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  • Eagles practice observations: Jalen Hurts has a happy birthday; Johnny Wilson contests; What’s up with Willie Lampkin?

    Eagles practice observations: Jalen Hurts has a happy birthday; Johnny Wilson contests; What’s up with Willie Lampkin?

    The Eagles held the seventh practice of their 2026 training camp on Friday at the Jefferson Health Training Complex. Here were my observations from Day 7 (and links to Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6):

    Plenty Lane

    Lane Johnson returned after an excused four-practice absence for a noninjury related reason. The right tackle will need a ramp-up period and didn’t participate in team drills. Johnson didn’t speak with reporters after practice.

    Lane Johnson returned to Eagles practice on Friday. His teammates were grateful to welcome back their ‘cornerstone’

    The Eagles didn’t have additions to their list of players out after Wednesday’s light session and Thursday’s walkthrough. The following were sidelined: Wide receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring), receiver Makai Lemon (hamstring), receiver Britain Covey (hamstring), outside linebacker Keyshawn James-Newby (ankle) and safety Cole Wisniewski (hamstring).

    Linebacker Chance Campbell, who left early two days ago, was limited with a groin injury. Guard Micah Morris (shoulder) was also a partial participant.

    Nolan Smith Jr. took part in one-on-ones at Friday’s steamy practice. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    The loneliest number

    Players were back in full pads for what was the hottest day of camp thus far. Eagles coaches continued to amp up the intensity with one-on-one drills between offensive and defensive linemen. Not many top-liners partook, but edges Nolan Smith Jr. and Jalyx Hunt had impressive pass rushes.

    The former bested tackle Myles Hinton with back-to-back inside-outside moves. Hinton rebounded in a later turn. Tackle Cameron Williams flashed his hands too early vs. Hunt and never stood a chance. He held up on the next turn, though.

    Center/guard Drew Kendall had a couple of strong blocks against defensive tackle Moro Ojomo. The Eagles currently have Kendall as the first guard off the bench, and it seems deserved. Could Morris push Kendall? He stood out in his two reps, although defensive tackle Ty Robinson isn’t quite in Ojomo’s class.

    Willie Lampkin has shown some ability as an interior offensive lineman. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Willie praise

    I’ve yet to write much about second-year offensive lineman Willie Lampkin. The Eagles signed the undrafted North Carolina product last August after camp and he spent all of last season on injured reserve. So we never got to see Lampkin practice. He’s clearly undersized at a generously-listed 5-foot-11, 290 pounds. But it’s easy to see why the team felt he was worth developing.

    Lampkin stoned undrafted rookie defensive tackle Zion Wilson in one-on-ones. He lined up mostly at center in the first week of camp, but he was at right guard on Friday. He’s a technically sound run blocker. He was able to move defensive tackle Byron Young. But he also didn’t cede much ground in pass protection.

    Lampkin may be too small to play guard. At center, he’d have problems against bigger nose tackles in pass pro. The Eagles would have to often slide help his way. But I’m not discounting the mauler’s chances of making the roster.

    Jalen Hurts (1) had a pleasant day at the office and was serenaded by his teammates. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Birthday gifts

    Birthday boy Jalen Hurts continued to show steady improvement in Sean Mannion’s new offense as the installation proceeds. The quarterback was especially sharp early in team drills. He got things rolling with what should be a staple of the scheme: a naked bootleg off under-center play action that is married with an outside zone-run fake. Elijah Moore was the target on the shallow crossing route and picked up an easy 10 yards or so — just as he did later on the same play.

    Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper takes pride in doing the dirty work. Will he be rewarded with a roster spot?

    Moore has been the primary slot receiver since Lemon got hurt almost a week ago. Later in the set, Hurts hit tight end Dallas Goedert on a hitch route in front of cornerback Riq Woolen. The Eagles ran more hitch routes than any team last season. The number is sure to decrease in the new system, but there’s always a time and place for an easy five yards.

    Later vs. the second-unit defense, Hurts didn’t have much on the first two reads to his left. But he checked to his third outlet on the right — receiver Hollywood Brown — for a short gain underneath. That might not sound sexy, but it was a successful play considering the coverage and Hurts going through his progression reads.

    Tyler Steen (56) was the only starter available on the offensive line at one point on Friday. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Running lines

    Markel Bell was in Johnson’s place at right tackle once again. Fred Johnson spelled left tackle Jordan Mailata on occasion as did Kendall for Landon Dickerson at left guard. When Cam Jurgens left with an unspecified injury midway though the workout, Jake Majors stepped in at center. At one point that meant that right guard Tyler Steen was the only starter on the offensive line. It showed.

    I’m not sure what happened to Jurgens. Defensive tackle Jordan Davis had a would-be run stop and sack on consecutive plays early on — and beat Jurgens soundly on the second — and that was the last I saw of the center in team drills.

    Moro Ojomo found himself in the opposing backfield again on Friday. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Under pressure

    The missing pieces up front made it more difficult on Hurts and Co. A faulty exchange between Majors and the quarterback interrupted the flow of a Saquon Barkley run. Ojomo used a swim move to penetrate into the backfield for a tackle for loss on the next Barkley carry.

    Smith split Fred Johnson and Kendall and notched a sack. Edge Arnold Ebiketie pressured Hurts out of the pocket. Ojomo jumped offside at one point. But Jalen Carter batted a Hurts pass after Ebiketie beat Bell once again from the outside.

    More than a week into Eagles training camp, Jalen Hurts and the new-look offense are ‘calibrating’

    Johnny on the spot

    I asked coach Nick Sirianni who he liked from his receiver group on contested balls. The subtext there could have been that the Eagles lost one of the strongest catch-point receivers in the NFL when A.J. Brown was traded. But they do have candidates beyond DeVonta Smith, who won in the air differently than Brown, who can pull in Hurts’ best throws.

    Sirianni mentioned Darius Cooper first before getting to Dontayvion Wicks, Lemon and Smith. Cooper probably is the closest to Brown in terms of his body shape. It wasn’t exactly a 50-50 ball, but Cooper hauled in a Hurts pass over the middle with cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in close quarters. The second-year receiver caught another pass near the hashes after Hurts escaped the pocket and threw across his body.

    Johnny Wilson is among those who could give the Eagles some size and help mitigate the departure of A.J. Brown. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Johnny Wilson wasn’t mentioned by Sirianni, but he has obvious size traits that should aid him on contested balls. The 6-6 receiver caught a deep pass from quarterback Andy Dalton after beating and boxing out cornerback Mac McWilliams. Wilson’s best moment of camp came when quarterback Tanner McKee went to him on a corner route in the end zone. He went up and over cornerback Jonathan Jones and got both feet inbounds.

    Tanner day

    McKee had maybe his best day in Mannion’s offense. He was first up with the second unit offense and connected on his first three passes — the best a pinpoint toss to receiver Danny Gray just out of corner Kelee Ringo’s reach. McKee would have gone 4 for 4 had receiver Erik Ezukanma not dropped one in his bread basket.

    In a later period, McKee found Cooper on a hitch route. He threw wide of Gray near the sideline, but had better luck with the same route when Cooper beat McWilliams and late-arriving safety Michael Carter II.

    Andy Dalton was solid Friday but might have seen Tanner McKee close the gap in their QB2 competition. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Still good Dalton

    Dalton didn’t necessarily have a bad day, but McKee may have closed the gap in the backup competition. Dalton heaved a pass to Samori Toure in traffic, but Carter ran step for step with the receiver and was awarded with a pass breakup. Tight end Eli Stowers was the check down on a few occasions.

    Dalton exposed Ambry Thomas when he completed back-to-back sideline tosses to Ezukanma and Brandon Hayes after each receiver turned the cornerback around. Rookie quarterback Cole Payton hasn’t gotten as many snaps over the last few practices. He nearly tossed another interception when Ringo jumped a route.

    Extra points

    Running back blocking has been sharp of late. Barkley, Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley all had successful blitz pickups. … Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. drew a false start when he feigned a blitz pre-snap. … Linebacker Smael Mondon tipped a ball at the line when he rushed. … Linebacker Deontae Lawson ripped the ball from tight end E.J. Jenkins for a fumble. … The Eagles sang “Happy Birthday” to the 28-year-old Hurts during the post-practice team huddle. … There was a Boston flavor to VIP guests at practice. Former Red Sox (and Cubs) general manager Theo Epstein, who is a friend of Eagles GM Howie Roseman, took in the action. New 76er (and former Celtic) Jaylen Brown showed up to the delight of many in attendance. … The Eagles return to practice on Saturday and will be off on Sunday.

  • Trea Turner isn’t moving off shortstop (yet). The Phillies’ goal for now: Help him get better.

