Day 2 Notes Roundup

Another day of no pads and no real contact. Still, there always things to take away from the practices.

First up is Jimmy Bama.

Rasul Douglas had a great sequence today. Foles was trying to hit Nelson Agholor on a double move against Douglas, even throwing an emphatic pump fake, but Douglas didn’t bite and was able to run stride-for-stride with Agholor all the way down the field, ruining the play.

On the very next play, Foles hit him with another pump fake, but Douglas didn’t bite once again and stayed in the hip pocket of Kamar Aiken.

Douglas’ M.O. coming out of college was that he was a gambler. He had a high number of interceptions, but was susceptible to double moves. I almost wonder if Jim Schwartzasked if the offense would throw a couple double moves Douglas’ way to see how he would respond. In any event, he responded very well.

It is easy for Douglas to get lost in the shuffle, but he showed real potential last year and should be even better this season. His combination of size and ball skills make him at least at good backup, and possibly an interesting role player. The coaches could mix him in at safety. They could consider using him to cover some TEs. The better Douglas plays, the more pressure he puts on the coaches to find a way to use him.

Nelson Agholor caught a short pass and took it the distance. Ronald Darby slipped and fell on the play, but sprung to his feet quickly and tried to “tackle” Agholor, to no avail. Darby might have recovered against many other receivers, but Agholor was too quick and fast to be caught. Maybe sometimes we underrate Agholor’s big play ability?

We should probably mention that Mack Hollins is getting a lot of first-team reps with Alshon Jeffery on the PUP list. There’s isn’t too much to note there, good or bad, but it has to be a confidence boost for Hollins to be playing every down with the cool kids.

Agholor has developed into a talented playmaker. Some of that is scheme-related, but he was a 1st round pick for a reason. Agholor was a real weapon at USC. We started to see that ability last year. He could become even more of a playmaker this season. You know his confidence has to be sky high.

Hollins was a good role player last year. He made some plays and won the trust of the coaches. He was on the field in the Super Bowl, even in some key situations. Hollins has the luxury of developing at a comfortable pace. The Eagles aren’t putting him on the field for 50 snaps a game and expecting big production. You saw with Agholor that can be too much for a young receiver. Hollins can earn reps by playing well, but the pressure isn’t there.

*****

Now for Brandon Lee Gowton.

Daily Carson Wentz update: the Eagles’ franchise quarterback didn’t participate in 11-on-11 but he did take some first team reps in 7-on-7. Wentz made the most out of his opportunities with some real nice throws. He fired a laser in-between two defenders to Zach Ertz over the middle of the field. He followed that up by fitting a pass to a tightly covered Markus Wheaton along the sideline where only the receiver had a chance at making the play. He did the same thing on a throw to Greg Ward Jr., who almost made an incredible catch but only managed to get one foot in. Wentz was on fire and I continue to believe he’s going to be ready for Week 1.

The Eagles are going to be smart with Wentz. Yesterday he did more. So today you rest him a bit. The Sports Science group understands the critical nature of proper recovery. You can’t just go, go and go some more. The body needs time to rest and recover so that it can heal properly. I wonder if Sports Science would have made a difference with someone like Correll Buckhalter, who kept suffering major injuries, or Brian Westbrook, who was constantly battling knee pain and issues.

Nate Sudfeld AKA Nate Studfeld had some nice moments. He completed a deep pass to Rashard Davis for about 40 yards. Nice over-the-shoulder reception from Davis, who was able to hold on to the ball as D.J. Killings tried to strip it out while both falling to the ground. Later in practice, Sudfeld floated some passes to Billy Brown, who used his size to shield defenders away from the ball.

This is Sudfeld’s first TC with the Eagles. He should start to have some impressive days now that he knows the offense and has some experience with his teammates. Also good to hear about Brown. He seemed to have a quiet spring. Brown could challenge for a roster spot if he can build on last summer.

• Jake Elliott was perfect on all of his field goal attempts to start practice. He was so precise that he even managed to somehow hit the All-22 camera tower that films practice.

• Kamar Aiken dropped multiple passes for the second day in a row. Not a great start to his Eagles career.

• Joe Callahan had some bad overthrows today. He’s not exactly breathing down Sudfeld’s neck.

Good to see Elliott is kicking well. Aiken better clean that up if he wants to keep a job. It can take some players a few days to really get in the flow of things so let’s be a little patient with him. Sounds like Callahan is playing like a #4 QB…what he is.

