Before starting any Philadelphia Eagles training camp, I usually have a list of all the things I will look at. And so I just started publishing them too. Here are 25 of these for this year.
1) This is the first offseason since 2017 that Carson Wentz has not recovered from a serious bodily injury. In 2018, he recovered from his torn ACL, and in 2019, he recovered from his back injury. And so, when we first got a glimpse of Wentz a few weeks ago about video reporting at the NovaCare Complex, he looked a little more cheerful than usual. Wentz explained that he hit harder this regular season because he could.
Wentz already got a high percentage of reps in camp, but they will most likely increase even more, given that the team’s limited time coaching staff will make it a priority to get the starters ready for the regular season on youth evaluation. players. In that sense, it is ideal that this is probably the best that Wentz has felt since 2017.
2) It became pretty clear during camp last year Miles Sanders was the best back on the team, and with a decent margin. The belief at the time was that he would be a good runner with the ball from Day 1, but had to prove that he could be effective in the following three areas:
- Ball safety
- Passport protection
- Get the ball out of the box
When it turned out, it was the other way around, because Sanders was better than expected in all three of those areas, and he fought early as a runner in the season because he was acclimatized to the speed of the game. in the NFL. As the season progressed, Sanders became a potential weapon as both runner and receiver, and there will be no such rise this year.
Looking ahead to the time in 2020, I would like to see if the Eagles aim to expand his role in the offense, and cheer him up more in the locker room, a la Brian Westbrook.
3) I think we already have a feeling for Boston Scott’s match. The Eagles will use him in passing play, especially in screen play, and look for ways he can contribute. But what if Sanders comes down? Who is the backup who will carry the charge? Is Corey Clement back to its 2017 form? To be able to Elijah Holyfield make an impression? How about UDFA Michael Warren? If no one steps up, will that force Howie Roseman to explore the trademark?
4) We already got a glimpse of that DeSean Jackson has not lost its speed. Apparently Jackson sent a video to Chad Johnson of him dusting Darius Slay:
Jackson is training hard in sprints, and it looks like he was fully tilted to start camp. There’s a lot of talk about the Eagles’ receivers having chips on their shoulders. I’m envious if DeSean will take his annual couple of days with a hammy, ha.
5) Due to its thin depth at receiver, the pressure will persist Jalen Reagor immediately contribute like a rookie. Doug Pederson initially said Reagor would focus on the “Z” position, learned from Jackson. Reagor later contradicted Pederson, saying he learned both the “Z” and “X” positions in the Eagles’ offense. We’ll get a better idea of where Reagor ranks in 11-on-11s, and what types of receiver combinations Pederson and wide receiver trainer Aaron Moorehead try.
6) The other young recipients, John Hightower en Quez Watkins, will also be fun to watch. Watkins seems to be off to a good start in non-padded practices:
7) Last year, JJ Arcega-Whiteside had a good camp, and then a good preseason, especially when he had more than 100 yards against the Ravens. He looked like he could become a direct participant, and then he had to forget a rookie season. Maybe Moorehead, a former player who goes 6’3 and changes, can help unlock Arcega-Whiteside’s skill. Moorehead acknowledged that coaching bigger receivers was easier for him than fast guys like Jackson, which makes sense. The Eagles’ last WR coach, Carson Walch, was 4’9, so maybe JJ can find Moorehead to be a more useful positional coach.
8) At tight end we already know something Zach Ertz en Dallas Goedert can do, but can younger boys like Noah Togiai en Caleb Wilson challenge Josh Perkins for the No. 3 TE job? They both have some reception space.
9) Along the offensive line will be the biggest story line Andre Dillard, who had a rough rookie season, but who trusts the team to start at LT, at least for now. As a rookie he played with fast feet, but his greatest weakness, by far, was anchoring against currents of power. Teammates and coaches have said Dillard got stronger this offseason. We’ll see.
10) Moving from approach to waiting is not necessarily a big deal, but moving from approach to waiting, while also moving from left to right, after having a decade and a half of playing LT, will be a daunting challenge be for Jason Peters. It will be interesting to see how comfortable he plays on the right, and will have to learn how to “wipe with his non-dominant hand,” if Jordan Mailata once put it so eloquently.
