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Wentz and Eagles to resume workouts

Carson Wentz might be the third-string quarterback, but he's taking the same number of practice repetitions during the Eagles' offseason workouts as if he were the starter.

Carson Wentz might be the third-string quarterback, but he's taking the same number of practice repetitions during the Eagles' offseason workouts as if he were the starter.

Coach Doug Pederson said last week that Wentz received equal work during team drills as Sam Bradford did with the first-team offense and Chase Daniel did with the second-team offense, and its's expected to continue when the Eagles begin their second week of organized team activities on Tuesday.

That accounts for a "few more reps" than a third-string quarterback typically would receive, according to Pederson. But Wentz is not a typical third-string quarterback.

"That's the way we're going to approach the offseason," Pederson said.

Pederson added there is no issue with splitting the work evenly during this time of the year. When the season approaches, Bradford will need to get more practice reps to better prepare for the season. But in May, the team does not need to worry about game planning. Bradford was the Week 1 starter last year without full-team work in the spring.

"All three of these guys are smart guys. They are sharp guys," Pederson said. "I don't have any issues with dividing it up three ways. I know once we get later into camp, we need to get our starter, Sam, we need to give him more reps. But right now I'm not concerned with that."

That also makes this period of the offseason an important time to acclimate Wentz to the NFL. When the season begins, it becomes more difficult to develop players during practice because of the amount of time focused on preparing for an opponent. These months give the coaching staff an opportunity to invest in Wentz's development.

"I feel I'm learning at a good pace," Wentz told reporters last week. "We're not overloading too much right now. It's take a good chunk, learn it, digest it, and go out there and practice."

The Eagles released quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson last week and did not replace him for the quarterback room. That limited the depth chart to three quarterbacks – Chip Kelly had five in his first spring with the team – and allows the Eagles to concentrate the reps on passers they know will be on the roster come September.

After the first day of practice last Tuesday, Pederson said Wentz showed his intelligence and ability to pick up the system. There were no huddle issues, which Pederson said is a credit to Wentz because "the offense can be a little wordy."

Pederson liked the way Wentz saw the field - "Big, tall guy, good arm, athletic," Pederson said - and added that Wentz showed his "explosiveness" on run-pass options. The intangibles that the Eagles gushed about after drafting Wentz also stood out to Pederson last week.

"He's clapping. He's cheering. He's rallying the guys," Pederson said. "If a guy makes a mistake, he's like, 'Let's get it again.' And that's the type of guy Carson is."

During team drills, Wentz was not taking most of his snaps with the key targets for the Eagles such as Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz. He was also not going against top defenders such as Malcolm Jenkins.

But during the other periods of practice, Wentz is throwing to the first-teamers. It's their first exposure to their future quarterback.

"He's definitely kind of a gun-slinger, per se," tight end Ertz said. "He's got a live arm. It's a good spiral. It's easy to catch. When his time comes, it's going to be an unbelievable time for us."

Jenkins did not get much exposure to Wentz, but he said Wentz is a "younger quarterback" who's "going to do younger quarterback things for a while."

That's to be expected coming from a veteran. But this is the time for Wentz to do those "younger quarterback things." As the season gets closer, his workload in practice could get lighter and the focus turns to preparing Bradford for games.

"Obviously we're still installing," Wentz said. "There's a lot left to go, but so far I feel pretty comfortable with it."

Lott in, Quigley out

There will not be a competition at punter this summer. The Eagles released punter Ryan Quigley on Monday and signed defensive tackle Derrick Lott.

Lott, 25, is 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds. He spent time last season with the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers after going undrafted in 2015 out of Tennessee-Chattanooga. He provides another body on the defensive line while Fletcher Cox sits out voluntary workouts.

Quigley, who punted for the New York Jets for the last three seasons, was signed in April. But the Eagles are satisfied with Donnie Jones, who has been one of the top punters in the NFL since arriving in Philadelphia in 2013.

zberman@phillynews.com

@ZBerm www.philly.com/eaglesblog