Training Camp Roundup – Day 7

Posted: August 25th, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Training Camp Roundup – Day 7

Nigel Bradham was the Eagles best LB over the past few years. The Eagles let him go this offseason, despite not having a highly touted set of LBs. Bradham was signed by the Saints a few weeks back.

I was confident the Eagles did the right thing. Bradham had lost a step and needed to go. Still, it made me nervous to see the Saints sign him. They have one of the best rosters in the league and have become a rival to the Eagles. It would be torture to see Bradham go to New Orleans and play well.

It is funny how things change. Bradham was cut by the Saints today, ironically a day when Eagles LBs looked good in practice.

We don’t yet know if the Eagles LBs are going to be good enough, but it sure looks like th eteam made a smart decision to go young, and cheap, at that spot.

LINKS

Jimmy Bama

Jeff McLane

Mike Kaye

Brandon Lee Gowton

Fran Duffy

Zach Berman

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Andre Dillard is hurt. That leaves LT wide open. Most expected the team to slide Jason Peters over to his old spot. They did not do that. Instead, Jordan Mailata took over at LT.

I think this is the smart move. There are still a couple of weeks of TC. The Eagles need to find out if Mailata can play. He’s been up and down in camp so far, but this will give him a ton of reps. Mailata will also have pressure on him for the first time in his career. That will either bring out the best in him or show the team that it is time to move on from their project.

We don’t know Dillard’s situation. We’ll have to see how quickly he gets back in the lineup. For now, this is a huge opportunity for Mailata.

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Back to the LBs. We know Nate Gerry will be the key to this unit. The question is who would play alongside him in the Nickel looks. Duke Riley is getting most of those reps and sounds like he’ll play a lot. He had a good showing on Monday, making multiple plays. The highlight was a leaping interception of Nate Sudfeld.

Riley is a good athlete and has been a good role player in the NFL. The question is whether he can be a good starting LB. He’s played well this summer so you can see why the coaches have confidence in him.

T.J. Edwards has also looked good. He’s just not as athletic so that will limit how much he plays. Expect him to play in base sets, short yardage defense and possibly against running teams.

Rookie Shaun Bradley has made his share of highlight plays. He’s up and down as he adjusts to the NFL, but this unit looks better in reality than it did on paper a month ago.

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Malik Jackson might win the MVP of camp, if such an award existed. He’s been outstanding. Jackson got hurt in the opener last year and left us all wondering what he might have done if he stayed healthy. He is healthy now and is getting the best of blockers on a daily basis. The person who might be happiest about this…Fletcher Cox.

Cox is one of the best players in the league so he draws lots of double teams. Cox wants to see the other DT making plays and occasionally drawing double teams.

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Josh Sweat continues to play well. I’m cautiously optimistic. It would be great if he had a breakout season.

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Rookie receiver Jalen Reagor had another good day. He’s catching a lot of passes. I love the fact he’s developing chemistry with Carson Wentz. QBs and WRs need to be in sync. Reagor and Wentz are.

I also love that the Eagles haven’t tried to bring Reagor along slowly. They are pushing him and trying to see what he can do. So far, so good.

He’s also showing promise as the PR. His drops seem to have gone away.

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Jalen Mills made an impressive interception on Monday. Good defenses need safeties who can make plays. Mills is shwoing real promise in his new role. He wasn’t a good corner, but he might have found a home at safety.

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OL Matt Pryor was at RT on Monday with Lane Johnson out injured. Pryor played well. He can play LG, RG and RT. I don’t think you would ever want him at LT.

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A few writers mentioned rookie DE Casey Toohill as catching their eye. Toohill is trying to show he deserves a roster spot. The Eagles are “deep” at DE, meaning they have lots of bodies. Toohill is finding ways to stand out and that could help him to win a job.

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Funny note here from Chris McPherson:

One of the best parts of Eagles Training Camp practices over recent years has been the jawing back and forth from Assistant Head Coach Duce Staley (representing the offense) to the entire defensive sideline. Well, Fletcher Cox wanted to know on Monday if Duce had something stuck in his throat that was keeping him quiet. “You’re quiet. You’re quiet. I get it. I get it,” the All-Pro defensive tackle said.

Smack talk between a star player and a coach. Gotta love the competitive side of things. And Cox is a funny guy.

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Undrafted rookie DB Grayland Arnold seems to make a play every day. He had a great senior year for Baylor. Arnold went undrafted because he was s-l-o-w. He’s hitting people and making plays on the ball this summer so maybe safety is the right spot for him after playing a lot of CB in college.

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