Philadelphia Eagles

Ten takeaways from the first day of Eagles OTA’s

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OTA’s are officially underway for the Philadelphia Eagles and whilst there was a lot of attention on all three of the Quarterbacks, there were plenty of storylines emerging elsewhere. Here are the ten most important things to take away from the first day of OTA’s.

There are still two Eagles yet to return to the nest:
Sam Bradford may have ended his holdout, but both Fletcher Cox and Darren Sproles are yet to show up at the NovaCare Complex. By now everybody knows the reason behind the absence of Fletcher Cox, but today shed some light on why we are yet to say the Eagles punt return specialist back in action.

Doug Pederson later denied these claims, asserting that Sproles will be back in time for mandatory camps. However it is an interesting development and something worth keeping an eye on as mandatory camps approach.

 

Triple-Threat?
Today was the first time that all three Quarterbacks practiced side by side and one thing that many were keen to look for was how the snaps would be distributed.

Doug Pederson claimed that all three Quarterbacks enjoyed the same workload when it came to the scripted workouts, evidently meaning that Wentz is seeing more action than a traditional third string Quarterback with the intent of developing him.

https://twitter.com/JoshPaunil/status/732612906341281793

Interestingly, Zach Ertz told the media that Sam Bradford’s path took him down a slightly different road..

Of course it’s the first day of OTA’s and a lot of things are likely to change over the coming weeks. But hearing that Wentz will be seeing just as much action as both Daniel and Bradford for now is encouraging for fans who are keen to see the young star develop.

 

 

Inside or Outside?
A lot of people are expecting to see Jordan Matthews move to the outside this season and flourish in a west-coast hybrid Offense. But in terms of OTA’s, it seems as though Pederson is willing to give everyone a fair chance.

Agholor is predicted to make a much bigger impact this year in comparison to an underwhelming rookie season and with so many possible lineups, Pederson is wise to not rule anything out just yet and almost let the depth chart decide itself.

 

Allen Barbre starting Left Guard
This was among the most surprising events of the day. The Eagles continue to show loyalty to Allen Barbre who lined up in OTA’s as the starting Left Guard despite adding a lot of depth and talent to the line through the offseason.

Perhaps this is just trying to encourage competition or maybe the Eagles are still confident in the abilities of 31 year old. But as OTA’s progress, expect both third round pick Isaac Seumalo and the recently signed Stefen Wisniewski to compete for the starting role.

 

The Trey Burton prophecy
Many beat-writers and fans alike predicted that Trey Burton would be making the transition to fullback however 12 days ago I posted an article stating that in my opinion he would be much more effective as a wide receiver. What happened today?

As stated in the above article, I believe Burton’s versatility and skill set would make him a valuable weapon on the Eagles receiving core. I’m not saying that he is 100% moving to the outside as it’s important to remember that it’s only OTA’s..but it’s definitely encouraging to see Pederson recognizing just how explosive Burton could become.

 

A slowed down Simba
Jordan Hicks was absent during teamwork due to encountering “tightness in his legs”.
Whilst we all want to see Hicks back on the field, there’s no reason to rush into anything at this stage and it’s at least relieving to hear that the issue has nothing to do with his shoulder.

 

McLeod’s instant impact
Rodney McLeod was one of the most exciting additions to the Eagles Defense during the offseason and he wasted very little time before making his presence known.

It might only be OTA’s but it’s encouraging to see the Safety attack the offseason with an aggressive mentality.

 

Carson Wentz looks red hot
As expected, a lot of the focus today was on Carson Wentz..and the media was not disappointed.

It’s encouraging to see people pleasantly surprised by how quickly Wentz is coming along. As OTA’s unfold this is a storyline that you simply can’t take your eyes off of. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the North Dakota State signal caller..and for good reason.

 

Denzel Rice making a statement
Perhaps my favorite underdog to make the final 53-man roster has approached OTA’s with the same chip on his shoulder as he ended last season with. Competition levels are higher and available roster spots are fewer..but it isn’t stopping last year’s undrafted rookie from making an impact.

 

Kick return duties
Along with Nelson Agholor and Jalen Mills, Leodis McKelvin was also on kick return duty today. With no Darren Sproles to take the reps it looks as though the Eagles are wasting no time in evaluating talent and potential kick return options for the future.

 

Photo credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

About the Author

Liam Jenkins

Liam is a 29-year old sports journalist from the UK and founder of the Philly Sports Network. Having now ran PSN for a decade, Liam’s focus remains on building a platform containing the most complete coverage of ALL of Philadelphia’s sports teams.

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