    Trea Turner isn’t moving off shortstop (yet). The Phillies’ goal for now: Help him get better.

    On the first day of the rest of their season, Alec Bohm practiced picking throws out of the dirt at first base; Bryson Stott worked on cutoffs and relays at third; Bryce Harper ran down fly balls in the outfield.

    And Trea Turner? He was right there at shortstop.

    Just like always.

    For Luis Arraez, the best available hitter in an extreme seller’s trade market, the Phillies finally took Harper up on his standing offer to move back to the outfield and displaced three-fourths of their infield.

    Low on prospect capital, loaded with needs, the Phillies’ best asset at the deadline turned out to be … Bryce Harper

    Creative, right? But the one infielder who didn’t switch positions happens to be among the worst defenders in the sport this season, based on both the eye test and metrics.

    Was there discussion of moving Turner off shortstop?

    “Zero,” interim manager Don Mattingly said.

    “There was not,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “Not at this point, no.”

    OK, let’s dispel a myth/social media fabrication: Turner didn’t decline to switch positions. The Phillies never asked him to. Not after Harper set all of this in motion by raising his hand to go to the outfield.

    Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (left) works with second baseman Luis Arraez, his new double-play partner, before a game this week.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    None of these moves are permanent. Harper will return to first base next season; Stott will go back to the middle infield; Bohm is a pending free agent. This is a 49-game experiment to add a three-time batting champion to the middle of a lineup that needed more sizzle.

    Arraez brings sizzle, spice, and a knack for forcing the action with his uncanny ability to put the ball in play. Team officials think that will outweigh eight weeks of possibly weakening a defense that wasn’t steady in the first place.

    When the Phillies move Turner, they want it to be for good.

    In time, they will move him. Turner turned 33 in June and is under contract for seven more years. The conversation about vacating shortstop will come … eventually. Maybe even after this season.

    But Turner hasn’t played the outfield in 10 years, since a 45-game cameo as a rookie with the Nationals in 2016. He played 49 games at second base after getting traded to the Dodgers in 2021. Otherwise, it has been shortstop.

    From June: What if the Phillies’ most impactful addition was a resurgent Trea Turner? He’s working to make it happen.

    For now, the Phillies are focused on helping Turner get better — or at least closer to last season, when he played the best defense of his career en route to a fifth-place finish in the National League MVP race.

    “Trea’s won a World Series as a shortstop [with the Nationals in 2019]; he’s won a division back-to-back years; he’s played a high level of shortstop last year; he’s still athletic,” infield coach Bobby Dickerson said on The Inquirer’s Phillies Extra podcast. “All those things I don’t see diminishing. He can stay at shortstop.

    “How does it happen? He’s got to put a chip on his shoulders and say, ‘The way to quiet everybody is to make plays, to do my job and do it right and do it good. I always talk about shortstop as the quarterback position. Out on the field, quarterbacking is a person that calms everything down instead of creating more chaos. We’ve got to get back to leading as a shortstop — make plays, play it calm, let everybody breathe. That’s the only way he stays there.

    “My job is to help him stay there. I’ll feel like I failed if we don’t get this done. I’ve seen him play it. And until he’s moved, he’s our shortstop, and we’re going to get after it every day and get it done.”

    Turner entered the weekend with 18 errors, second-most behind Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams. He ranked last among shortstops in defensive runs saved (minus-11), according to Sports Info Solutions, and third-to-last in Statcast’s fielding run value (minus-8).

    In four games out of the All-Star break, he made four errors. He had six in 17 games through Wednesday. The past week has been better, with diving plays to his left to take hits from Jake Rogers last Friday night in Baltimore and the Nationals’ Jorbit Vivas and Daylen Lile at home Tuesday and Wednesday.

    It’s also not coincidental that Turner’s downturn in the field began amid early-season struggles at the plate. Although he has turned it around over the last six weeks, he was hitting .216 with a .595 OPS on June 15.

    “The offense at the beginning of the year was probably in his head a little bit,” Phillies radio analyst and former shortstop Kevin Stocker said on Phillies Extra. “He struggled out of the gate offensively, which has always carried him, and sometimes when you take that out to the field, you’re still kind of thinking about it … and then the routine play eats you up.

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    “It’s a classic case of kind of getting the yips. You don’t know whether to charge the ball, whether to go back on a ball, and that is the worst when you get that as an infielder. It’s incredibly difficult to get out of that.

    “The other night, he made an amazing play going to his left. The angle plays, you don’t have time to think about it, [and] you make it. It’s that routine play. … What the Phillies need is Trea needs to make the routine play. The great plays are great, but if you don’t get the routine out and you give an extra out to the bullpen that has been struggling, it’s trouble.”

    But in uprooting three infielders, the Phillies left Turner alone.

    For now.

    “We didn’t even discuss it with him at this point,” Dombrowski said. “He’s done it before and he works hard at it. He’s our shortstop, and that’s where he’s staying right now.”

    Phillies top prospect Gage Wood has been a starter this season at double-A Reading.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    Gauging Wood

    Fire up the flux capacitor, and time travel to Oct. 4, 2025.

    It’s Game 1 of the division series. The Phillies lead, 3-2, in the seventh inning at home against the Dodgers. David Robertson gives up a leadoff single and hits a batter before Matt Strahm allows a three-run homer. The Phillies lose, 5-3.

    Now, travel to Oct. 5, 2024. It’s Game 1 of the division series. The Phillies lead, 1-0, in the eighth inning at home against the Mets. Jeff Hoffman gives up a leadoff single, a walk, and an RBI single before Strahm allows the go-ahead single, a sacrifice fly, and another single. Orion Kerkering enters and yields an RBI single and a sacrifice fly. The Phillies lose, 6-2.

    Baseball celebrated itself with All-Star Week. Next up: Avoiding self-destruction with a looming labor fight

    The point is, the bullpen is the source of Phillies playoff disappointments dating to Craig Kimbrel’s meltdowns in Games 3 and 4 of the 2023 NLCS in Arizona. They have Jhoan Duran in the ninth inning now, but getting to him could still be problematic even after the deadline additions of Caleb Kilian and veteran lefty Brooks Raley.

    At present, the starter-to-Duran bridge consists of Jonathan Bowlan, José Alvarado, Kerkering, Tim Mayza, Kilian and Raley.

    Maybe it will be enough. History says it won’t.

    So, hard-throwing Alex McFarlane likely will get another look after retiring Shohei Ohtani in his major league debut July 22. Since then, he gave up one hit and two walks in three scoreless outings in triple A.

    Rival scouts wonder if the Phillies will push top prospect Gage Wood to the big leagues as a reliever. Wood, who has a 4.32 ERA in 11 starts in double A, pitched out of the bullpen as a freshman in college at Arkansas.

    “Would I consider it?” Dombrowski said. “We have not discussed that at all at this point.”

    Key words: “At this point.”

    The Phillies are monitoring Wood’s innings — 68 and counting — with no plans to shut him down before the end of the minor-league season.

    “He’s a good prospect and we really like him,” Dombrowski said. “But we haven’t talked even talked about that.”

    Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski didn’t trade for a starting pitcher at the deadline.Heather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

    False start

    A partial list of starting pitchers who got traded before the deadline: Tarik Skubal, Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Robbie Ray, Casey Mize, Freddy Peralta, Luis Castillo, Foster Griffin, Dustin May, Tyler Mahle, José Soriano, Spencer Arrighetti, Jameson Taillon, Kris Bubic, Braxton Garrett, Dean Kremer, and Connelly Early.

    The Phillies got none of them.

    OK, so they weren’t trading for Skubal. And given the lack of top-end talent in the farm system, Dombrowski conceded the Phillies were unable to beat the returns for some starters. The Cubs (Gausman and Holmes) and Padres (Ray and Mize) were especially aggressive with their prospect packages.

    But Dombrowski also said the Phillies discussed, then dismissed pitchers whom they didn’t view as upgrades over rookie Andrew Painter.

    “The choice came in, do you end up getting a guy that’s a fifth starter that you don’t think is as good as your guy that you have now and option the guy that you think has a better chance to win to help your depth, or do what we’re doing?” Dombrowski said. “And we figured we’d do what we were doing and help our bullpen.”

    It’s riskier than the infield realignment. Much riskier.

    Unlike the Cubs and Padres, the Phillies didn’t need to trade for pitchers who could start postseason games for them. Not as long as Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesús Luzardo are lined up. But they still have to get to the postseason, which is more difficult with a 5-23 record from the fifth-starter spot.

    The Reds held Brady Singer, even though the return likely didn’t have had to be much greater than the value of the compensatory draft pick they will get if they give him a qualifying offer. Adding someone like Singer to slot behind Aaron Nola, with Painter in reserve, would’ve helped, a point that was reinforced Wednesday when Painter tweaked his left hamstring and exited after four innings.

