“We put in a new offense and we learned it and I think we played some fast, confident football,” tight end Zach Ertz said. “That’s a positive for me.”
“The big thing is that everyone came out healthy, for the most part, and in the big picture that’s really important,” defensive end Connor Barwin said. “You don’t want to lose anybody in the spring.”
“Getting back out on the field and knocking off some rust, that’s exactly what I wanted,” cornerback Nolan Carroll said. “It was important for me and I’m right where I want to be heading into Training Camp.”
At cornerback, Leodis McKelvin may have been the best in drills so far, with Ron Brooks right there with him and a slew of youngsters, including seventh-round draft pick Jalen Mills, also pushing. With those three, along with Carroll and Eric Rowe and Denzel Rice and Aaron Grymes and Randall Evans, the Eagles will have strong competition in camp.
Good enough? Maybe just barely… not feeling real confident about the CB group…only because it’s not proven sound yet and won’t be until the pads come on in six or seven weeks. Head coach Doug Pederson is going to have some “live tackling” periods in camp, particularly in those first three days when the full team is together as Andy Reid used to do.
Dave Spadaro: “A couple of players to watch along the defensive line when the pads go on: Mike Martin, a veteran tackle who isn’t big but who plays with great effort, and Destiny Vaeao, a rookie free agent from Washington State who has some ability. Good group at tackle with Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan, Beau Allen and Taylor Hart leading the way.”
Are we super-thin at running back? Dave Spadaro again: “Ryan Mathews going to be the “workhorse” running back here? Does he need to be? Looking forward to seeing an improved Kenjon Barner and rookie Wendell Smallwood in camp with pads on and the defense attacking.”
With minicamp officially over, the Eagles won’t hold another practice at the NovaCare Complex until Training Camp begins at the end of July (rookies, quarterbacks and selected vets start on July 25, first full-team practice on July 27). While some of the players will be heading out to California to spend a few days together and train on their own, the break represents a chance for the team to get away from football before the grueling days of camp, and Coach Pederson wants his players to take advantage of the down time.
“Obviously, I won’t divulge everything I said to them, but really just kind of in a nutshell, it’s just to get away, enjoy their families, enjoy the time off, kind of rejuvenate the batteries a little bit, recharge and come ready for a tough, physical Training Camp,” Pederson said.
“I like the break, too. We spend a lot of hours here as coaches in the offseason, and really this spring, putting our philosophy together and putting our plan offensively, defensively and special teams together. Then you get to this time of the year and it’s time to spend these next couple of weeks with your family and again, get away from it, get away from the players, recharge the batteries and come back fresh and ready to go on July 24.”
“It’s a very smart football team; meaning they have picked up the schemes extremely well,” Pederson said. “This is a group that also has some tremendous leaders on the football team, guys that I’ve seen sort of from afar kind of taking charge at their position groups. Another thing is they have bought into the things that I’ve talked to them about, and that’s encouraging. The (idea) that I can trust them and they can trust me and that’s the bottom line in this deal. You know, we come to work every day ready to go, and looking forward to camp.”
Pederson mentioned one player in particular on Thursday who caught his attention – cornerback Leodis McKelvin. The veteran corner may only be in his first season with the Eagles, but he’s already left his mark on the rest of the Eagles’ secondary.
“Leodis has probably been the guy that’s really stood out the most to me,” Pederson said. ”He’s a guy that it seems like he’s making plays quite a bit, knocking (pass breakups) and getting his hands on balls and doing the things that you expect from a veteran corner. He’s a smart guy, very athletic and (we’re) excited for the upcoming season with him.”
“I think you have an idea (of your team’s depth) in the offseason,” Pederson said. “You obviously know what you had coming back from last year, and of course your roster makeup and chemistry changes every year. It’s a new team, regardless of the new coaching staff or not. Next year, we will be a new team, as well. Yeah, you begin to kind of go, ‘Okay, pencil in guys here and there,’ and try to figure that out.
“And that’s the beauty of, I think, having 90 guys in camp, is the fact that you get to see the competition at every position and at every level, to really make the best (decision). And we’re deep at a lot of spots. Offensive line is one that’s extremely deep and it’s going to be tough to make some decisions there, but that’s the beauty of what we have, is being able to see these guys compete and play on a daily basis and then formulate those opinions as we go.”
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