Eagles-Patriots joint practices: Riq Woolen main feature in secondary

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — A.J. Brown struck back to open the final day of joint practices. Quinyon Mitchell dislodged the football from his former teammate to open Wednesday’s one-on-one sessions. But Brown gained a step on Mitchell on Thursday and hauled in a touchdown that roused the home crowd.

The score set the tone for the Philadelphia Eagles secondary’s back-and-forth battle with the New England Patriots’ receiving corps.

The Athletic’s Brooks Kubena focused on the Eagles’ defense in what will almost certainly be the first-team unit’s final reps against an opposing team during the preseason.

---

1. Let’s focus on what A.J. Brown represents for the Eagles this season. The three-time second-team All-Pro is still one of the NFL’s most dangerous wideouts to defend one-on-one. The Eagles won’t play the Patriots in the regular season. But they’ll face the Los Angeles Rams and Puka Nacua, the Dallas Cowboys and CeeDee Lamb, the Seattle Seahawks and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Houston Texans and Nico Collins — and whatever dominant receivers await if the Eagles reach the postseason.

Mitchell, an All-Pro in his second season, was ranked No. 47 by his peers in this year’s NFL Top 100 list. Mitchell is expected to stand toe to toe with those of Brown’s caliber. Beyond Thursday’s first rep, Brown scored two more touchdowns against Mitchell in drills that featured two wide receivers and two defensive backs. Then, to open team drills, Mitchell was flagged for pass interference while covering Brown on a deep ball. Later, in goal-to-goal drills, Brown hauled in another touchdown along the left side in tight coverage with Mitchell. A few plays earlier, Patriots wideout Mack Hollins gained a few steps on Mitchell on a crosser and caught another touchdown.

It would be an overreach to draw any long-term conclusions on Mitchell from one rough practice. However, Thursday underlined why it was important for the Eagles to shore up their second cornerback spot in the offseason and backfill the loss of starting safety Reed Blankenship in free agency.

2. … Which leads us to Riq Woolen. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound cornerback, whose one-year, $12 million contract is fully guaranteed, is expected to eliminate the concept of a weak link opposite Mitchell. Woolen leveraged his size to make every target against him look difficult. In red-zone drills, Brown had to hang on tight to complete a 5-yard slant. The play foreshadowed what happened in a later team drill: Woolen’s reaching hands bothered Brown enough that, while fielding another slant, Brown lost his grip on the football, which popped into the air. Jalyx Hunt made a diving catch for the interception.

Woolen showed he can be reliable in backed-up scenarios. In goal-to-go drills, Woolen dislodged an end-zone fade from Romeo Doubs in a physical battle over the ball. Doubs struck back in the next series by hauling in a score on a similar route. But when the coaches reset the ball to create a fourth-and-goal scenario, Woolen jumped Drake Maye’s pass to Brown along the right sideline and returned the interception for what would likely have been a pick-six in a game situation. Woolen wasn’t perfect: The Patriots walled him off on a pick route that freed Doubs for a third-down touchdown catch.

3. Hunt’s diving interception easily makes the top five list of Philadelphia’s plays in training camp so far. He covered significant ground before leaving his feet, and he made the catch with outstretched arms. My first thought was that his team-leading three interceptions in 2025 might not be a fluke. Hunt, who played safety at Cornell before moving to the edge at Houston Christian, clearly hasn’t lost his ball skills. The Eagles would prefer that Hunt not lead the team in interceptions again. But his aptitude in coverage is an advantage when other edge rushers, like Jonathan Greenard and A.J. Epenesa, are going to require more training in that area.

“Jalyx is a ball hawk,” defensive tackle Jordan Davis said. “… He’s going to do his thing. You’ve seen him now all summer. It seems like he’s ready to take a big step.”

4. On the subject of takeaways: Any extra assistance for Philadelphia’s new offensive system will be beneficial. Immediately after Hunt’s interception, the first-team offense set the ball at the 25 and scored in four plays. The Eagles ranked 11th with 21 takeaways in 2025.

5. Smael Mondon Jr. revealed why defensive coordinator Vic Fangio called the inside linebackers “probably our deepest position on defense.” Mondon, a 2025 fifth-round pick, opened team drills with the second-team defense by sniffing out a run along the perimeter. On the second-team’s next series, Mondon lined up along the right edge — where starter Zack Baun has thrived — and careened into the backfield and batted Tommy DeVito’s pass attempt incomplete.

Mondon’s pathway to significant playing time is crowded. Baun played 92 percent of the defense’s snaps in 2025. If Fangio’s confidence in Jihaad Campbell (63 percent) wavers, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (8 percent) is next in line. Fangio has also been complimentary of Chance Campbell, who returned to practice this week after dealing with a groin injury. The cap hits of Mondon ($1.1 million), Trotter ($1.1 million) and Campbell ($1 million) are blips on the Eagles’ budget; GM Howie Roseman can afford to keep the position stocked with depth. But will Roseman be tempted to use his surplus as trade ammunition?

6. The Patriots tested the first-team Eagles defense’s discipline on Thursday. They attempted a third-and-5 double pass in which Maye initially swung the ball to Romeo Doubs, who then searched for a target across the field, found none, then skipped a pass incomplete. Four plays later, on a reverse, Hunt and Jihaad Campbell were quickly in the backfield and helped shut down the play.

7. The Eagles are lacking reliable depth at cornerback. Jonathan Jones, an 11-year veteran, is expected to return from his shoulder injury next week — and his return will be welcome. (Jakorian Bennet has missed three practices with a knee injury and Tariq Castro-Fields has managed a heel injury across four practices.)

Second-team Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams beat Eagles cornerback Shaun Wade deep on a touchdown reception along the left sideline.

Kayshon Boutte caught a deep crosser with room to run, with Kelee Ringo giving chase. In the final drive of the day, DeVito capped a quick three-play sequence by completing a touchdown pass to Boutte with Isaiah Bolden in coverage along the left side of the end zone.

8. Rookie safety Cole Wisniewski, returning from a hamstring injury, saw reps with the second-team unit during his second practice. Reserve wide receiver Efton Schism III made a leaping catch over Wisniewski for a long gain in team drills.

Quick hits

• Jalen Carter missed Thursday’s practice with an excused absence for a personal matter. Ty Robinson subbed in at defensive tackle in base packages with the first-team defense. Zion Wilson, an undrafted rookie, also saw snaps at first-team defensive tackle. Wilson showcased his strength when he threw down Patriots starting right guard Mike Onwenu during team drills.
• Mac McWilliams, back for his second practice since his groin injury, spent the majority of practice as the second-team nickel.
  The second-team defense during two-minute drills: EDGE Arnold Ebiketie, DT Gabe Hall, DT Ty Robinson, EDGE A.J. Epenesa, LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB Smael Mondon Jr., CB Kelee Ringo, CB Isaiah Bolden, Nickel Mac McWilliams, S Michael Carter II, S Andre’ Sam
  Did not practice with injuries: CB Jakorian Bennett (knee), CB Tariq Castro-Fields (heel), CB Jonathan Jones (shoulder), DT Byron Young (shoulder)
• Limited with injuries: EDGE Keyshawn James-Newby, CB Shaun Wade (eye/shoulder)