    Painter is expected to make his next start, Mattingly said, but surely, the Phillies were holding their breath. They won’t exhale much over the next seven weeks.

    “I always worry after you get past the trade deadline,” Dombrowski said. “I worry about our depth everywhere if you have injuries.”

    But the state of the rotation feels like an especially dangerous game.

  • Ten months of inspections at St. Luke’s Hospital — Upper Bucks Campus: July 2025 — April 2026

    Ten months of inspections at St. Luke’s Hospital — Upper Bucks Campus: July 2025 — April 2026

    St. Luke’s Hospital — Upper Bucks Campus was not cited by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for any safety problems between July 2025 and May of this year.

    The Quakertown hospital is part of St. Luke’s University Health Network.

    Here’s a look at the publicly available details:

    • Dec. 4, 2025: Inspectors visited for a monitoring survey and found the hospital was in compliance.
    • Dec. 18: Inspectors came to investigate a complaint but found the hospital was in compliance. Complaint details are not made public when inspectors determine it was unfounded.
    • Jan. 21, 2026: Inspectors visited for a mental health survey and found the hospital was in compliance.
  • For the Sixers, ego concerns are secondary to Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid’s fit on the court

    For the Sixers, ego concerns are secondary to Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid’s fit on the court

    There are two sets of questions for these 76ers. Maybe it feels like that’s always been the case. Except that it hasn’t.

    The questions used to be: Will Joel Embiid be healthy? How often? To what extent? At what level of effectiveness? Nothing beyond these things mattered. Without Embiid, the Sixers weren’t a team you could even pretend to take seriously.

    Things aren’t what they used to be. With or without Embiid, the Sixers feel like they have a team that will have an identity. More than that, they feel like they have a team that will have a chance. If they didn’t make that clear when it traded for Jaylen Brown, they certainly did when they formally introduced him.

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    The only things missing from Thursday’s press conference at Francis J. Myers Recreation Center in Southwest Philly were a marching band and a vice-presidential nominee. Upward of 100 people packed into the rows of plastic folding chairs that covered most of the width of the rec center’s indoor court and three-quarters of its length.

    In addition to the ownership group and most of the front office and Brown’s family and reporters from both Philly and Boston, there were cheerleaders and game day event staffers and security guards and a DJ and a gaggle of youth from the local community.

    New Sixer Jaylen Brown arrives for his introductory press conference at the Francis Myers Recreation Center on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026 in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    While it was Brown who keenly requested that the event be held at a local rec center, the proceedings were just as much a show of force from the Sixers that left little room for doubt about the gravity they expect their newly acquired superstar to impart on the organization.

    “What an event,” Sixers first-year president of basketball operations Mike Gansey said. “It’s a special, special day to be a 76er.”

    While it would be easy to sit here and wonder about Embiid’s thoughts on all of the hoopla surrounding Brown, the much more relevant question concerns their coexistence on the court. Feelings? Sure. Everyone has them. But they require political capital to matter. For much of his tenure, the Sixers adhered to a doctrine of appeasement. Several different front offices and coaching staffs operated as if they lived in fear of a trade demand. Now, the Sixers couldn’t trade Embiid if they wanted. Both sides are surely aware of that.

    Besides, we’ve seen and heard plenty to suggest that Embiid is at the very least receptive to having another superstar on board. On Thursday, Brown said that the Sixers center reached out to him shortly after the trade went down. The team has an active group chat. Yes, LeBron James is a part of it.

    “Me and Joel have been friends throughout the years,” Brown said. “I love soccer, so we talk about that a lot. He reached out, too, when I got traded. He reached out the same day. I talked to him on the phone. I’m looking forward to earning everybody’s trust and respect and grinding and impacting winning. That’s what I’ve done my whole career, and that’s what I plan on doing here.”

    That’s all that counts in the chemistry department, for the time being. Even if Brown and Embiid have some aspects of their personalities that make you wonder about the occasional friction, the decade of close quarters competition between the two has generally revealed a healthy mutual respect. The two players shared a long one-on-one moment near midcourt in the aftermath of the Sixers’ win over the Celtics in Game 7 of April’s first-round playoff series. The two most important personality traits in any professional relationship are to mean well and to want to win the task at hand. Both Brown and Embiid have those fundamentals. That’s enough for now.

    The success and failure of the Brown-Embiid partnership will be determined by how well it works on the court. That, in turn, will determine whether the Sixers have the potential to become a truly great team. Brown and Embiid are both the ceiling and the floor. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe both have the skill profile and willingness to adapt their roles to those around him. James did it even in his prime. Now, he is at an age where one generally accepts who he needs to be. The big question marks are Brown and Embiid.

    This isn’t a question of personality as much as it is a question of technical fit. There are a lot of parallels between Brown and Embiid, at least from a critical perspective. Shot selection, tunnel vision, decision-making, possession time, efficiency, pace in the half court, all have offered ample fodder for skeptics. Of the 20 players with a usage rate of at least 29% over the last eight seasons, only two have averaged fewer than four assists per game. You guessed it. Embiid and Brown.

    Whether or not these criticisms are prescient or fair, Brown and Embiid are clearly the two players who have the potential to clunk the operation up to a point of dysfunction. Don’t interpret that as a disservice to either. It’s just the style of their games. Whether the Sixers reach their ceiling will depend overwhelmingly on how well Brown and Embiid adapt their games to what optimizes the collective. Each has the ability to be the player they need to be. It is not a complicated thing. Drive when you have a lane. Shoot when you have a shot. Otherwise, keep the ball moving.

    “To win, you’ve got to be able to have sacrifice,” Brown said. “You’ve got to be able to have communication.”

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    The presence of James as a connector and secondary playmaker should help. So, too, should the presence of Maxey and Edgecombe, two of the more likable, earnest and adaptable young players in the game. But if we are going to assume that Embiid’s outlook is as promising as the reports suggest, the Sixers’ fate will ultimately be determined by his synergy with Brown.

    It’s a great question to have.

  • The Cheltenham High hazing incident is another failure of adult leadership. When does this stop?

    The Cheltenham High hazing incident is another failure of adult leadership. When does this stop?

    The questions that cut to the heart of the horrible hazing incidents within Cheltenham High School’s football program are the same questions that everyone always asks in these situations: Where were the adults? Who allowed this behavior to happen? How did the chop-busting and rites of passage that have long been intrinsic to sports escalate to the point that four coaches, including former head coach Terence Tolbert, and six players have been indicted for two alleged assaults that took place in the team’s locker room?

    Even a glance at the details is enough to turn your stomach. Players — as many as 19 of them — allegedly held down a 15-year-old sophomore member of the team, stepped on his chest and groin with their cleats-clad feet, and tried to poke a broomstick into his butt. The coaches traded inculpating texts about it, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. The Cheltenham School District canceled the football team’s season last year and again this year. Parents, many of whom reportedly had warned the district against hiring Tolbert in the first place, are angry. And everyone, inside the program and out, is left wondering how in the hell we got here.

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    A less egregious incident, in the Central Bucks High School West football program in 2014, is instructive here. In that situation, a preseason initiation ritual progressed each year from giving players haircuts — sometimes in the shape of male or female genitalia — to licking mayonnaise off teammates’ nipples and groins to simulating sex with a stuffed toy pig to playing “Slap/Lick/Fondle,” a game that ended with underclassmen touching other players’ private parts.

    The Central Bucks School District canceled West’s football season and removed its head coach, but what matters most is that the district acted before the hazing reached the same severity as what allegedly happened at Cheltenham. You’d think such an episode would have been a warning siren for coaches and athletic administrators throughout the region. But after a while, the siren goes silent or the people who need to hear it most go deaf, and vigilance wanes, and the pattern repeats itself.

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    Something to lose

    It is easy and of course correct to lament that youth and high school sports too often have taken on an outsized and inappropriate importance for too many coaches and parents and athletes. But one of sports’ greatest benefits to young people is that it gives them a stake in something bigger than themselves, a stake in something that matters to them, and they learn to develop and modify actions and habits to preserve sports’ place in their lives.

    Amid the C.B. West hazing story, for instance, Phil DiGiacomo, who was a star running back on two of the school’s state-championship teams in the late 1990s, told me that, when he played, the Bucks’ success served as an effective deterrent against bad behavior. Yes, Mike Pettine, the program’s legendary head coach, and his staff ruled with a measure of iron-fist discipline that likely wouldn’t fly today, and even those old-school coaching techniques and West’s on-field dominance didn’t prevent every instance of player misconduct. Still, DiGiacomo said, the athletes themselves knew that, just by suiting up for West, they were continuing a special tradition, and they stood to lose a chance to call themselves champions if they did something stupid or malicious. So most of them didn’t.

