Training camp is over … even though it doesn’t really feel like it.
Technically, today was the final day of training camp, but it all sort of runs together ever since the team moved back from Lehigh. And next week the Ravens are in town, so we’ll be able to watch those practices in full too.
But the official end of training camp came on a gloomy and cool day in South Philly. It even rained a bit.
Let’s get to it:
1. The best play of the day came in 7-on-7s when Carson Wentz fired the ball into the arms of Zach Ertz, who somehow got two feet in bounds in the back of the end zone. When it was ruled a touchdown, the defense and defensive backs coach Cory Undlin took exception as Duce Staley, the instigator, began yelling “touchdown!” Undlin lovingly gave him the ol’ one-finger salute.
Ertz, who has 16 touchdown catches over the last two seasons, is a tough matchup in the red zone. Earlier in 11-on-11s Tuesday, he caught a ball in front of Malcolm Jenkins, who couldn’t navigate around the big body of the Eagles’ Pro Bowl tight end.
2. I thought Wentz was a little sharper today than the past few days. He began practice with a deep ball to DeSean Jackson and then had a great throw on the run to Alshon Jeffery. As I’ve noted before, Wentz hasn’t done a lot of rolling out of the pocket this training camp. I asked him about it after practice today and he said that will still be a part of their game this season.
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3. I want to see more of Miles Sanders in the second preseason game because he’s just so shifty. He made a few guys miss on one play today. He might not be the Eagles’ best running back right now, but I think he might be their most talented.
4. During a red zone drill, Cody Kessler identified a mismatch at the snap as JJ Arcega-Whiteside was iso’d against Josh Hawkins. He threw up a fade and JJAW went up to get it and brought in a touchdown pass. The Eagles’ rookie receiver had a somewhat slow start to his camp, but those signature plays have become pretty frequent over the last week and a half.
5. In one of the red zone periods today, rookie linebacker T.J. Edwards got reps as the only linebacker with the starting dime package. That’s good for him as he tries to make the team.
6. The Eagles have done a ton of red zone work this summer, but for just the second time during training camp, they did a backed up period. The highlight of this period of practice was a ball that Malik Jackson tipped at the line of scrimmage. He didn’t get enough to bat it down, but he really changed the trajectory. In a game, that could lead to an interception.
7. Nelson Agholor made a great touchdown catch in the end zone during 7-on-7s, leaping up to snag a ball high out of the air. It was the play after Ertz’s touchdown, so Duce ribbed Undlin again, asking if that one was a touchdown.
8. Veteran cornerback Orlando Scandrick made an impressive diving interception on a quick out from Kessler to Marken Michel. Scandrick has looked a lot better than I expected him to.
9. After missing a few practices with a shoulder injury, Daeshon Hall was back for today’s session. So were Jason Kelce and Rodney McLeod after getting veteran days on Monday.
The Eagles also re-signed DT Aziz Shittu, who has been with them in previous camps. He first got here as an undrafted player in 2016. He is wearing No. 67. The Eagles waived Blake Countess with an injury settlement to make room.
10. I was watching 7-on-7s when it happened, but apparently Andre Dillard was involved in his third scrap in two days. This one happened in OL vs. DL drills.
After yesterday’s scuffles, Dillard had a long chat with Doug Pederson and Howie Roseman following practice. Today, he had a long chat with OL coach Jeff Stoutland.
Stupid Observation of the Day: Because I’m a crazy person, I tracked which visor Pederson wore all 15 days of training camp. He wore a black visor over 50 percent of the time (8 of out 15 days). He wore the army green one on Military Night at the stadium. But here’s a full breakdown:
Day 1: Black
Day 2: Black
Day 3: White
Day 4. Black
Day 5. Green
Day 6. Green
Day 7. Black
Day 8. Gray (pink trim)
Day 9. Army green
Day 10. Black
Day 11. Black
Day 12. Black
Day 13. Gray (pink trim)
Day 14. White
Day 15. Black
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