The Birds took to the NovaCare Complex again on Wednesday for another training camp session. Here’s everything we learned from another day of Eagles practice.
Injury updates
After a bumpy few days of injury news, things only grew more concerning on Wednesday.
Context is key though, as Mike Kaye explains.
However, the news of Miles Sanders picking up a lower-body injury is worrying. All reports seem to be pointing at a return for the start of the season against Washington, but to go from a back who grew into a lead role as a rookie, to the face of the backfield in year 2 and already lose OTA’s and preseason, this will sting. Duce Staley will undoubtedly have him ready to go come week one, but those extra reps of being able to put what he’s learned on film into practice will be a huge loss.
Corey Clement and Michael Warren saw some RB1 action today with Boston Scott also sidelined. This will be a big opportunity for all remaining backs vying for roster spots.
Bradley shines again
Three practices, three standout efforts from sixth-round pick Shaun Bradley. He’s proving that he wasn’t just quick out of the gate, he’s got the pace to sustain it throughout Camp. Picking off a Jalen Hurts pass in the red zone, Bradley is standing head and shoulders above the crowd.
The Eagles could have a real steal on their hands here.
Manuel’s impact
The Eagles had a change at DB coach this offseason, bringing on Marquand Manuel, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons. Manuel had worked wonders with young DB’s in Atlanta and the challenge in Philadelphia was always going to be fun to watch. He’s already making his mark.
By rotating corners around into Schwartz’s ‘positionless defense’ and gelling with his players, he’s ensuring everyone gets a slice of the pie, and chemistry is clearly at an all-time high. Slay and Manuel have really taken the remains of a worn-down unit and injected a visible sense of energy.
Talking of corners, it seems as though Avonte Maddox is not rotating from his CB2 spot. Sidney Jones is a long way off in what many assumed would be a tightly fought contest.
12 personnel
A lot of people have been wondering how the Eagles will get all of their shiny new wideouts on the field in 2020, especially considering how much the team like to run 2-TE sets. We may have our first look and it was reasonably predictable.
The Eagles still run a rigid offense in terms of structure. In a dream scenario, a possession receiver (X), a speed guy (Z), and a shifty slot body (Y), make up the starters and that’s likely what we’ll see. That doesn’t mean we won’t see countless variations. Consider this the ‘base offense’ if you will, with the Eagles seeming destined to add new wrinkles and variants at every turn.
With Dallas Goedert absent, it was Joshua Perkins acting as the second TE in this set, not UDFA Noah Togiai.