    Cheltenham’s practice field photographed on July 29. The program hasn’t had a winning season since 2022.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    “When we were there, there was no hazing,” DiGiacomo said. “It’s kind of funny because if anyone ever got picked on, it got straightened out by an older guy real quick, mostly because we feared Pettine — that, and we were too damn tired to do anything else.”

    A high school team doesn’t have to win 59 straight games and three consecutive state titles, as those West teams did, to be a point of pride for its players. It just has to provide them a rewarding experience, and they — and their coaches — have to feel that they have something to lose if it doesn’t. That element appears to have been missing entirely from the Cheltenham football program in recent years. In fact, it seems not to have been even a consideration for the school’s administration.

    In his previous stint as a head coach, for Abington in 2023, Tolbert had won just one game. The school district decided not to renew him as coach, and sources have told The Inquirer that Tolbert’s toleration of a toxic atmosphere within and around the Abington program, including bullying by players and the use of slurs by coaches, were the driving forces behind his departure.

    Cheltenham’s leadership either was unaware of these red flags or was willing to look past them, and for what? The program hasn’t had a winning season since 2022, but come on. Was Tolbert thought to be such a great coach that only he could restore the program to respectability? What qualities did he have that the people who hired him considered so essential? It’s obvious now that he and his assistants weren’t capable of doing the one thing any adult working in a school should put first: Keeping students safe.

    The courage to take the right steps

    The most infuriating aspect of stories such as this is the excuse that coaches can’t be held responsible for all their players’ mistakes. That’s true as far as it goes, but there are steps coaches can take to establish the right kind of culture, to model good behavior, to let the athletes in their care know what will be tolerated and what won’t.

    One longtime area football coach told me Wednesday morning that he was fortunate to have two assistant coaches who were special-education teachers, who spent a lot of time around kids who had been the objects of ridicule. These coaches brought students from the school’s autism-support classes to be managers and statisticians and scorekeepers, and they let everyone know: These kids are part of this program. These kids are accepted members of this team. Treat them with respect.

    For months, Cheltenham football families ‘pleaded’ with administrators not to hire the coach charged in hazing scandal

    Those are the kinds of gestures that seem small but can make a major difference, that mitigate the risks that coaches have accepted for decades. Coaching high school sports is a damn hard job, and it’s difficult because, at its best, it requires a measure of moral courage: To say no, to explain why, to stand by that decision. In this Cheltenham ugliness, we see once again what happens when that strength is lacking. The necessary guardrails fall away, if they were ever installed at all, and only after the damage comes to light does it become clear that a school and its students have been saddled with coaches and educators who aren’t willing to do the right thing or, worse, don’t even know what the right thing is.

  • Eagles practice observations: Dontayvion Wicks likely WR2; Truth-telling Vic Fangio; Eli Stowers’ education

    Eagles practice observations: Dontayvion Wicks likely WR2; Truth-telling Vic Fangio; Eli Stowers’ education

    The Eagles held the sixth practice of their 2026 training camp on Wednesday at the Jefferson Health Training Complex. Here were my observations from Day 6 (and links to Days 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5):

    Roll call

    Tackle Lane Johnson missed a fourth straight practice for an excused noninjury related reason. He’s expected to return soon, from what I understand. Landon Dickerson took a non-injury-related rest day. The Eagles will be careful with their oft-injured left guard. Dickerson was spotted jogging midway through practice with a sleeve on his left leg.

    Wide receiver Britain Covey was a new addition to the injury list. He left Tuesday’s practice with a hamstring injury. The following remained injured and out: receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring), receiver Makai Lemon (hamstring), edge Keyshawn James-Newby (ankle) and safety Cole Wisniewski (hamstring).

    Rookie guards Micah Morris (shoulder) and Jaeden Roberts (calf contusion) returned to practice, but were limited.

    Vic Fangio noted that defense has traditionally had the upper hand early in Eagles training camp. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Vic’s secret

    After two straight days in full pads, coach Nick Sirianni dialed the intensity back. Players wore only shells for a 75-minute session — the shortest of camp thus far. Sean Mannion’s offense, overall, executed better after a difficult Tuesday vs. Vic Fangio’s defense.

    “I told him, we obviously got the best of yesterday’s practice by a long shot,” Fangio said when asked about Mannion’s play-calling. “But that’s the way it’s been the last two years in training camp. The defense has gotten the best of the offense. So, not to be too concerned.”

    More than a week into Eagles training camp, Jalen Hurts and the new-look offense are ‘calibrating’

    I don’t think Fangio was puffing his chest out or anything. He was just being the truth teller that he can often be. He was also adding context. Defenses are traditionally ahead early in camp, especially when the offense is new. But I’m not so sure about his last comment. I’d be concerned if there were any similarities to last year’s offense.

    Michael Carter II got some run with the first unit on Wednesday. Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    Cast and crew

    Mannion’s first unit likely benefitted from four key defensive starters — linebacker Zack Baun, defensive back Cooper DeJean and cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen — being held out of team drills. Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Michael Carter II, Jonathan Jones and Kelee Ringo played in their spots.

    With the offense down three starters, it might have made sense to even the playing field. Rookie Markel Bell and second-year offensive lineman Drew Kendall filled in for Johnson and Dickerson at right tackle and left guard, respectively.

    Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee are in a competition for QB2 duties. And they’re trying to embrace it.

    Receiving race

    It’s been a by-committee approach at receiver, especially with the bona fide No. 1 sidelined. Dontayvion Wicks has thus far made the best case to be Smith’s No. 2. He may have a leg up on the others, having played in the Kyle Shanahan-style scheme Mannion brought with him from Green Bay. But there has also been obvious rapport between quarterback Jalen Hurts and the former Packers receiver. Hurts delivered a 20-yardish strike to Wicks just ahead of arriving safety Andre’ Sam in seven-on-sevens on Wednesday.

    Darius Cooper has looked good early in camp. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    If the receiver competition was based on the first week alone, Darius Cooper would have the edge on the other combatants. I said this to someone the other day: “If Lemon was having the camp Cooper was having, every reporter would be hyping the first-round rookie.” The Eagles have to take everything into account, of course. Veterans Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore have been unspectacular in camp, but also have proven track records, even if both have seen their numbers decline in recent years.

    Cooper should be a lock for the roster, though. I know some have viewed the fifth receiver spot as a toss-up between him and Johnny Wilson. But Cooper has more upside, despite Wilson’s size and Sirianni’s appreciation for his blocking. Cooper didn’t make any splash catches on Wednesday. Hurts dropped a beauty to him in the back corner of the end zone, but the receiver couldn’t stick the landing after he dove for the ball.

    Dallas Goedert and the tight ends were heavily featured on Wednesday. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Tighter ends

    On cue, Dallas Goedert and the tight ends were featured in the passing game a day after I noted that they’ve been relatively quiet in that regard. Hurts went to tight ends on his first two dropbacks in seven-on-sevens. Goedert hauled in the first on a slant, while E.J. Jenkins couldn’t on a similar route from the other side of the formation.

    Goedert caught another pass during the period on a short buttonhook and he was again Hurts’ first target in team drills. The tight end hung on despite linebacker Jihaad Campbell being in close quarters. Campbell later reached out and broke up a pass to receiver Samori Toure.

    With Johnny Mundt often the second blocking tight end in under-center scenarios, Grant Calcaterra has gotten receiving opportunities on third downs. He appeared to short-arm a toss from Hurts with Ringo in the vicinity.

    Eli Stowers opens up about early camp struggles: ‘It’s a mental challenge’

    Stowers hour

    Even Cam Latu has seen more passes thrown his way than rookie tight end Eli Stowers. The Eagles are clearly not rushing their second-round draft pick. He’s low on the depth chart and has mostly run with the third offense. Stowers is a relative newcomer to the position. He switched from quarterback to tight end just three years ago and he wasn’t asked to block a ton at Vanderbilt.

    Eli Stowers’ (87) acclimation to NFL-style blocking technique has been slow. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    So he has a lot to digest, beyond just the Xs and Os of a new scheme. Stowers is on the smaller side so learning the proper technique in blocking will be crucial. It could be some time before he’s placed in those circumstances. But he could get on the field on obvious passing downs. I found it interesting that he was split wide in the development period. The ball came his way, but cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields was on his hip and broke up a pass that was thrown slightly behind.

    Running on empty

    There was a fair amount of run game activity. Saquon Barkley didn’t have much room to operate on his carries. Defensive tackle Moro Ojomo knifed past Kendall on one Barkley carry. Outside linebacker Jalyx Hunt set the edge and helped contain the running back on an outside zone run. Nose tackle Jordan Davis easily defeated center Cam Jurgens one-on-one and picked up a tackle for loss.