*****

Now for Jeff McLane.

2. Michael Bennett worked with the second unit defense during June’s minicamp and that is where he currently remains. Who starts doesn’t matter as much on the defensive line because of Jim Schwartz’s rotation, but I assume the Eagles want to give second-year end Derek Barnett as many reps as possible against left tackle Jason Peters this summer. Bennett is backing up Chris Long on the left, but he can play either side (and inside). Brandon Graham rounds out the top four, but he’s still sidelined following ankle surgery and has obstacles to clear before he returns. Bennett rushed several times from the edge standing up. Schwartz was working on some of his blitz packages during team drills and Bennett dropped a few times, once covering running back Donnel Pumphrey downfield. A few plays later, an unblocked Bennett didn’t bite on a fake and “sacked” Foles. “Superfreak” by Rick James was playing over the sound system and Bennett unleashed a freaky dance.

I don’t think we’ll know much about how the Eagles will use Bennett until we see regular season games. For now, they are just going to rotate guys and move them around to look at different combinations. September is when we’ll find out how Jim Schwartz is really going to deploy his weapons.

I really am looking forward to seeing Bennett in action.

*****

Here’s Sheil Kapadia.

It looks like the Eagles are working on a lot of Cover 3, and the assistants are doing all the coaching during this period, with Schwartz on the sideline. Jones and Rasul Douglas are the outside corners with the second team, with D.J. Killings playing nickel.

It will be interesting to see if there are any schematic or philosophical changes on defense. Was the Super Bowl an anomaly or a blueprint of how you can throw the ball on Jim Schwartz’s defense?

Kamu Grugier-Hill is the WILL linebacker today with the first team. On Thursday, it was Corey Nelson. As we’ve stated previously, this competition is wide open, and Nate Gerry will likely rotate in as well.

There is a real competition for the WLB spot. I think this will go on until mid-August. The coaches will need to see how the guys play in preseason games, as well as in camp.

Carson Wentz gets his shot, and for the first time I can remember this offseason, Agholor lines up on the outside for a couple plays, with Ward in the slot. Wentz throws a beautiful corner route to Ward, who makes a great effort to leap up and make the grab, but he can’t keep his feet in bounds against Douglas. Wentz played about seven snaps during this period.

Greg Ward could be a name to keep an eye on. He flashed some last year, but wasn’t consistent enough to seriously challenge for a roster spot. He was also making the transition from college QB to pro WR. This year Ward knows what he’s doing. That could make a world of difference.

*****

Fran Duffy & Ben Fennell.

Defensive back De’Vante Bausby saw significant action as the nickel cornerback with the first-team defense on Friday. This was a change up from Thursday’s practice where we saw Sidney Jones in that spot. Jones primarily played outside cornerback today with the second-team unit today. Expect to see a steady rotation at the nickel spot throughout camp. – Ben

As with WLB, this is a real competition. Sometimes the coaches use that word, but you know some UDFA isn’t likely to beat out Malcolm Jenkins. With the nickel spot, there is a real battle for the job. I’m sure the team would love Sidney Jones to win it, but I think the coaches will go with the player who plays better. They’ve got too many talented CBs to be giving out jobs. Bausby will be given every shot to win, but you know Jones will do everything he can to get that role.

Second-year receiver Greg Ward was active in this period. First, he caught a pass from Foles on a deep crossing route near the left sideline. A few plays later, Carson Wentz drove a pass to the same part of the field, where Ward climbed the ladder and came down with the catch just out of bounds. It was a great catch by Ward, but the referees in attendance didn’t give the former Houston quarterback the benefit of the doubt. – Fran

As mentioned above, Ward is a player to keep an eye on. The coaches are fascinated by small, quick slot guys. Pederson likes big receivers for the most part, but will go with smaller guys in the slot. Ward could be outstanding after the catch.

During both sequences where the third-team offense and defense were on the field, tight end Billy Brown came up with impressive grabs down the field. Earlier, Nate Sudfeld hit Brown near the sideline on a diving catch. To close the 7-on-7 period, Joe Callahan hit Brown on a deep corner route for a touchdown. – Fran

I mentioned Brown earlier. He has the physical tools to be an NFL TE. Brown just has to show that he can perform at a consistently high level.

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