Camp Opens

Training Camp opened for the 2017 season, with 34 Eagles players knocking off a month of rust and trying to impress the coaches. The first couple of days are for young players and you know those guys are trying to catch the eye of the coaching staff before the stars and veterans arrive mid-week. Let’s check in on who got off to a good start.

Jimmy Bama has good notes.

• Rookie running back Donnel Pumphrey caught a ton of balls today, lined up all over the formation. Pumphrey had the most catches of any player on the team today, by a mile. Pumphrey was very active during spring practices, and that carried over into the first day of camp.

To be determined if the Eagles are just working him a ton to see what he can do, or if they intend on using him quite a bit in games that matter.

• Undrafted rookie free agent Greg Ward had a great first day of camp. He made an acrobatic one-handed grab in the end zone, and then later improvised with Matt McGloin on a broken pay to find space in the corner of the end zone for a full-speed toe-tap TD catch. Ward played wide receiver when he first got to the University of Houston, then played quarterback, and is now playing receiver in the pros. Even with his history as a receiver early in his college career, his transition from quarterback to receiver has been impressive.

I think Pumphrey is a player they want to use this season. The key is to find out what he does best and then design a role for those skills. Pumphrey would be a situational player, but could still make impact plays if used correctly.

It won’t shock me if Ward makes a run at the roster. I’m not saying he will make the roster, but I could see him playing well enough that the coaches struggle with what to do with him. The goal of all UDFAs and late round picks is to play so well the coaches don’t want to cut you. Force them to look for an excuse to keep you. Ward could be a terrific slot receiver. I could also see him playing on STs. Yes, he’s a former QB, but he’s tough and a high character guy.

Greg Ward (with the new number 89) has the catch of the day so far pic.twitter.com/auCNTfkhAK

— John Barchard (@JohnBarchard) July 24, 2017

Go read Jimmy’s notes for some good thoughts on Mack Hollins and how he played.

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Speaking of Pumphrey, here is an update from Les Bowen.

Donnel Pumphrey said he was up to 185, was ill for a few days, checked in at 178 Sunday. Doing lotsa squats to build up lower body.

— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) July 24, 2017

If he can just stay in the 180 area, he should be fine. Pumphrey isn’t going to be a workhorse RB so he doesn’t need conventional size. He does want to be in the 180 range to handle the wear and tear of the NFL.

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Next up is Jeff McLane. Apparently CB Ron Brooks was at practice today. He’s older, but coming off injury so the extra work does make some sense.

Brooks didn’t seem the least bit annoyed at having to report early. Obviously, he wants to get the quad back to 100 percent, but he might have been one of the more active participants on this day. He’s one of the few veterans at cornerback, and if healthy, he should have a roster spot. Pederson, when asked about Brooks, focused on his role in the slot. Brooks was the Eagles’ primary nickel corner until his injury last season. During the spring, Jalen Mills moved into the slot with the first-team nickel defense. On Monday, Brooks took some reps on the outside, and he once broke up a pass in the back of the end zone intended for rookie receiver Greg Ward. With the competition open opposite Mills – and realistically at both corner spots – I wouldn’t rule out Brooks as a starter. He’s a favorite of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and has more experience in this defense than any other corner on the team.

Brooks isn’t a guy you want starting outside, but the Eagles aren’t exactly loaded at CB so we’ll have to see how things shake out. He did a solid job in the slot last year and I would expect him and Aaron Grymes to battle for that position this summer.

Shelton Gibson is proving to be consistent, but not in a good way.

The same can’t be said for Shelton Gibson. The rookie receiver continues to be plagued by unnecessary drops. He had two during individual drills when he wasn’t facing a defender. A Foles pass hit him squarely in the hands and he couldn’t hang on, and another Foles attempt was slightly behind Gibson, but it still hit him in the hands and he dropped it. Pederson said after practice that Gibson wasn’t where the team wants him to be. But it’s early. The players have yet to wear full pads. Gibson, who changed his jersey number from 80 to 18 during the break, has plenty of time to work out the kinks.

Gibson struggled in the spring. The hope was that he would be more comfortable now and play better. One day is just one day, but he needs to start having some good practices, to impress the coaches and boost his self-confidence.

And some leftovers: Undrafted rookie corner Jomal Wiltz knocked down a jump-ball pass to Ward. … McGloin threaded a zinger to Hollins with linebacker Nate Gerry draped all over him. … It was difficult to see DL-OL one-on-ones – and it’s not often worth much attention with the players in only shorts and shells – but rookie defensive end Derek Barnett had a few impressive rushes vs. tackles. Dillon Gordon got the best of him, though, when Barnett tried an inside move.

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Carson Wentz tests out the receiving ability of rookie RB Donnel Pumphrey. pic.twitter.com/xfYJdqFjZd

— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) July 24, 2017

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Is there a better human being than Beau Allen?

A shirtless Beau Allen working put away from his teammates. pic.twitter.com/hjzBNuCKcQ

— Geoff Mosher (@GeoffMosherNFL) July 24, 2017

Some things just need to be shared with the world https://t.co/Uto27AWGmm

— Beau Allen (@Beau_Allen) July 24, 2017

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There was only so much to write about with so few players on hand today. If you want to be thorough, here are a couple of more sets of practice notes.

Brandon Lee Gowton’s notes.

Dave Zangaro’s notes.

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A few jersey number updates:
WR Shelton Gibson 18
WR Greg Ward 89
QB Dane Evans 7#FlyEaglesFly

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) July 24, 2017

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