    Linebacker Jalyx Hunt defended the run well on Wednesday. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    I hesitate to mention Jurgens in the negative because he’s otherwise had a strong start to camp. He’s poised to bounce back from last season’s setback. Tank Bigsby had a few touches out of the backfield, as well, but he’s been featured more as a receiver than Barkley. He got Campbell to commit pass interference with a double move in the open field.

    Running back Will Shipley had a shaky start to camp, but I thought he showed up on Day 6, particularly in the run game. He had two strong rushes up the middle when he got skinny through his blocks. He also picked up Trotter’s blitz later on.

    On the bubble

    Michael Carter II got a strong endorsement from Fangio before practice. I’m not sure if he’ll beat out Marcus Epps for the nickel safety spot, but he could have the sixth defensive back role in dime personnel locked down. Speaking of locking down, he ran step for step with receiver Danny Gray on a corner route into the end zone. When he ball sailed out of reach, Carter popped up and gave Gray a double thumbs-down.

    Fangio said not to sleep on linebacker Chance Campbell’s chances of making the 53-man roster. Tackle Cam Williams took Campbell out at the second level on the run play and that was the last I saw the linebacker until he was walking with a trainer to the medical tent. He seemed fine later on, but didn’t return to play.

    Tanner McKee (16) has not looked sharp at times while working in the new offense. Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    Quarterbacking up

    Tanner McKee was first up with the second unit offense in seven-on-sevens, but Andy Dalton took more team repetitions. The quarterbacks continue to slug it out for the backup spot. Dalton found Wilson open on a crossing route. He hit Quez Watkins on a short pass and the receiver hit the afterburners when cornerback Ambry Thomas took a bad angle. Defensive tackle Ty Robinson pressured Dalton into a throwaway.

    McKee just hasn’t looked as sharp as he did last camp. He doesn’t have the luxury of working with the same unit as he did a year ago. That’s no excuse, but he has struggled to throw the ball downfield, especially with the third unit. He finally found an open man down the seam, but tight end Stone Smartt dropped the ball like he had hands of brick.

    Extra points

    Hurts had a couple dashes into space on the ground — once when he kept the ball on a run-pass option and another on a scramble when his receivers were tied up in man coverage. … Tempers flared for a second straight day. Linebacker Smael Mondon and tackle John Ojukwu got into a brief altercation, as did tackle Fred Johnson and edge A.J. Epenesa. … Gunslinger Cole Payton tossed another interception when he heaved a pass into a crowded area and the ball deflected to Castro-Fields. … Former Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin attended camp. He said it was the first time he’s been back at the practice facility since he was a player. … The Eagles have a closed walkthrough on Thursday before returning to practice on Friday.

  • LeBron James-Michael Jordan comps can get tiresome. But here’s one that should matter to the Sixers.

    LeBron James-Michael Jordan comps can get tiresome. But here’s one that should matter to the Sixers.

    There is no perfect historical analogy for what LeBron James is attempting with the 76ers or for what the Sixers are attempting with him. He will turn 42 in late December. He has appeared in more NBA games than anyone. He will soon begin his 24th season in the league without a pause — no temporary retirements, no full seasons missed because of injury. And he has joined a team that has not won a championship since 1983, was already capable of competing for one next season, and because of his arrival will be expected to win one.

    The figure to whom James is most often compared, of course, is Michael Jordan: for records and achievements accumulated, for championships won, for the aesthetics of their styles of play. Now they have another point of relative similarity. Jordan was 38 when he ended his second break from the game and played two seasons with the Washington Wizards. If the collective stakes of his return weren’t nearly so high as James’ decision to sign with the Sixers — the 2001-03 Wizards went 74-90, missed the playoffs both years, and even with an in-his-prime Jordan wouldn’t have had a prayer of winning a title — Jordan still provided a useful precedent for how the daily drama of James’ time with the Sixers might unfold.

    Draymond Green is right about VJ Edgecombe. But he couldn’t be more wrong about LeBron James.

    The details of that story were preserved in a book, When Nothing Else Matters: Michael Jordan’s Last Comeback by Michael Leahy, that is as good as anything ever written about any topic related to basketball. Leahy was a staff writer for the Washington Post at the time he immersed himself in Jordan’s world, but he was not a sportswriter; he had nothing to lose, no sources to burn or fans to alienate, by documenting Jordan’s tenure in Washington with remarkable depth and unsparing honesty.

    Michael Leahy’s 2004 book “When Nothing Else Matters: Michael Jordan’s Last Comeback” which chronicled Jordan’s return to the NBA with the Wizards in 2001.Mike Sielski

    Published in 2004, When Nothing Else Matters has been memory-holed for more than two decades. It didn’t refresh and amplify the mythology around Jordan in the way The Jordan Rules or The Last Dance did, so it doesn’t resonate in the public consciousness much anymore. But it does serve as a cautionary tale about the nature of superstardom — the kind that only the chosen few, Jordan and James among them, enjoy — and its lessons apply just as well to the Sixers and Philadelphia as they did to the Wizards and Washington. Here are five important ones:

    Lesson 1: The Wizards’ leadership kowtowed to Jordan. The Sixers’ leadership can acquiesce to James only so much.

    One of the recurring themes of When Nothing Else Matters is the control Jordan exerted over the Wizards’ entire organization, starting with his friend and handpicked head coach, Doug Collins.

    “Whenever an issue critical to the team’s well-being arose,” Leahy wrote, “Jordan bent Collins to his will — whether it was over Jordan’s playing time, or who among his teammates deserved to start or not start, or what kind of offense or defense to deploy. Collins’s lack of power illustrated the dangers in allowing any team’s Zeus to rule over a coach and franchise.”

    Michael Jordan (left) picked Doug Collins (right), his former coach with the Bulls, to be his coach in Washington.

    Bob Myers has gravitas and four championship rings from his years with the Golden State Warriors. Mike Gansey has a good relationship with James from their time together with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nick Nurse won a championship in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors — and with a superstar, Kawhi Leonard, who can be a challenge to manage. They have to assert and maintain their authority, or at least some semblance of it, in the face of James’s esteem and power. James won’t necessarily be as controlling and demanding as Jordan, but he can be controlling and demanding enough. He’s accustomed to getting his way all the time, and it would be a lot to expect him to be just along for the ride now.

    Among LeBron James’ challenges: Meshing with the Sixers’ existing star players, Vj Edgecombe (left), Joel Embiid (center), and Tyrese Maxey (right).Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Lesson 2: Expect tension among the players, especially the best ones.

    Jordan’s verbal abuse of rookie Kwame Brown, including calling him a “f—g flaming f—t” during practice, was among the salacious revelations in Leahy’s book. But Jordan’s relationship with Coatesville native Richard “Rip” Hamilton throughout the 2001-02 season is the more relevant one for the 2026-27 Sixers. “There was a lingering tension” between Jordan and Hamilton all season, according to Leahy, in part because Hamilton, in his third season and just emerging as one of the league’s better perimeter scorers, believed it was time for him to assert himself as the team’s centerpiece and that Jordan was holding him back.

    LeBron James and nine other stars who stunned Philly simply by coming here

    Just because Jordan and Hamilton clashed doesn’t mean James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe won’t get along. But the Sixers have to prepare for the possibility, even the likelihood, that this team won’t be a smooth-running, ego-free machine. Brown is 29, was the MVP of the 2024 NBA Finals, and — despite the debate around whether he is an analytically efficient player — is regarded as a star. Embiid is a former league MVP. Maxey is approaching his peak years, as is Edgecombe. And James, like Jordan, hasn’t deferred often to anyone in his career.

    Lesson 3: Time will take its toll on an older player, even one as great as Jordan or James.

    Jordan, remarkably, played all 82 games in his final NBA season, but he struggled with tendinitis throughout 2001-02, missing 22 games. James hasn’t appeared in more than 71 games in any of his last eight seasons; in five of those seasons, he played 60 games or fewer. Never forget: Father Time is Rocky Marciano.

    LeBron James, who will be 42 in December, hasn’t appeared in more than 71 games in any of his last eight seasons.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Lesson 4: The honeymoon will end, and victories had better follow.

    Jordan’s two years in Washington are not remembered as a great and glorious portion of his career, for the simple reason that the Wizards still stunk with him. The Sixers aren’t likely to fall on their faces with James. But the pressure on them will be immense, and patience with a losing streak or a stretch of subpar play will be thin, if any patience exists at all.

