Eagles minicamp is your first real look at the glass half-full

Eagles mandatory minicamp runs from June 13 to June 15 this week. With expanded media coverage allowed for the on-field sessions, it’s a good time to ask the “glass-half-full-or-half- empty?” question about the Eagles heading into an extended summer break.

The team has undoubtedly improved its potential in pass receiving, run game, pass rushing and overall defensive disruption, just based on what we’ve seen from the new personnel added to the mix.

There are still many other factors to question. How does an aging offensive line hold up? Does Carson Wentz continue to improve at QB or does he regress in his second year at the helm? What’s going on with the back-up linebacker situation? Will any real improvement be found at the cornerback positions?

Mandatory minicamp won’t provide the answers to all the questions, but it will give you a feel for the depth of the team and the physical conditioning of the players heading into the summer hiatus.

Right now Doctor Funt sees an 8-8 team. Admiral Palmy sees a 9-7 team. Maybe both their opinions swing a notch or two one way or the other after the minicamp reports come in.

First matter of business will be passing a physical exam.

The physicals take place on the first day of minicamp. No practices or workouts can take place on that day.

Teams may hold two-a-day practices during two of the three days of on-field workouts during the minicamp, and Friday must be an off-day. The rules for the practices include limits on the amount of total time a player may be on the field (3.5 hours per day), and the length of any one practice (2.5 hours). The second practice can be used for any remaining length of time after the first practice is completed (not to exceed 2.5 hours), and can only be a walk-through instruction.

Players are allowed to be at the team facility for 10 hours per day, not including two authorized one-hour meal times. Teams cannot begin workouts prior to 7 a.m. local, and cannot keep players past 8:30 p.m. local.

Once again, no contact is allowed, and all of the limitations on one-on-one drills and “helmets only” remain in effect during the minicamp.

A player who fails to report to the mandatory minicamp may be fined $12,765 for the first missed day. That fine amount increases by an additional $12,765 for each subsequent day, meaning two missed days would be a $38,290 fine ($12,765 for day one plus $25,525 for day two) and three missed days a $76,580 fine.

Teams can also dictate what time of day the players are at the facility, rather than “suggesting” two hour blocks, and they get to keep the player in the facility for a much longer time period (10 hours for minicamp rather than 4 hours during OTAs). The practices are still contact- and pads-free, but teams can now practice in the morning for 2.5 hours, then go in, have lunch, and come back out for a one-hour walk-through later in the day, where they can fix things that were not right at the morning practice, or they can start installing things to work on in the next practice.

During the mandatory minicamp, the media will have access to all practices.

Players and coaches must also be made available to the media on any day in which the media is allowed at practice.

Here’s the current roster of veterans and rookies combined who will be spending the week together in Philly: