Quinyon Mitchell-A.J. Brown battle highlights Eagles’ joint practice vs. Patriots

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Philadelphia Eagles opened the first of two joint practices with the New England Patriots on Wednesday. The practices staged the first encounter between the Eagles and now-Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown since June’s trade.

The Athletic’s Zach Berman focused on the offense, while Brooks Kubena focused on the defense.

Eagles secondary faces A.J. Brown

1. Let’s start with A.J. Brown because he was the biggest story. Eagles fans might not like hearing it, but Brown was outstanding in this practice.

He caught seven passes in 7-on-7 drills and team drills in different spots on the field — coming back to the ball, in stride on crossers, over his shoulder. Brown faced both Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen. It seemed most of the plays came when he was on Woolen’s side. He was a force in this practice, as he often was in Eagles practices. The Eagles know as much. But if you were of the view that the Eagles traded a declining player to New England… it didn’t look like that on Wednesday.

2. Brown vs. Mitchell happened on the first play of one-on-ones. It almost seemed coordinated for the fans, with Brown going deep against Mitchell. The Eagles’ All-Pro cornerback recovered to stay with Brown and forced an incompletion, getting his arm between Brown’s hands at the right time.

“Q got away with a little holding,” Brown said with a laugh.  “I won, he pulled himself back into the play, and I just have to finish the play. My right hand didn’t get to the ball quick enough. My left hand got on the ball. That’s on me.  …That could have been a 40-yard bomb, but now it’s a long foul ball. Those are the things I’m focusing on.”

There wasn’t chatter between them during practice, although the two caught up afterward.

“It was a little more amped up just going against him, and knowing the battles we had in Philly,” Mitchell said. “…He’s just a great receiver. He just gives you so many tough battles, tough assignments, stuff like that. It was really just great to go out there and compete with him again today.”

3. The big takeaway in this session: The Patriots offense had a strong passing performance against the Eagles defense. The ball seldom touched the ground. Quarterback Drake Maye was efficient, and the receivers made plays. It wasn’t just Brown — Romeo Doubs made a highlight-reel catch over Woolen and impressed in this session. Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, and Mack Hollins had catches. It wasn’t a collection of chunk plays, but Maye knew where he was going with the ball and was able to consistently move the offense. This was a needed test for the secondary, which has faced an undermanned receiving corps during training camp.

4. The Eagles, however, outplayed the Patriots at the line of scrimmage and kept Maye under pressure. In a game, when the quarterback isn’t wearing a red jersey, that can affect performance. There was one definite would-be sack (from Jalyx Hunt) and other times when Maye was under duress from Jihaad Campbell and Moro Ojomo.

5. Hunt should be singled out. He had at least one sack and multiple pressures. We’ve written it throughout the summer, and it’s worth repeating: Hunt has been a camp standout, perhaps even the best player on defense during the past few weeks. He’s in line to be a force this season.

One reason why Hunt’s ascension is critical for the Eagles? Jonathan Greenard’s recovery from a pectoral injury is taking longer than expected.

“I don’t know when Greenard will be back,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “That injury he got in our weight room is going to take some time to heal. Yeah, I’m very happy with Nolan (Smith) and Jalyx. (Arnold Ebiketie) is coming along. The other guys are coming along, but we need our third and fourth until Greenard gets back to really solidify their positions.”

6. It wasn’t Woolen’s best day. He had a strong spring, although there have been some inconsistencies this summer. You’re seeing it more when he’s playing off coverage. His high-water mark remains strong — he had an impressive pass breakup in one-on-ones early in practice against Doubs — but there were too many passes caught around him on Wednesday.

First-team offense showcases run game

1. The first-team offense showed the encouraging signs that were lacking for offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s system in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens.

Saquon Barkley — who once juked out Patriots defensive tackle Cory Durden in the backfield — consistently found running room within Mannion’s wide zone concepts. On one such play, Barkley burst to the perimeter and broke a long gain along the right sideline.

