The Eagles have a well earned day of rest tomorrow, but there’s one last hurdle before the breath of fresh air. A practice lasting close to three hours, padded, with live tackling. Here’s all you need to know from one of the toughest days yet.
Attendance report
It was business as usual for the Eagles today, with all the usual suspects in attendance. The only new addition to the absentee list was Penn State’s Ryan Bates. DeSean Jackson was given a veteran’s day off (more on that later), and Jason Peters left practice early with the Birds taking caution after he was slow to get up following a play. Blake Countess was back at practice again.
A stumble for Sanders
Penn State rookie Miles Sanders has been getting up to speed after missing OTA’s and has been impressive in doing so, but the running back stayed down after a play earlier today, holding his left foot and causing some mild concern.
The good news is, Pederson seems confident that Sanders will be just fine, but then again, foot injuries and this team don’t exactly go together well. Fingers crossed for Sanders that this is nothing substantial given that he’s already missed a significant portion of the offseason and was just beginning to get rolling.
A new wideout steps up
It’s fair to say the Eagles have placed a recent focus on size. Dallas Goedert and JJ Arcega-Whiteside are the two most notable examples as a vision to improve redzone success is implemented, but it goes far beyond the stars. 6’6 wideout Carlton Agudosi signed with the team as a UDFA this offseason and today was his day in the sun.
The Rutgers product has enjoyed two really strong days of practice now and understandably at 6’6, he’s hard to stop. That very niche may just see him push for a spot on the bottom of the depth chart if he continues to turn heads and snag balls away from the likes of 6’2 CB Jay Liggins.
While we’re on the topic of receivers…
Another man making constant strides is former Houston QB Greg Ward Jr, who is attempting to make the Eagles for the third consecutive offseason. But with recent AAF experience under his belt, Ward looks more polished than ever.
You’ll notice Charles Johnson’s name in there too, as a wideout who stepped up in relief of DeSean Jackson and was able to make a few plays. Both players are having strong training camps, adding even more intrigue to the WR position this Summer. You could make a very solid argument for Ward Jr. at this point.
Corey Clement sneaks into the fray
In his first 7-on-7 action this Summer, former Wisconsin running back Corey Clement is hopeful to be full-steam next week. He returned with quite a bang too, catching a touchdown inside the red zone.
In what’s becoming a clustered running back room, don’t write off Clement just yet.
On the topic of running backs, Jordan Howard is getting more and more looks as a receiving option, something he’s worked hard on over the last two years and that will give the Eagles even more optionality out of the backfield.
The two stars of the Summer
It’s been #SidneySZN all Summer long down at the NovaCare Complex, with Rasul Douglas following suit and making plays on a daily basis. Today was no exception, but with both corners making life difficult for receivers and quarterbacks, one can only imagine the problem Schwartz now faces.
If Darby and Mills enter the fray and immediately resume starting reps, expect the Hounds to growl, bark and want to rip the place to shreds. If you think the cornerback battle is intense now, just give it a week. We can expect a shuffle of cards in the secondary, but who ends up on the top of the deck is becoming more and more mysterious with every practice that these two studs ball out.
KGHszn
A player I’ve been really high on for quite some time now, and one I genuinely believe has pro bowl potential, is the man who has led the Eagles in special teams tackles in back to back years, Kamu Grugier-Hill.
KGH continues his development by impressing in practice and came up with an interception on Wentz this morning. If he can push for more defensive snaps in 2019, watch out.
Ertz makes an impact
It had previously been a quiet day for the elite tight end who broke record upon record last year, but that changed on Thursday, with Ertz flashing the star power that has sparkled in recent years.
The Wentz-to-Ertz connection was as hot as it ever has been, which can only mean good things for the Eagles offense.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
