The calm before the storm is nearly over. It’s been a long time since the thudding of pads has been heard down at the NovaCare Complex and while there’s still some way to go, the first offseason workout domino is about to fall. Rookie minicamp officially kicks off down in Philadelphia today, but what does that mean for the Eagles?
Yesterday, we went over why this weekend is so important for the coaching staff and many of the rookies in attendance, who will be looking to get an early leg-up on their competition en-route to earning a roster spot. It’s the ingredients that go into that process is perhaps the most important thing though.
Each day will predictably start with team meetings, which is a huge chance for Nick Sirianni to set the tone for his era of Football. A lot of these players are destined to spend at least the next few years on the roster, so it’s pivotal that the new Head Coach is able to establish his expectations early and set clear goals.
From there, the players will take the field for practice. The first of which is expected to take place at around 1:30PM EST. It’s important to note that these practices won’t be padded or involve live hitting etc. These are essentially walkthroughs and offer coaches a chance to condense the class down into smaller groups or one-on-one situations where they can gauge how quickly they’re processing information and able to execute it.
We’ll see a lot of route-running drills from returning WR Coach Aaron Moorehead, which means plenty of DeVonta Smith content, as well as some potential early looks at prize UDFA Trevon Grimes, who many expect to be breathing down the neck of the likes of Travis Fulgham by the ens of the Summer.
For the undrafted free agents signed to the Eagles and 5 players set to try out, this part is going to be the focus of the day. It’s not like they have the luxury of a secure contract to gradually ease into and start off slowly as a result. There’s no breathing room here and they have to burst out of the gate and meet every expectation that Nick Sirianni sets.
From there, the team will officially descend into their offseason workout program. OTA’s are scheduled as follows:
May 25-27,
June 2-4,
June 14-17
This will be the first time that the first-year players get to gel and workout with their new Eagles teammates. Stay locked into Philly Sports Network for all of the latest coverage!
Photo by John Bunch/Icon Sportswire