    “Sports fans can be a cruel, monomaniacal breed,” Leahy wrote. “Only games and standings matter to the most rabid, which, depending upon how you want to look at it, evinces either an endearing, childlike intensity or a severe case of arrested development.”

    Michael Jordan averaged 21.2 points on .431 shooting in his two seasons with the Wizards. Their record? 74-90.
    MILES KENNEDY / AP

    Lesson 5: There was more to Jordan’s comeback — and more to James’ joining the Sixers — than winning.

    “The truth was this: A sporting god enjoys supreme power only as long as he plays, earns and fills seats,” Leahy wrote. “The moment he ceases to be a team’s principal revenue stream is the moment his dominion ends.”

    James said that he considered retiring, that he changed his mind because he still wants “to work … to grind … to compete,” that his desire to win another championship was the reason he came here. Here’s a safe bet: It wasn’t the only one. He will fill more seats in Philadelphia than he might have anywhere else, and you’re naive to think that intoxicating sensation wasn’t on his mind when he made this decision. LeBron James is as much a sporting god as Michael Jordan was, and to be treated as such is the most powerful drug on earth. He doesn’t want to exit the stage as anything less.

  • Eagles practice observations: Defense brings the camp fire; O-line woes; DeVonta Smith and who else?

    Eagles practice observations: Defense brings the camp fire; O-line woes; DeVonta Smith and who else?

    The Eagles held the fifth practice of their 2026 training camp on Tuesday at the Jefferson Health Training Complex. Here were my observations from Day 5 (and links to Days 1, 2, 3 and 4):

    Receiving line

    The Eagles were without wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon due to hamstring injuries. Lemon left Monday’s practice early, while Smith appeared to finish the workout. The team doesn’t expect either player to be out for an extended period. Both receivers were present Tuesday, which was a positive sign.

    I wouldn’t be worried about Smith. He might have tweaked something, but the educated guess here is that the Eagles shut him down for the time being. They’ve been careful with him before, just as they were with A.J. Brown last year at camp. Smith is far and away the best receiver on the team and the Eagles can’t afford a needless injury with the drop-off relatively steep.

    Eagles’ 53-man roster projection: How the picture looks entering training camp Week 2

    Lemon is another story. The rookie needs the reps. It also doesn’t help that he suffered a hamstring strain in the spring. While it’s unclear if he hurt the same one, two soft tissue injuries in the span of six weeks isn’t likely how he wants to start his career. Lemon has been quiet in the early going. He’s yet to make a play that screams “first round draft pick,” but it’s also very early.

    Lane Johnson speaks with reporters during the first day of training camp on July 29. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Paving the Lane

    Lane Johnson missed a third straight practice for an excused non-injury-related reason. The Eagles have declined to offer more detail on their right tackle’s absence. Johnson’s only other extended absences that didn’t involve injury came in 2014 and 2016 when he was suspended for performance-enhancing drug use and in 2021 when the team granted him a leave to address his mental health.

    The following Eagles remained injured and out: outside linebacker Keyshawn James-Newby (ankle), guard Micah Morris (shoulder), guard Jaeden Roberts (calf contusion) and safety Cole Wisniewski (hamstring). Tackle Cameron Williams (knee contusion) was back to full participation. Receiver Britain Covey walked off the field with trainers late in the workout.

    Sean Mannion (center) did not oversee a sharp day from his offensive unit. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Offensive offense

    It was a tough day for Sean Mannion’s offense after it appeared to make strides in the bubble on a rainy Monday. The Eagles were in full pads for a second straight day and the outside environment and intensity seemed to benefit the defense. It’s long been understood that NFL defenses are typically ahead in the early portion of camp. Coordinator Vic Fangio’s seasoned unit is also facing an offense that is still learning a new system.

    As I’ve written here since the spring, there are going to be growing pains. It’s better to fail now rather than later. It also didn’t help that Smith was out. But I don’t think there was an offensive position group that could be happy about its performance on Tuesday, especially the O-line. Chris Kuper was without Johnson again, and the O-line coach juggled his units some, but there was too much sloppiness up front.

    We also had our first few skirmishes of camp. Guard Tyler Steen and defensive tackle Ty Robinson got into a brief skirmish after several plays of facing each other. Safety Andrew Mukuba and receiver Dontayvion Wicks mixed it up after the former didn’t appreciate the latter’s downfield run blocking. There’s nothing wrong with a little extra fire between teammates, as long as no one gets burnt.

    Landon Dickerson is among the offensive linemen trying to adjust to a new blocking scheme. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Blocking it out

    The new wide-zone run blocking scheme will require an adjustment period for a starting group that had done it a different way under former O-line coach Jeff Stoutland. Johnson and left tackle Jordan Mailata shouldn’t be that affected. They could thrive in any system. Center Cam Jurgens and Steen should, theoretically, benefit because of their athleticism.

    Left guard Landon Dickerson, though, could struggle the most. He’s not as nimble as the others and has had well-documented series of injuries that have put his future in question. Whenever he’s been asked to work to the perimeter on outside zone runs, it’s apparent he just doesn’t have the motor he once did.

    A.J. Epenesa on Cleveland backing out of signing him: ‘Happy that I’m not a Brown and that I’m an Eagle’

    That doesn’t mean he can’t get by or even flourish if healthy. But staying healthy has been an obvious issue, and he admitted earlier this week that he’s had to reconsider how he’s previously played through injury. That could place a greater emphasis on the backup guard spot. Drew Kendall appears to be the leading candidate right now. He took some first-team reps at left guard on Tuesday.

    The Eagles know Kendall can play center. He’s Jurgens’ likely backup. But can he hold up in the interior at 308 pounds? He seemed to hold his ground against defensive tackle Moro Ojomo when he was with the starters. And he did well to pick up a Jeremiah Trotter Jr. blitz later with the second unit. But the tests will keep coming.

    Jalen Hurts (1) did not have his best day of camp. Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    Hurting for certain

    Objectively, Jalen Hurts was sharp on Monday. The opposite could be written a day later. The O-line problems didn’t help, and neither did occasionally poor pass catching. I thought Hurts threw a catchable deep ball to Quez Watkins, but the route wasn’t crisp and the receiver’s dive came up short. Hurts then floated a dime to Will Shipley after he was schemed wide-open on a wheel route. But the running back stone-cold dropped a would-be explosive play.

    Hurts made some head-scratching decisions on throws downfield, though, some of them vs. the second defense. There was a heave to a double-covered Hollywood Brown that safety Michael Carter II intercepted after surviving a collision with the ground and a slight bobble. There was a tight-window toss to Wicks on the next play that cornerback Jakorian Bennett got his hands on.

    Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee are in a competition for QB2 duties. And they’re trying to embrace it.

    Hurts later chucked another one up for grabs to Wicks that was only slightly overthrown past a few pursuing defenders. In the red zone, he hitched off play-action and still threw to a covered Wicks. Mukuba was in Wicks’ pocket, but cornerback Quinyon Mitchell came over and got a hand on the ball.

    There were some good moments, too. Hurts had Brown alone in the end zone after a scissor route concept caught cornerback Jonathan Jones sleeping. Wicks shook cornerback Riq Woolen on an outside release and the ball arrived in time. Hurts had excellent ball placement on a pass to Wicks that required he throw it away from the lurking Mitchell.

    But there just wasn’t much rhythm to the passing offense — not to mention the run game. Hurts, on several occasions, had no one open and had to either eat the ball or throw it away. During one pass play, after he went through his reads and the pocket collapsed, he simply dropped the ball to the ground.

    Moro Ojomo (97) was among those who excelled on defense Tuesday. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    D-light

    The good news is that the defense could be dominant this season, barring significant injuries. Cornerback Cooper DeJean briefly ran off the field after dinging his left hand — a reminder that the game can take anyone — but he appeared fine after getting checked out by trainers.

    Fangio has new faces on his side of the ball, but the biggest upgrade to last season’s very-good-but-not-great defense could be a 100% Jalen Carter. He seems to make a few eye-popping plays every practice. He bested Steen on back-to-back reps. Carter gave him the finger wag after stopping a Saquon Barkley run near the line, and then clubbed him to the helmet on the way to a would-be sack.

    Moro Ojomo watched fellow defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis get paid. He’s using it as motivation.

    Moro Ojomo was a menace at defensive tackle as well. He jetted past Dickerson and might have caused Barkley to bobble a pitch that resulted in little gain. The Eagles’ depth at D-tackle allows Ojomo to face the second unit at times, and it can be unfair. He made quick work of tackle John Ojukwu and notched a run stop near the line.

    And then there were missed blocks that gifted the front four. Carter was mind-bogglingly granted a free pass to Shipley on one rush. Defensive end Jalyx Hunt notched a unblocked sack when left tackle Fred Johnson appeared to have his eyes in the wrong spot.

