The day after the night before. It’s a very different kind of hangover facing the Eagles at the minute however. After coming off of a preseason loss to Green Bay, the Eagles traded WR Jordan Matthews and a third-round pick to Buffalo in exchange for CB Ronald Darby. How would their first practice after the move go?
Injuries:
To put it simply, the Eagles have a lot of injuries, but none too serious:
WR Bryce Treggs- leg soreness, day-to-day
OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai- Knee, day-to-day
QB Nick Foles- Elbow soreness, day-to-day
CB Ron Brooks- hamstring, day-to-day
CB Aaron Grymes- Personal reasons
RB Wendell Smallwood- hamstring, day-to-day
OL Brandon Brooks, ankle, week-to-week
TE Anthony Denham, calf, day-to-day
WR Paul Turner, shoulder, day-to-day
That’s a long list of players, but after a grueling Training Camp, it was bound to take its toll eventually. There’s nothing to be overly concerned about here just yet. Alshon Jeffery returned to work in 7-on-7 drills earlier today as the Eagles nurse his shoulder injury, while Torrey Smith continued to show signs of a rigorous camp.
A sign that loss to Green Bay wasn’t good enough?
To put it simply, the preseason opener was disappointing…not because of the score or result but because the Eagles didn’t execute. Fumbles, interceptions, missed tackles, you name it…it probably happened. Today saw the Eagles practice for close to three hours with an increased emphasis on the run. It’s hardly surprising considering that the team had 54 pass attempts and just 19 rushes on Thursday night.
#Eagles working heavily on run game early in 11/11
— Ed Kracz (@kracze) August 12, 2017
#Eagles staged their longest, toughest practice of training camp. 2 hours 40 minutes with plenty of hitting.
— Dave Weinberg (@DaveWeinberg19) August 12, 2017
It’s all down to interpretation, but to me it feels like the Eagles coaching staff wanted to send a message. Those kind of errors simply cannot happen during the regular season, and the team will do everything they can to iron them out.
Short memory:
If there’s one thing that Jim Schwartz craves in his cornerbacks, it’s the ability to let a bad play go and focus on the next one. It was something C.J Smith did particularly well against the Packers, and something that Jalen Mills showed in practice today.
Mills comes back with a nice pass breakup on a short throw to Alshon in 7 on 7.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) August 12, 2017
It sounds small, but it’s a fundamental asset for cornerbacks. Mills has come a long way since his debut against the Browns…and this only adds to his growth.
Mack Attack:
After his impressive touchdown on Thursday night, Mack Hollins earned some reps with the first team. How did he fare?
Mack Hollins starting first team WR on the outside. Worth noting Alshon and Marcus Johnson aren't practicing in full team drills tho.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) August 12, 2017
Mack Hollins dropped a pass. The Eagles officially lost the JMatt trade. #seasonover
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) August 12, 2017
Mack Hollins is consistently getting open in middle of the field. That's a good spot for a big bodied WR like him.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 12, 2017
Despite an initial drop, it’s been a strong day for Hollins. Taking a big hit from Jordan Hicks, he was able to shrug it off and carry on with the drill, but his ability to create separation with ease was on display against the Eagles cornerbacks. With Matthews now traded, Hollins could be poised for a much bigger rookie year than many first expected.
Gibson bouncing back:
It’s been an arduous offseason for Shelton Gibson, but with two catches under his belt against the Packers, his confidence may finally beginning to blossom. over the last week or so, the former WVU standout has been far more comfortable catching the ball and making big plays. Today was no different.
Shelton Gibson has done an excellent job catching the ball over the last week #Eagles
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) August 12, 2017
It’s certainly encouraging to see Gibson improving, but with so little time between now and the season opener, it’s going to be a tall order to force himself into the current receiver equation facing the Eagles.
Is Pumphrey wobbling?
Some poorly placed McGloin passes saw Pumphrey get hit and hit hard against the Packers. To make matters worse, his average of 1.3 yards per carry on Thursday was met with a fumble. In practice today, that trend appears to be continuing.
Donnel Pumphrey fumble. Steven Daniels hit him pretty hard. #Eagles
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) August 12, 2017
It’s way too early to be seriously concerned over Pumphrey, especially considering how dominant he was at SDSU. However it is slightly worrying to see Pumphrey suddenly hitting a slump after such an explosive offseason so far.
Safety scenario:
After the addition of Corey Graham, the Eagles Safety picture has been an interesting one to watch. Today saw the former Bill take a large portion of first team reps, potentially displacing Jaylen Watkins on the depth chart.
Seeing a lot of Corey Graham with the ones. Have to wonder if he's ahead of Jaylen Watkins at this point.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 12, 2017
Also of note, Malcolm Jenkins is in the slot a lot with Ron Brooks out. He also worked with the CBs not safeties during individual period.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 12, 2017
With Jenkins taking on a mentor role and working out with the Safeties, it seems as if the Eagles are trying to negotiate a logjam. With six safeties competing and a likely four spots on the roster, there’s a lot of starting talent that the Eagles need to spread around the secondary.
Blount slowing down?
There has been a few whispers over the past few days around the speed of LeGarrette Blount. With Corey Clement’s explosiveness showing a direct contrast to Blount’s and preseason not exactly painting a positive picture, it will be interesting to see how the Eagles approach this.
Clear difference when Corey Clement hit the hole just now. He got in there quickly as opposed to Blount who took a bit to get there.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 12, 2017
Is Blount going to be the workhorse back or is he simply going to be a short-yardage specialist? Did that weight clause in his contract have more to it than meets the eye? Only time will tell…
Offensive line competition:
With Brandon Brooks sidelined and Chance Warmack having a topsy-turvy time, the Eagles gave Darrell Greene some reps with the first team today, opening the floodgates for yet another O-line competition.
Darrell Greene got some first team reps at RG over Warmack #Eagles
— Ed Kracz (@kracze) August 12, 2017
Greene’s experience with the Eagles will certainly help him, but it’s going to take a string of impressive camp/preseason performances to raise the challenge to Warmack and really ignite yet another O-line battle.
Mandatory Credit: Adam Wesley/Green Bay Press-Gazette via USA TODAY Sports
