For a change of pace, the Eagles went from the practice football fields and meeting rooms to the basketball court on Friday, kickstarting the Memorial Day holiday. Not just any basketball court, but the world-famous Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.
The Eagles released a video of the day’s activities, which included free-throw shooting contest, a foul shooting competition, a game of knockout, and more.
One clip released by the Eagles showed Saquon Barkley giving an alley-oop pass off the backboard to Cooper DeJean, who soared down the lane and slam dunked the ball. DeJean was a terrific high school basketball player growing up in Iowa, but chose football as his pathway to college and into the NFL. Jalen Carter also appeared in the clip as did head coach Nick Sirianni.
The field trip to the Palestra is an example of the team bonding Sirianni builds in his team, and a culture he fosters where players spend time together and get to know one another. That sort of chemistry and culture is why the Eagles have been so successful under him and recently earned him a contract extension.
Another video clip the Eagles released showed linebacker Nakobe Dean competing without a knee brace, which is a good sign for the linebacker who is rehabbing from a torn patellar tendon in a Jan. 12 Wildcard playoff win over the Green Bay Packers.
Dean finished his third NFL season with 128 tackles in 15 games after playing just five games in 2023. He is trying ballet as a form of rehab, which is designed to make him more agile and lighter on his feet.
He told NBC10: “There's way more flexibility, of course. Way more mobility. It's definitely something that's helping with my rehab...You just feel a change immediately. After you stretch, you're not as tight or as sore...'I'm not interested in ballet, I'm in it for the mobility work and the stretching.”
Patellar tendons have ruined players’ career in the past, including the 49ers Drake Jackson, who was recently released after failing a physical despite suffering a torn patellar tendon more than a year ago.
Dean hopes to return not long after the season begins, if not in time for the opener, though that would probably be an optimistic timeframe.
