Jalen Carter steps back onto the NovaCare grass on Monday like a kid who skipped dessert and still wants pie. Fans squint through the July haze, wondering if the shoulder scare is just another summer tease. DeVonta Smith stays inside, stretching out a cranky back. And the defense starts humming the moment Carter lines up.
Monday brings the first live look at Carter since spring OTAs. The second-team All-Pro slaps helmets and barks stunts. Vic Fangio’s eyes light up; the old coach finally has his wrecking ball.
Carter’s return juices the interior. Jordan Davis grins wide; the two form a pocket blender. Moro Ojomo flashes, but Carter is the secret sauce. Back tightness sidelined Smith for a while, so Jahan Dotson grabbed extra reps. Carter’s limited day still sparks the D-line. Pads come Tuesday, and real collisions start. Sirianni jokes they’ll steal mental reps in dark rooms if needed.
Fangio’s scheme leans on interior push. Carter logged 42 tackles and 16 quarterback hits last season. Additionally, he performed 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Carter also added two more sacks in the playoff run. Those numbers jump if he stays clean. The coach needs that interior mayhem to free edge rushers.
Jalen Carter back at practice pic.twitter.com/hEuc4MVq1z
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) July 28, 2025
The team’s thin at tackle, so every Carter snap counts double. Jalen Hurts, on the other hand, looks like he left his fastball in February. He finishes 16-for-20 yet sails a back-foot ball that dies early.
Carter Unleashed, But What About Hurts?
The Eagles’ offense stalls in situational drills. Hurts takes a “sack” on fourth down and later tucks for a five-yard red-zone score. Coaches want a quick strike, not a quarterback draw. Coverage blankets every route, so Hurts holds the ball like it’s glued. Still, a dart to Dallas Goedert shows the old magic flickers.
Hurts now hears Kevin Patullo in the headset. He says Patullo “has been leading with great conviction.” Still, timing with Brown and Smith needs reps. Monday showed chemistry wobble. Jalen Hurts tossed a lazy pick to Quinyon Mitchell, ending a 63-throw clean streak, per Eliot Shorr-Parks. Last year he needed 305 throws to see red. One pick and two near misses hint at growing pains ahead.
Hurts himself acknowledged the need for sharper communication under new OC Kevin Patullo: "He's been very pointed and clear and has been leading with great conviction... we're just trying to continue those conversations to build and evolve." Trust in Patullo is high, but translating that trust to seamless execution takes reps.
Jalen Hurts Training Camp Stats, Day 4:
Hurts and the first-team offense did not win the day against the defense on Monday
The offense hasn’t looked as sharp as it did the first two days as the defense is starting to win more-and-more of the reps
Even though he completed 16/20… pic.twitter.com/twdwNVyYdz— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) July 28, 2025
History suggests that repeat champions need August clarity. Only eight quarterbacks have won back-to-back Lombardis. Hurts aims to join them. But the offense must click before pads pop. Carter’s early return gives Fangio a head start; Hurts’ slow start costs the unit tempo.
Come September, the script flips fast. A healthy Carter collapses pockets. A sharper Hurts slices zones. The Eagles chase a dynasty, not a sequel. Monday gave Philly one spark and one sputter; August will decide which flame grows.
