Eagles practice observations: Marcus Smith still missing; offense sloppy; Jeffery spikes

The Eagles resumed organized team activities – otherwise known as "practice" - on Tuesday. Here are my observations from the session:

1. Before I get to the practice highlights, there were ten absences for the first session of the second week – more than usual. Yes, OTAs are voluntary, but I can't recall the last time there were as many that weren't on the field for one day. Tackle Jason Peters, defensive end Marcus Smith and punter Donnie Jones were missing for the second straight week. Peters and Jones are over-35 veterans, so I get their absences in theory. Smith has little margin, though. He is likely hoping to force the Eagles to release him before training camp. The numbers don't look good for Smith after Derek Barnett and Chris Long were added this offseason. But I can't see the benefit of missing time when you've accomplished so little in three seasons. Some team may be willing to take a chance on Smith's athleticism, but the optics of staying away aren't good.

Running back Darren Sproles is home in San Diego with his family and should return next week, per the Eagles. Running back LeGarrette Blount, defensive tackle Tim Jernigan, defensive end Alex McCallister and cornerback Ron Brooks skipped Tuesday's practice for personal reasons, the team said. Blount is expected back on Wednesday. Defensive end Vinny Curry was out sick and wide receiver Jordan Matthews sat out practice with knee tendonitis, the team said.

2. As for other injuries, linebacker Mychal Kendricks (hamstring), linebacker Joe Walker (knee) and guard Allen Barbre (calf) were limited. Center Tyler Orlosky (knee) watched practiced and defensive tackle Beau Allen (pectoral tendon) did conditioning work off to the side. Running back Ryan Mathews (neck) was still missing.

3. It rained the entire practice, which could be one explanation for why Carson Wentz and the first team offense seemed to struggle. Here's another: It's super early and it's going to take some time before the quarterback and some of the new faces get acclimated. Another: Key players – Matthews, Blount – were missing. Another: The defense deserved credit. And one last one: They didn't play well, which probably rates as a 1.5 on the 1-10 cause-for-concern scale. Even before team drills, Wentz and his receivers seemed to be having miscommunications during end zone throws. He threw to the corner while undrafted rookie Greg Ward ran something like a post. On the next pass, Nelson Agholor's route was to the corner and Wentz hit him, but the ball seemed to sneak up on the receiver, who dropped it. Agholor popped up and motioned as if he thought the drill called for a different route.

4. During team red zone drills, Wentz and the offense started slow. Najee Goode jumped in front of a pass to tight end Brent Celek and knocked it away. Receiver Torrey Smith had a toss sail through his hands. Agholor couldn't hang onto a high Wentz throw. And receiver Dorial Green-Beckham had a heater bounce off his numbers. Tight end Trey Burton did finish the early set with a nice grab in the back of the end zone. Later on, Wentz and Smith hooked up on a slant, and Burton beat linebacker Nigel Bradham in the back of the end zone. The first unit offense's best moment may have come when Agholor beat cornerback Jalen Mills on a double move. The end result was a touchdown.

5. Alshon Jeffery had a relatively quiet practice, that is, until he out-muscled Rasul Douglas on a jump ball fade into the end zone. The new Eagles receiver then promptly spiked the ball and gave the rookie cornerback a glare. "I'm a competitor," Jeffery said after practice. "I'm just trying to make plays. Whatever it takes." The former Bear won his share of jump balls in Chicago. "All you got to do is look at the film," Jeffery said. "But at the time same time I'm just trying to make a play. Just throw it up and give me a chance." Jeffery spent a portion of special teams drills catching passes from offensive coordinator and former NFL quarterback Frank Reich.

6. The depth chart remained essentially the same as last Tuesday when practice was open to the media. The first team offensive line, from left to right, consisted of Lane Johnson, Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks and Halapoulivaati Vaitai. The first team defense had Fletcher Cox, who returned after missing last week, at defensive tackle, Long at right defensive end with Curry out, and Najee Goode in for Kendricks at weak-side linebacker. But other than those three, the rest of the unit was the same. Brandon Graham was at the other defensive end spot and Destiny Vaeao was at the other defensive tackle spot. Jordan Hicks and Bradham were the middle and strong-side linebackers. Mills and Patrick Robinson were the corners and Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod were the safeties. Mills moved inside into the slot in the nickel and Douglas took his place on the outside.

7. Cox's absence last week drew headlines and condemnations from some, but if he had merely shown up and opted to stay away this week it wouldn't have drawn as much attention. He told reporters that a scheduled family event kept him from attending last week's practices. On the first team drill Tuesday, Cox jumped offside.

8. I don't want to make too much of a May practice in shorts and shells, but the much-maligned Eagles cornerbacks had a nice day, particularly some of the guys lower on the depth chart. Mitchell White, a former CFLer, batted a Wentz pass to Smith to the ground. Aaron Grymes, another product of the Great White North, undercut a Nick Foles pass and intercepted it. Undrafted rookie Randall Goforth (young man) broke up a Foles toss to Burton. And Douglas, despite that jump ball loss to Jeffery, had some fine moments. He had tight coverage vs. Agholor on an errant pass in the back of the end zone and jumped another toss to Agholor.

9. It's nearly impossible to judge the running backs on carries, as there is minimum contact, but the group that was already without Blount and Sproles had a rough day catching the ball. Wendell Smallwood, Byron Marshall and Corey Clement all had drops. Smallwood would later fumble. The lone exception was Donnel Pumphrey. There was a moment when the rookie didn't appear to come back to the ball as Wentz would have liked, but he otherwise looked fast and nimble against the competition.

10. And some leftovers … Derek Barnett continued to work from the right side, and with Curry out, took some first team repetitions. What's the over-under on games before the rookie gets more snaps than Curry? … With Sproles not here, Smith fielded a number of punts. … Wentz is becoming a savvy vet. This offseason he moved into one of the four coveted locker stalls that are against the wall and have outlets for mobile devices. Sam Bradford and then Chase Daniel occupied that slot last year. It was previously Donovan McNabb's space for years.