“You just saw the wide zone take shape,” right tackle Lane Johnson said. “We did a lot of play action. … We had some good gashes. For us, it changes the style of defense up front to where it kind of limits their pass rush. They’re a lot more reading first than just teeing off on the ball.”

The dropback passing game had its drawbacks. In 7-on-7 drills, Jalen Hurts tried throwing to Britain Covey along the left sideline, and Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones jumped it for a pick-six.

And all three of the Eagles’ offensive units stalled in their two-minute drives against the Patriots. Hurts struck Dontayvion Wicks on a short crosser on the final play of their series, but the yardage fell short of field goal range.

2. The Patriots sent plenty of pressure after Hurts, and the quarterback managed it fairly well. Hurts completed a deep pass to Elijah Moore along the left sideline against safety Kevin Byard, although outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones might have altered the play with full-contact permitted.

Hurts also sidestepped defensive tackle Christian Barmore and converted a third-and-10 throw to Hollywood Brown during a two-minute drill. The main highlight arrived earlier in practice, when Hurts felt pressure from the left side, turned, and floated a long gain to Will Shipley, who was wide open on a wheel route along the right sideline.

The wheel route underlined that Mannion’s system includes effective “hot” routes that give Hurts good options when he is blitzed. Those options were lacking in 2023, and former OC Kellen Moore’s arrival in 2024 brought more solutions. Hurts confirmed Shipley’s wheel route was “not a happy accident” and was “definitely a part of the play.”

3. Depth on the Eagles’ offensive line is in increasingly good hands with Willie Lampkin and Markel Bell. Lampkin, who played center with both the second- and third-team units, pancaked Patriots edge rusher Gabe Jacas while pass protecting during team drills. Jacas did not like it. Quarterback Tanner McKee had to step in between them to break the tension. It was yet another example of the 5-foot-11, 290-pound Lampkin overpowering a larger defender.

“I didn’t know if it was Willie or (former edge rusher Brandon Graham) out there. They look the same,” joked Lane Johnson, referencing another undersized player on the stockier side. “He gets under guys. You saw it in one-on-one pass rush today. He’s got excellent leverage. He’s really quick off the ball, getting up to the second level — linebackers. He’s just really good once he gets on guys; they very rarely get off.”

Bell’s 6-foot-9, 345-pound frame is often praised for his footwork. Subbing in for Johnson at times and playing right tackle with the second-team unit, Bell led the way on the wide-zone run Barkley broke down the right sideline. On a screen play, Bell was so quick out to block that there were no defenders around him, and he had to work back inside.

• Second-team OL on Wednesday: LT Myles Hinton, LG Jake Majors, C Lampkin, RG Drew Kendall, RT Bell.
• Third-team OL: LT Hinton, LG Micah Morris, C Lampkin, RG Michael Jordan, RT Cameron Williams.

4. DeVonta Smith remains limited with his hamstring injury. Smith did not participate in one-on-one drills with Patriots defensive backs, nor in team drills. When asked how his hamstring felt, he said, “All right.”

Rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon, who is also managing a hamstring injury, did not suit up. The first-round pick stretched and participated in individual drills.

“Everybody’s different. Everyone heals different,” Smith said. “I don’t know how he feels and things like that. I think he’s trending in the right direction.”

Dontayvion Wicks had a notable practice. He spun Patriots cornerback Charles Woods like a top with a quick inward move during one-on-one drills.

Dontayvion Wicks gets separation on Charles Woods in 1v1s pic.twitter.com/tUCdmggkTI

— Brooks Kubena (@BKubena) August 19, 2026

Wicks also logged three catches during the first-team unit’s two-minute drills. Hollywood Brown rebounded from last week by making a third-and-10 catch in the same drive. Brown also secured a contested catch earlier in practice in coverage with Woods.

5. Andy Dalton showed improvement after his poor start on Saturday. He hit a deep crosser in stride, a sideline throw with touch, and made several short-range throws with zip and accuracy. The 16-year veteran still appears to be the leader in his backup battle with McKee.

Fifth-round rookie Cole Payton threw an interception during the developmental unit’s two-minute drill, the final possession of practice.