The Philadelphia Eagles‘ upcoming joint practices with the New England Patriots will be the first chance for the Eagles’ starters to match up with someone not wearing green. Here are some of the battles between units and players to keep an eye on.
A.J. Brown vs. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean
The joint practices mark the first time Brown will face his former team since his offseason trade to New England. While Brown will likely take reps against Riq Woolen, who signed with Philadelphia this spring, the marquee matchup everyone wants to see is Brown going head-to-head with his former young star teammates.
During Quinyon Mitchell‘s rookie season, an “iron sharpens iron” rivalry formed when Mitchell called one of Brown’s practice routes “trash.” Despite the friendly trash talk, the respect between the two ran deep, with Brown leaving Mitchell a signed jersey inscribed, “All-Pro Q, Love Bro. Proud of U” after the Eagles’ playoff loss, which would be Brown’s last game in the midnight green.
Cooper DeJean, who also built a strong relationship with Brown, is excited for the battle, noting shortly after he was traded, “I would love to go against him. I know he’d love to go against us, too, so it’d be a fun battle.”
While Woolen presents an intriguing athletic test on the outside, all eyes will be glued to Brown and Philadelphia’s young All-Pro cornerbacks going blow for blow.
Jalyx Hunt vs. Patriots tackles
Hunt has reportedly been unblockable early in camp. After leading the Eagles in both sacks and interceptions last season, Hunt has lived in the backfield and now lines up against a Patriots group that remains unproven.
New England used their first-round pick on Utah tackle Caleb Lomu, who got the start at right tackle in their preseason game against Indianapolis where he allowed two pressures. On the opposite side of the offensive line sits 2025 fourth overall pick Will Campbell, who is coming off a brutal Super Bowl performance where he surrendered 14 pressures, the most allowed by any player in a postseason game since 2018.
Hunt has a prime opportunity to dominate joint practices and build on what is shaping up to be a breakout year.
Eagles’ Interior OL vs. Patriots’ Interior Pass Rush
Both Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens missed time while dealing with lingering injuries, including nerve damage that Jurgens managed throughout the season. The physical toll noticeably affected their play across the board:
- Dickerson: Saw his overall PFF grade regress from a career-high 78.6 in 2024 down to 67.1 in 2025.
- Jurgens: Dropped from ranking top-10 among all interior linemen in pass-block win rate in 2024 down to 28th out of 40 qualified centers in pass protection in 2025.
Offensive line guru Jeff Stoutland is no longer with the team, replaced by Chris Kuper. Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams, who also faces the Eagles for the first time since his departure following the 2024 season, will prove a good test of the interior of the line and provide a glimpse of whether the All-Pro lineman has returned to form.
