PHILADELPHIA — Put Day 1 between the Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles in the books. Day 2 is right around the corner.
The coaches and players from both teams have no doubt scoured the film to see what was good, bad and even ugly from the first practice. There will be adjustments made and probably even a little extra feistiness between the teams to try to make amends for what happened on Day 1.
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Before Day 2 gets underway, it’s time to look back at a few takeaways and observations from the first practice between the Browns and Eagles.
Cleveland Browns defensive line absolutely looks legitimately tough
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett closes in on quarterback Dillon Gabriel during practice at minicamp, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Berea.
It took all of about two plays for Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett to make his first play against the Eagles. It was the first but far from the last, as he closed with an unofficial 2.5 sacks of Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“Anytime you can go against maybe one of the best guys maybe ever on the edge, you have your work cut out,” Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said in his post-practice availability. “… I went against [Garrett] like the last eight [joint] practices together. Went against him one on one. The first time was a few years ago, and a couple times when he [lined up against him] in the game last year. You have to get off the ball, or it’s going to be a long day for you.”
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That was just the start of things. The Browns defensive line as a whole got to Hurts six times during 11-on-11 periods over the course of the morning.
Almost every prominent defender contributed to those numbers, including both defensive players drafted in April, defensive tackle Mason Graham and linebacker Carson Schwesinger, with Graham logging two as well.
“I loved it,” Browns cornerback Denzel Ward said. “I love seeing those guys in the backfield causing havoc. Rush and coverage work together. So it’s just fun seeing those guys work, and they’re going to help us out. We’re going to help them out.”
Denzel Ward didn’t get a shot at A.J. Brown, but DeVonta Smith’s a nice consolation prize
Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) breaks up a pass intended for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith on Oct. 13, 2024, in Philadelphia.
The matchup between Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown and Ward didn’t materialize because Brown has a hamstring injury. Ward, though, did get a shot at guarding DeVonta Smith, who is a pretty fair pass catching consolation.
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The tone of the competition was set on the first one-on-one play, when Ward broke up a pass to Smith. He also had one on which he made a late break to separate Smith from the ball without creating contact.
The two also spent some time off to the side, “talking ball” as Ward said.
“Yeah, pretty much just talking ball, talking releases, talking what he sees when a guy’s pressed and just going back and forth,” Ward said. “I’m telling him what I see and just having a great conversation about how we could better our game.”
Hurts did find Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert with some regularly in 11-on-11 series. One of the biggest offenders was Cameron Mitchell, whose role has increased with Greg Newsoeme III’s recovery from a shoulder situation that has kept him out since leaving practice Aug. 1.
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Cleveland Browns offense not helped by mix-and-match offensive line
Cleveland Browns guard Wyatt Teller, left, participates in offensive line drills with offensive tackle Lorenzo Thompson during training camp July 23, 2025, in Berea.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski tried to mix and match his offensive line once again against the Eagles. He also tried the maneuver during joint practice in 2023.
Although the No. 1 offensive line did have a majority of reps together, the Browns also did a lot of subbing as the practice went along. That meant pulling tackles Jack Conklin and Dawand Jones for backups Jackson Barton and Cornelius Lucas, and pulling Jones and left guard Joel Bitonio for a new left side of Lucas and Teven Jenkins.
It really meant a whole lot of everything. What it also meant was stretches of the practice when the Browns’ best were actually the best offensive linemen on the field, and Philadelphia took advantage of those with its big and bruising defensive line.
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Cleveland Browns run game missing a big, physical running back
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) hands off to running back Jerome Ford (34) on Oct. 13, 2024, in Philadelphia.
The first practice against the Eagles showed what a lot of people expected — not having a big, physical running back like they thought they had in second-round pick Quinshon Judkins is going to hurt the Browns.
Judkins remains unsigned as he goes through the legal process after his domestic violence arrest in Florida. That’s left the Browns with a running back room of Jerome Ford, Dylan Sampson, Pierre Strong Jr., Ahmani Marshall, Toa Taua and Trayveon Williams.
The problem is that Ford and Sampson, with a little bit of Strong, are the ones running with the ones. And for all of the good they can do, lowering their pads and running over someone to get that tough yard or so is not front and center for them.
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That showed against the Eagles, who are stout in the interior with defensive linemen Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo. Those linemen helped stuff the running game repeatedly, which made it difficult to get anything going in that area.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns training camp 2025: 4 things learned in 1st practice vs. Eagles