    Jihaad Campbell is making his presence felt at linebacker. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Back off

    The off-ball linebacker group is pretty good, too. Jihaad Campbell still has lots to prove, but his talent is evident. He jacked running back Tank Bigsby onto his back and blew up a Barkley inside zone run near the goal line. Zack Baun lined up on the edge at one point and beat Ojukwu with an outside rush to record a sack. He also broke up a pass to tight end Dallas Goedert.

    Trotter blitzed once and steamrolled Shipley. Smael Mondon had maybe his best practice of camp and made multiple tackles, including a run stop after he shook the pulling to Williams.

    Dallas Goedert (88) and the tight ends have not been much of a factor in the passing game thus far in camp. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Tight lies

    I mentioned recently here that the tight ends haven’t been featured as much as the receivers and that trend continued. I recall past years when Goedert would be Hurts’ favorite target, but that has yet to happen. It could certainly change. But tight ends have more blocking responsibilities in the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay scheme.

    New guy Johnny Mundt will be key, with more need to block defensive ends at the point of attack. Goedert isn’t the blocker he once was, but he has the wherewithal, even as he enters his ninth season. Cameron Latu may have a roster spot based on his special teams capabilities. He trucked receiver Darius Cooper during kick return drills. But he’s a physical blocker and displayed as much when he wham blocked Hunt out of a run play.

    Neither Tanner McKee (16) nor Andy Dalton (14) got much of a leg up on Tuesday. Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    Under center

    In the backup quarterback competition, it was a relative draw in which neither Andy Dalton nor Tanner McKee was very consistent. As with Hurts, they were hardly all to blame for the offensive inefficiency.

    Dalton did find tight end Grant Calcaterra for a nice pickup after a naked bootleg fooled the first unit defense. And Cooper made a splendid one-handed grab on one of Dalton’s red zone throws. But the receiver was unable to get both feet in the back of the end zone. Later on, Cooper ran an in-breaking route when Dalton’s ball went outside to an empty space.

    McKee had a couple hookups with receiver Samori Toure. But like Hurts, he took sacks or simply ate the ball when the clock ran out on a fruitless play.

    Jake Elliott (4) was perfect on Tuesday. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Extra points

    I’ve written a fair amount about rookie defensive tackle Uar Bernard’s trials and tribulations as he tries to make it in the NFL. But there’s another neophyte from Africa in camp: undrafted edge Joshua Weru. He plays a different position than Bernard, but he’s looked more fluid. He still has a ways to go, but there’s some potential there. He had a pressure during the developmental period. … Jake Elliott was a perfect 6-for-6 during the kicking period. He was good from 33, 38, 42, 44, 50 and 52 yards. He also split the uprights from 44 yards out later during team drills. … The Eagles practice again on Wednesday and have a closed walkthrough on Thursday.

  • Side Eye, an affordable bistro in Queen Village, has a great concept but so-so execution

    Side Eye, an affordable bistro in Queen Village, has a great concept but so-so execution

    I want to root for a restaurant like Side Eye. There’s the quirky name, of course; a tribute to the owners’ beloved late dog, Sheba, whose legacy lives on in the many pooch pictures posted around the space and which has fostered a strong pull from the city’s canine-centric crowd, my family included. What a perfect place to catch up with our dog Buttercup’s veterinarian over steak fries and a peppercorn burger! And was that the (human) mom of Buttercup’s playmates sipping a glass of wine at the long bar? Yes, it was. Philly’s dog lovers are an easy demographic for any new restaurant to target, especially one with a pet-friendly 10-seat patio outside its Queen Village storefront.

    But there are other reasons to wish for Side Eye‘s success, including its aim to be an affordable neighborhood bistro when soaring prices are on everyone’s mind. In an era when $35 chicken entrees and $20-plus cocktails are not uncommon in local restaurants, Side Eye’s half bird is selling for $25 and nearly every cocktail and glass of wine is $13 or less.

    Given that Side Eye’s co-owner, Hank Allingham, is a numbers guy, having previously spent his career in finance for large restaurant companies, including the Patina Group in New York and Nando’s Peri-Peri in D.C., it’s no surprise he’s using fair prices as a draw for this new venture, launched in February with his wife, Katherine Hanson.

    The exterior of Side Eye on Thursday, July 23, 2026 in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
    Side Eye co-owner Hank Allingham inside the bistro at Sixth and Bainbridge on Friday, January 23, 2026.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    But value is a relative concept. What good are house-baked buns if the inexperienced kitchen frequently scorches them before sending a burger out to the dining room? Does it really matter that the roast chicken is relatively inexpensive if the skin on those commodity birds is underseasoned and flabby? (It’s also set over borlotti beans — a nice idea until the beans were overcooked to a sticky paste.) Also, does Side Eye make the worst cocktails in Philly? The drinks at our first visits ranged from watery and muddled to raggedly boozy, providing a reminder that you sometimes get exactly what you pay for.

    That is, until recently, when I’ve finally begun to detect some needed improvements on multiple fronts. One key has been a shift in the front house staff, essential to maintaining the warm neighborhood mojo at the Queen Village space that once housed beloved Bistrot La Minette, which called it quits in 2024.

    The service during my early visits ranged from chaotic — with more plates landing simultaneously at our little table than it could possibly hold (and the server impatiently waiting for us to play Tetris to somehow find space) — to borderline hostile.

    “OK, now who‘s ordering here?!” snapped the waiter at my second meal, scolding me for ordering fries for the table when it apparently wasn’t my turn to speak. He’s coincidentally no longer with the restaurant, Allingham said, before I could even mention it.

    The Lipstick Stain (left) and Bulldog Cooler at Side Eye on Thursday, July 23, 2026 in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    What a difference the calming presence of a pleasant server such as Tessa Draper can make, righting the mood as weekend sunshine poured through the windows into the cobalt blue room, and we settled into a lovely brunch. It was highlighted by a perfectly fluffy French omelet rolled around house-made fromage blanc, topped with roasted mushrooms, and finished with a dessert of crêpe Suzanne, sweetly named for the chef’s mom. The warm crêpes bundled around that same cheese, all topped with brandied warm caramel and juicy orange segments.

    The crêpe Suzanne at Side Eye on Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    The meal was far from perfect. The cucumber-gin Breakfast Cup cocktail had too much bitterness from the lime peel. The avocado toast was not especially green. And this kitchen burned the slender toast “soldiers” served alongside its soft-boiled eggs. But we loved the poached shrimp and fresh-dressed cod rillettes salad that came on the side. The lemony hollandaise for the Parisian ham Benedict served over house-baked brioche was extremely tasty.

    It felt like Side Eye had finally found a comfortable groove, enough for me to return for one more dinner.

    With Draper once again tending to our table, the improvements continued, especially with new vegetable-forward dishes that turn out to be a strength for chef Finn Connors, 26, an alum of Osteria, Wilder, and Sally. He cooks a range of diverse ingredients but also concedes, “I mostly eat vegetables.”

    The tomato and honeydew salad makes the most of summer’s bounty.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    His tomato and honeydew salad makes the most of summer’s bounty, winding luscious tomato chunks inside ribbons of shaved honeydew that added a textural snap and juicy burst of bright sweetness. Snappy batons of zucchini are roasted with just a touch of char, dressed with basil oil, and paired with a creamy dip of that ricotta-like house-strained cheese for another simple but memorable starter. A classic ratatouille, with separately stewed eggplant, red peppers, and zucchini finished with saucy tomatoes, sherry vinegar, and herbs, was one of the menu’s most confident nods to a French canon the chef had never previously cooked.

    Connors bakes a very respectable French baguette, a nice wink to the standby offering at La Minette. I just wish they offered more than a stubby little heel of it for $5. That bread may be at its best diced into croutons that give the delicious French onion soup a sturdy, spoonable body and an irresistible dome to be gratinéed; delicious even when they occasionally burn it.

    The French onion soup at Side Eye on Thursday, July 23, 2026 in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    When it comes to cooking proteins, Side Eye has work to do. They struggled to nail a medium-rare doneness on the burger (twice overcooked, once underdone) but also need some basic seasoning to boost the flavors of the Camembert and peppercorn aioli garnish. The coarse-chopped beef tartare was both unpleasantly chewy and overwhelmed by the sharp garnish of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.

    An intriguing early menu item of stuffed cabbage filled with braised short rib suffered from some less-than-tender braised meat. This kitchen also got too clever with a usually no-brainer pot of mussels marinières, swapping out the shellfish’s natural liquor for a Miller High Life-infused dashi mixed with crab fat and a hunk of not-especially-tender pork belly. Not only was the dashi lacking focused flavor, there wasn’t nearly enough of it, leaving the bowl so dry that the high percentage of empty shells was obvious.

