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Practice observations: Defense ahead of offense; Wiz with some cheese; Marcus Smith still here

Observations from the Eagles' sixth day of training camp, the first with full pads.

The Eagles held their sixth practice of training camp – and first in full pads -- on Saturday. Here's what I saw:

-- Training camp unofficially began with the first crack of pads during 9-on-9 run drills. On the third play, guard Stefen Wisniewski jacked up and dropped defensive tackle Bennie Logan as Darren Sproles squirted through the hole. I'm not sure if Logan wasn't ready for that kind of contact, but Wiz brought the hammer. With Brandon Brooks (hamstring) out, Wisniewski has an opportunity to make some inroads if he wants to supplant Allen Barbre at left guard (Brooks isn't losing his job). He plays with a chip on his shoulder. A play later, and lined up opposite Fletcher Cox, he jumped offsides.

The first day of pads – it was nearly a three-hour practice in searing heat -- brought some inevitable injuries. Cornerback Nolan Carroll left with a sore ankle. Receiver Marcus Johnson left with a quadriceps strain. And receiver Rueben Randle and cornerback Ron Brooks left with cramping. Of the injuries, Carroll's is the most concerning because he's returning from a broken ankle. Tight end Chris Pantale walked off the field about 10 minutes before the end of the practice, but the Eagles didn't have an update. Pantale, who has been receiving praise from Doug Pederson, had a rough practice with a false start and a few drops.

-- The defense, as expected, got the better of the offense throughout most of the morning. That is typically par for the course at camp, although that side of the ball is believed to be the strength of the Eagles. The defensive line was credited with a bunch of "sacks." Marcus Smith (remember him?) had two. He's been playing right defensive end with the second team opposite Brandon Graham. His two "sacks" came after he beat Matt Tobin. Smith struggled with his power moves during one-on-ones, but he used his hands nicely to skate past tackle Dennis Kelly later. Defensive end Vinny Curry had a sack and was active throughout. Graham had at least one "sack" during team drills and made tackle Malcolm Bunche look foolish when he knocked him off balance during one on ones. Rookie end Alex McCalister didn't get much going during one on ones. If he can't use his speed and arms to get around tackles, he doesn't have much else at this stage. McCalister did break free into the backfield a few times during third team drills, but Carson Wentz did a good job of eluding him.

-- Trey Burton was probably my offensive player of the day. The third-year tight end caught a number of passes high on the difficulty scale. He has great body control and does a good job of high pointing passes. Randle was sharp, as well – at least until he left. He had a highlight catch when he pulled in a high throw and cradled the ball with one hand and all in one motion. Nelson Agholor had maybe his best practice in some time. It wasn't exactly a spellbinding performance, but he consistently pulled in downfield throws, including a Wentz dart. Josh Huff was solid and stretched out for a deep Wentz pass late. He did have a drop in tight space over the middle, though.

-- Malcolm Jenkins dropped about three would-be interceptions last season. In the spring, he admitted that making those types of plays has kept him from being a great as he could be. He had two picks during 4 on 4s – although it should be noted that one came off fourth string quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson (it was a bad throw). The other was off Chase Daniel. Rodney McLeod -- the other starting safety – isn't afraid to give receivers a little extra pop on plays. He hit receiver Jordan Matthews after the catch on one late play. Maybe it was unnecessary, but Matthews chirped back, "I needed that." Jenkins, who was trailing, then said to Matthews, "If he wasn't going to do it, I was ready, too."

-- Rookie cornerback Jalen Mills has had a strong start to his career, but he needs to maintain his level of play through the grind of padded practices. He wasn't the greatest tackler at LSU, but he showed a little gumption today. He squared up Wendell Smallwood when the rookie running back plowed into the secondary, and he popped Chris Givens when the receiver tried to block him on a run play. Mills still has his down moments. He slipped to the turf during one play and took his time getting up, which prompted defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and defensive backs coach Cory Undlin to verbally assault him. I'll have more on Mills for my newspaper column. Undlin spends a lot of time in between plays teaching. He didn't have that opportunity last season playing in Chip Kelly's system.

-- Throwing on the move is maybe Wentz's strength right now. He's good at stepping up in the pocket away from pressure and hitting receivers moving forward, but he's also adept at throwing as he moves to the sidelines. He has superior athleticism for a quarterback. When he eventually plays, the Eagles may be inclined to get him into space more than most quarterbacks – at least to tee up his start. Wentz may be the No. 2 overall pick and the future of the Eagles franchise, but he's still a rookie. Like most of the first-year players, he had to carry the pads of another player from his position after practice. He had Sam Bradford's equipment.

-- And a few notes … Tackle Jason Peters was given the occasional play off during team drills. The Eagles don't want to extend the 34-year old this early in camp. … Daniel kept on a zone read play and was about 5-7 yards into the secondary before he was "tackled." … A few days after safety Blake Countess wore a camera on his helmet, Daniel had one, too.