only the second day of practice. There is no reason to be worried about Jalen Hurts. It’s better to face issues in practice than on the field, especially against the Detroit Lions in Week 1. Hurts has a lot to prove, but let’s not jump to conclusions about what he is going to be like on the field. Instead, let’s focus on the small wins. Hurts improved in the red zone and the defense improved (so far) from last season.

The Philadelphia Eagles are back at it again tomorrow at the NovaCare Complex to continue practicing. The first preseason game will be Friday, August 12 at 7:00 p.m. The Eagles will host the New York Jets.

Stay tuned throughout the season as I provide more Philadelphia Eagles coverage in my column, “Birds’ Eye View.”