    A simple plate of flaky hake with chile-spiced piri-piri broth and herbed potatoes (reminiscent of the similar retro hit at Meetinghouse) offered minimalist satisfaction. The dish was recently updated to seared cod with a summery garnish of couscous in a tomato-tinted velouté Aurora sauce. I’ll order that next time.

    The lasagna at Side Eye on Thursday, July 23, 2026 in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Fresh pasta is consistently one of Side Eye’s better moves. I enjoyed the early menu’s tagliolini with Café de Paris butter and shaved Mimolette cheese. But this summer’s lasagna is one of the kitchen’s best dishes to date; a low rise double stack of fresh pasta sandwiching the fresh cheese with artichoke hearts, topped with a crispy pasta lid that gets gratinéed with Manchego cheese and scattered with a fistful of peas.

    As inconsistent as the drinks were at my early meals, something also clicked in the glass for our final visit. The refreshing tequila and Aperol-fueled Lipstick Stain and a solid old-fashioned hit the spot. For $12 to $14 a pour, an accessible wine list of independent French producers of picpoul de pinet, Anjou rouge, and a cinsault-syrah blend from Les Enfants Sauvage proved to be among the restaurant’s better values.

    The bar at Side Eye on Thursday, July 23, 2026 in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    When it comes to dessert, Side Eye serves up an olive oil cake trifle layered with lemon curd and a fluffy marshmallow crown torched for drama. But we couldn’t resist the low-key crème caramel, a fresh take on the standard that gives the silky sweet custard a modern update with a crunchy dusting of bittersweet cocoa nibs and flaky Maldon sea salt.

    The effect of those bold contrasting flavors and textures — when perfectly fine-tuned — compels your spoon to return for another scoop. It was an irresistible finale for a meal that finally gave a hint of what this restaurant can be. Side Eye still has plenty of wrinkles to iron out to reach its full potential, but I’ve seen enough signs of progress lately, and I’m hopeful that can continue.

    Side Eye

    623 S. Sixth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 267-807-1164, sideeyephilly.com

    Dinner Sunday through Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, until 1 a.m.; brunch Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

    Dinner entrees, $14-$25.

    Wheelchair accessible.

    About half the menu is gluten-free or can be modified.

    Menu highlights: Dinner: French onion soup; tomato-honeydew melon salad; roasted zucchini with fromage blanc; ratatouille; bread and butter; triple-cooked steak fries; artichoke-pea lasagna; cod. Brunch: French omelet; Benedict variations; crêpes Suzanne.

    Drinks: Cocktails and affordable French wines (all $14 or less a glass) drive the program. Reasonable prices are the draw, but craftsmanship on cocktails has been shaky. There are some thoughtful nonalcoholic options and the beer list has several worthy choices, from local Forest & Main and Monk’s Flemish sour to La Fin du Monde.

    The dining room at Side Eye on Thursday, July 23, 2026 in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
  • Low on prospect capital, loaded with needs, the Phillies’ best asset at the deadline turned out to be … Bryce Harper

    Low on prospect capital, loaded with needs, the Phillies’ best asset at the deadline turned out to be … Bryce Harper

    At 3:30 p.m. Monday, Bryce Harper stood on the grass in shallow center field and uncorked throws from as far as 120 feet to coach Paco Figueroa on the right-field foul line.

    With that, the Grand Experiment began.

    Make no mistake, that’s what this is. The Phillies made their big trade-deadline move for Luis Arraez, a three-time batting champion whom they deemed the most impactful hitter available even though his preferred position (second base) was occupied. They also added relievers Caleb Kilian and veteran lefty Brooks Raley.

    Dave Dombrowski’s no good, very bad year (tenure?) continues at the MLB trade deadline

    But they couldn’t line up on a package for any of the 13 — count ‘em, 13! — starting pitchers of note who got traded, leaving one of the Phillies’ chief needs unfilled.

    Were they unwilling to pay the prices for the one subset of an extreme seller’s market that featured abundant supply?

    Or were they unable?

    “Both,” Dave Dombrowski said after the 6 p.m. deadline passed. “In some cases, I’d say some clubs felt we were unable to match others, but not in many cases. The top of our farm system is very well-regarded. I think it’s a little deeper than what people think it is once you start talking to them. But others may not.”

    Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski (center) made two notable trades before Monday’s deadline.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    As a rival team official said, “Dave was in a really tough situation,” trying to find bullpen help, a right-handed bat, and a starter with “only three legitimate pieces” in the farm system. Dombrowski cashed in one of them — 20-year-old righty Ramon Marquez — for Arraez, a pending free agent.

    But the Phillies’ biggest asset turned out to be Harper’s unfulfilled desire to win a World Series.

    If Harper wouldn’t go back to right field, where he hasn’t played since April 2022, the Phillies couldn’t have set off the chain reaction of positional changes — Alec Bohm to first base, Bryson Stott to third — that opened up second base for Arraez.

    For years, Harper told everyone that he would make a temporary move to the outfield if it enabled the Phillies to add a hitter. They never came close to taking him up on it, even as Dombrowski went on a four-year search for outfield bats that turned up Austin Hays, Max Kepler, Harrison Bader, and Adolis García.

    “I know everybody thinks it’s crap when I say it,” Harper said Monday. “But it’s not.”

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    Just in case, Harper stuffed an outfielder’s glove in his travel bag for the road trip last week. Then, at Dombrowski’s request, Don Mattingly struck up a conversation before a game. It went like this:

    “Hey, are you serious?” Mattingly said.

    “Yeah,” Harper said.

    And that was it.

    “I think him being willing to do that — and being serious about it — was the key to being able to open your mind to different things,“ Mattingly said. ”It could get away from an outfielder and open your mind to different guys.”

    Luis Arraez, acquired Monday by the Phillies at the trade deadline, is a three-time batting champion.Gregory Bull

    The clincher, though, came Sunday night. Dombrowski was “pretty far along” in talks with the Giants about Arraez when he got a text from Harper.

    “He said, ‘If there’s any truth to the rumors that you’re getting Arraez, I’d be happy to move to the outfield to add him to the ballclub,’“ Dombrowski said. “His volunteering it opened up the door for us to go ahead.“

    Never mind, then, that the Phillies began the week last in the majors in on-base percentage (.280) and OPS (.644) from the right side of the plate. In their estimation, lefty-swinging Arraez will improve the lineup more than righty-hitting outfielders Jo Adell and Taylor Ward.

    They’re probably correct. Arraez is a modern Rod Carew. What he lacks in power (career-high 10 home runs in 2023), he makes up for in contact skills. To put his 21 strikeouts this season into context, 102 players struck out as many times … in July alone.

    It’s clear what the Phillies need at the trade deadline. Do they have the prospect capital to get it?

    But Harper, Stott, Trea Turner, and Bohm — from first base to third — have comprised the infield for four years, including Monday night in the 113th game of the season. Now, the only one who will stay put is Turner, the worst defender of the group.

    It’s a lot of chess pieces to move around on Aug. 4.

    Mattingly, a nine-time Gold Glove first baseman, was asked if he’s ever seen anything like it.

    “I can’t say that I have,” he said. “Not that I remember. No, not really.”

    And Dombrowski, who has led front offices for nearly 40 years and been in the game even longer?

    “Probably not positional player-wise,” he said.

    Bryce Harper is expected to return to first base after this season.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    The Phillies are among the worst defensive teams in the majors. Dombrowski thinks they could be better in the new alignment. Can they get worse?

    Harper, in particular, but also Stott are expected to return to their regular positions after the season. Until then, it’s a gambit.

    “I think sometimes you have to take a little bit of an adventurous look at your club when you look at moving positions around,” Dombrowski said. “We think it will work for us.”

    But they’re asking Harper and Stott to condition their arms to make longer throws. And it’s not like they have spring training. They’re expected to be at their adopted positions Tuesday, when Arraez joins the team.

    “Obviously I’m going to need to get my arm going a little bit more,” Harper said. “Long toss, arm care, all that stuff. … I would say that and maybe a little bit of the legs as well. But at 33 right now, it’s the best I’ve felt in a long time. I feel healthy. I feel strong.

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    “I’m at a spot in my career where I don’t have to do that, right? Like I don’t have to go and play a different position. I’m very comfortable at first base. I love first base. I love being on the infield, you know? It’s something I’m doing just for the team. That’s how I feel about that.

    “But I want to win. You guys know that I want to win more than anybody. So, go out there hopefully it helps.”

    It won’t fill the fifth-starter spot, get any outs in the eighth inning, or boost the production from the right side of the plate. But at the trade deadline, Harper’s championship thirst was the best thing the Phillies had going for them.