FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Eagles completed their first joint practice with the Patriots on Wednesday afternoon, and overall, the Patriots were the better team in the two-hour session.
Instead of focusing on the Eagles’ performance as a team, let’s take a look at who played well and who did not, with our stock-up and stock-down.
Stock up
Running back Saquon Barkley
On nearly every touch, Barkley was explosive, shifty and powerful. He bounced runs inside and outside for massive gains. New England’s defense did a better job of slowing him down toward the end of practice, but Barkley was tearing them up on the first few drives. The Eagles’ offensive line also deserves credit for creating those holes.
Wide receivers Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore
Moore made his best play of training camp when he beat Patriots safety Kevin Byard over the top for a long touchdown. Moore is not considered a deep threat, but he has looked fast during training camp. He is currently in the mix to be the Eagles’ No. 4 or No. 5 wide receiver.
Brown has made little impact during training camp, but he has flashed more over the past two practices. Early in Wednesday’s practice, Hurts faced pressure, but Brown got open toward the sideline and made a nice grab.
Running back Will Shipley
Shipley had the best practice of his career with the Eagles, and that result should end any competition for the No. 3 running back spot. He was decisive as a runner and kept the chains moving. He also caught a wheel route for about 60 yards.
Stock down
Cornerback Riq Woolen
Woolen struggled Wednesday in coverage against A.J. Brown, the former Eagles wide receiver now with New England; he was beaten on two deep passes. Woolen is one of the fastest cornerbacks in the league, but he doesn’t play with great technique; as a result, he is prone to giving up big plays.
The Eagles signed Woolen in free agency to a one-year, $12 million deal, which seemed like a bargain. Woolen is an extremely talented player with tremendous physical tools, but now it’s starting to make sense why the Seattle Seahawks chose not to re-sign him.
Woolen has struggled in recent Eagles’ practices, which makes his performance against the Patriots even more concerning. Second-year undrafted free agent Darius Cooper, who is nowhere near as talented as Brown, has given Woolen fits.
“At times he can get a little lazy or sloppy with his technique and have a bad down or two, but he’s still showing everything that I think he can do,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said about Woolen last week. “He’s just got to get in such great shape and calloused to football that those don’t happen.”
Brown is a great player, so losing a few reps to him is not a red flag. However, Woolen’s overall performance this summer has been up and down due to inconsistent technique.
Wide receiver Darius Cooper
Cooper’s placement here does not reflect his performance. He has consistently made plays this summer, and at times, he has looked like one of the Eagles’ best playmakers. However, Philadelphia’s coaching staff must be lower on him than the media are. Cooper has played with the second- and third-team offenses in recent practices, losing ground to Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore for playing time on offense. For whatever reason, the Eagles don’t appear ready to give him a big role.
Cooper pulled down a catch after running a sharp out route toward the end of Wednesday’s practice. His performance hasn’t regressed, so why isn’t he getting more playing time with the starters?
Offensive tackles Myles Hinton and Cameron Williams
Hinton struggled badly with New England’s speed off the edge during one-on-ones. Elijah Ponder, Bradyn Swinson and Gabe Jacas all left him in the dust. He doesn’t appear to have the foot speed to play tackle at a high level.
Williams struggled with speed rushers, too.
At this point, the two young tackles are unlikely to make Philadelphia’s 53-man roster. They were both drafted in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Rookie quarterback Cole Payton
Payton’s accuracy is problematic. He threw behind Britain Covey, resulting in an incomplete pass, and on the following play he threw an interception to Patriots rookie John Saunders Jr.. The Eagles may keep Payton on the roster, but he’s a raw project.
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