Eagles OT Jordan Mailata on the difficulty of switching sides at the Olympics …
“It’s like wiping your back with your other hand … It will not be clean, but it gets the job done.”
– Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) January 6, 2020
11) Isaac Seumalo had a strong finish to the season last year, but he has still played from good to early. The belief here is that 2020 will be the year he puts it all together and has a great year. That will start in camp.
12) This is the first year in a row in which the Eagles will go to training camp with concerns about their offensive line depth. Just from a purely “depth map” perspective, it will be interesting to see what the second team OL looks like. My judgment:
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Jordan Mailata | Sua Opeta | Nate Herbig | Matt Pryor | Jack Driscoll |
We’ll see how that changes when we go together.
13) Will the new ideas of additions of coaching staff like Rike Scangarello en Andrew Breiner apparently be? Will we see their impact in camp, or will that have to wait until the regular season?
14) Derek Barnett had 7 sacks in 14 games a year ago, but overall Eagles observers are still waiting for him to break out. Coming into the NFL, Barnett’s go-to pass rush move was his dip around the edge, and he didn’t have much in the way of inside counter counter moves. In the last three years, Barnett has subtly built up that pass repertoire. I will look to see if there is a specific movement or two that he is focusing on.
15) The top four defensive points are clearly Barnett, Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, en Vinny Curry. And then there are a bunch of guys with questions to answer. To be able to Genard Avery’s play require Jim Schwartz to find a role for him in defense, or will he just become something of a misunderstanding of the defense scheme? Wil Joe Ostman fully recovering from his ACL tears and picking up where he left off last camp? To be able to Shareef Miller prove that deserves a seat at the table?
16) Again, just on the curiosity of depth-card, who will be the opposite linebacker? Nate Gerry if the Eagles are in nickel? TJ Edwards will get playing time at run downs, but will he be relegated to that kind of narrow role due to concerns about his athletics? Wil Duke Riley’s experience win out over rookies like Davion Taylor en Shaun Bradley?
17) Darius Slay will sometimes follow the opposition team’s No. 1 receiver this season, but the challenge for Schwartz will be how the Eagles’ defense can do that, while also not telling away whether they are in the man or zone of play to to play. Schwartz said he would let Slay choose a receiver to follow in practice, and they will work on how to hide the play call.
18) In his first two seasons, Avonte Maddox has played outside corners at times, but he has never entered a season as a likely starter on the outside. He will have no trouble handling this challenge mentally, but can he maneuver against larger receivers? Unfortunately, the Eagles did not have much in the way of bigger receivers who could test him, with Alshon Jeffery on PUP.
19) It is now or never before Sidney Jones. He should have a good camp this year and regain Schwartz’s confidence. Also can Rasul Douglas create enough buzz to coax co-op interest in him?
20) One of the under-discussed players who are in 2020 is Nickell Robey-Coleman, which projects as the starting slot angle. In 2017, Patrick Robinson had one of the worst starts on camp I have ever seen, but he turned it around late, and had a fantastic season. Robey-Coleman is a player the team is high on.
21) Jalen Mills has some enormous shoes to fill, transitioning from corner to corner Malcolm Jenkins’ security role, although in one way, it may actually be an easier task than its previous role, because the ‘angle not’ should be the No. 1.
22) In the deep security role, Rodney McLeod was at least partly to blame for his contribution to major plays that were allowed last season, but the team feels that being removed from his ACL tears another year should give him more speed We shall see.
23) The Eagles added a few new safeties, in K’Von Wallace, Will Parks, and UDFA Grayland Arnold. In 2017, we pointed out that Schwartz is not afraid to play early backs for rookie. If Wallace earns Schwartz’s confidence early on, can he play a key role in defense, possibly challenging Mills and / or McLeod himself?
24) With all new players (as players with new roles) in the secondary, new defensive backscoach Marquand Manuel has eradicated his work for him. Cory Undlin was always nice to see in practice, and although many were sometimes underwhelmed by the results, his hiring as Lions defense coordinator did not come as a big surprise. How will Manuel make it all work, and will a new voice be awakened like a saaaayyy, Jones?
25) And yes, as always I will see Jake Elliott en Cameron Johnston more than I probably should.
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