10 Eagles to watch during OTA practices

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The Eagles kicked off their Organized Team Activities earlier this week but today is still a momentous occasion because … I get to watch!

Reporters will be allowed to view part practice during Friday’s session at the NovaCare Complex.

The Eagles are having a total of just six OTA sessions this spring. That’s well short of the NFL’s limit of 10. And they also eliminated their mandatory minicamp, making them one of just two teams to do so. That means today will be one of our only chances to see the Birds in action this spring.

Now, there won’t be a ton of takeaways from this brief viewing window. Heck, these were already extremely light practices and the Eagles aren’t even doing 11-on-11 drills this spring. (Everything they do these days under Nick Sirianni is to preserve their players’ bodies).

But since I’ll be allowed through the gates, I’m going. And there are several players I really want to get my eyes on today. Here are 10 of them, in alphabetical order:

TE J.J. Arcega-Whiteside: You might be tired of hearing about JJAW and I get it. But the former second-round receiver is making the position switch to tight end. Earlier this offseason, I heard that JJAW had been putting on a ton of body mass for the transition so I’m curious to see how noticeable it is.

WR Devon Allen: The 27-year-old rookie and Olympic hurdler is going to be fun to watch during training camp. If the Eagles could have him run some sprints today, I’d really appreciate it.

CB James Bradberry: Our first look at the Eagles’ most recent major addition. Bradberry hasn’t been an Eagle very long but it’s safe to say Darius Slay is making Bradberry feel welcome.

WR A.J. Brown: We won’t see the 6-1, 226-pound Brown in pads until training camp but we will see him catching passes from Jalen Hurts and that’s a nice start. Brown is an established receiver in the NFL and today will be our first chance to see him work up close.

DT Jordan Davis: The Eagles list Jordan Davis at 6-foot-6, 336 pounds but at rookie minicamp Davis said he weighed 345 pounds. That shouldn’t be too surprising because he weighed 341 at the combine and played heavier than that at Georgia. But Davis said last month that he wants to play in the 330s and had some work to do to get there. We’ll be keeping an eye on Davis’s weight and fitness level all spring and summer before his rookie season begins.

DE Brandon Graham: The Eagles lost Graham to an Achilles tear early in the 2021 season. But Graham has said he’d be back for OTAs and today will be the first time we’ll see him back on the field. Just last week defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon mentioned that they have to rein Graham in at times, reminding him they have a few months before their first game.

QB Jalen Hurts: We’re always going to watch the quarterback but today will be a chance to see the connection Hurts has with a couple new targets in Brown and Zach Pascal. Also, hoping Hurts is still rocking these shades.

OLB Haason Reddick: The hometown favorite has been working out in and around Philly all offseason but seeing him in person will be fun.

OG Isaac Seumalo: Seumalo is one of the most intriguing players on the 90-man roster. You can make the case that the 28-year-old should be the Eagles’ starting right guard, but you can also make the case that the Eagles should move on from Seumalo and save some cap room because they have younger options. First, we want to see if Seumalo is back from the Lisfranc injury suffered in 2021. Then we want to see if he gets the first crack at the right guard position.

LB Kyzir White: Because the Eagles brought in Reddick, Bradberry and Brown and because they drafted Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean, it’s easy to forget about White. But a bunch of people were really excited when the Eagles signed him to a one-year deal in March.

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