NFL: Backup impresses at Eagles camp

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Aug. 5—PHILADELPHIA — When the Philadelphia Eagles' offense broke the huddle during the first-team snaps in the intense heat blanketing the NovaCare Complex fields Thursday morning, the offensive line got to set and started going through their pre-snap reads, trying to decipher the puzzle the defense was placed in front of them.

Typically, left guard Landon Dickerson would look to his left to talk to left tackle Jordan Mailata to finalize which linemen they would block. However, Mailata was not there.

Mailata's backup, Andre Dillard, was to step in, but he too was not on the field. Instead, veteran tackle Le'Raven Clark was the one talking to Dickerson, being that Clark was tasked with stopping the edge rushers on quarterback Jalen Hurts' blind side.

The absence of Mailata and Dillard was noticeable, with Clark struggling early and the defense getting pressure early on Hurts, forcing him to scramble to extend plays or run to pick up yardage.

Mailata and Dillard were out because of concussions they suffered during Tuesday's practices, forcing Clark to play with the first team and Kayode Awosika to move from guard to tackle, the position he played in college. The two are under concussion protocol, meaning they could miss a few practices.

Clark eventually played better later in practice, but Javon Hargrave and Derek Barnett were able to get inside on Clark's outstretched arms to set up their pass rush moves. Clark is a swing tackle, meaning he can play on the left and right sides.

The injuries showed why the Eagles might need to keep Dillard around this year, even if another team offered a draft pick. Dillard is more experienced playing the left side and held his own when Mailata was out with a knee injury last season. Clark looks like a better fit as a right tackle if the Eagles prefer to keep Jack Driscoll at guard.

DeVonta Smith out with groin issue

Mailata and Dillard were not players to miss practice. Starting wide receiver DeVonta Smith was out with a groin issue.

Smith was on the sideline, wearing a hoodie and coaching some wide receivers during the 1-on-1 session against the defensive backs. Jalen Reagor and Quez Watkins picked up the extra snaps that Smith would have been on the field. The team will slowly work Smith back, and there does not seem to be too much concern about it.

Joining him on the sidelines were tight end Grant Calcaterra (hamstring), cornerback Mac McCain (knee) and wide receiver Greg Ward (toe). Later in practice, it appeared tight end J.J. Arcega-Whiteside left the field to be checked out for an unknown issue.

Zach Pascal returns

Wide receiver Zach Pascal made his training camp debut. Pascal had been out with what he described as food poisoning, something that forced him to visit a hospital. Pascal was limited, only taking part in the individual drills and the 1-on-1 session against the defensive backs.

Pascal's return is important because he figures to get significant snaps as either the third or fourth wide receiver. Given how much speed the team has at the receiver position, the Eagles could take advantage of it by spreading out the defense with three- and four-wide receiver formations, allowing Pascal to operate in the middle of the field and use his route-running prowess to get open.

Hurts OK, Minshew rebounds

Hurts started the day with the pressure from the left side and had to roll out of the pocket. In the seven-on-seven drill, Hurts did not try to force the ball into the tight coverage the defense was putting on the receivers, tucking the ball and running on those occasions. Hurts played his best in the red-zone session, finding wide receiver A.J. Brown for a touchdown.

Minshew turned in his best performance of camp, looking sharp for most of the practice. His best throw was to the back corner of the end zone to tight end Noah Togiai, arcing the ball over safety Jaquiski Tartt into a place where only Togiai could catch it. Two plays later, Minshew threw a good ball to wide receiver Britain Covey.

Here are some other notable plays from Thursday's practice:

—During the red-zone drill, Minshew threw a pass to running back Boston Scott over the middle of the field. Scott caught the ball and took a few steps, and let up as he crossed the goal line. Safety Marcus Epps came over and delivered a blow to Scott. Scott remained down on the field for a few seconds before slowly getting up. A couple of veteran defensive players went over to Epps to talk about what transpired. After the red zone session, Epps went over to check on Scott to see how he was doing and apologized.

—Linebacker T.J. Edwards flashed once again in pass coverage. Edwards made a diving deflection of Hurts' pass to Reagor, forcing the incompletion.

—Cornerback Avonte Maddox had nice position on Watkins to break up a pass in the one-on-one session.

The players will have an off day before returning to practice Saturday at the NovaCare Complex, followed by an open practice at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

Contact the writer: Lboyer@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6026; @pubsportsboss on Twitter