Skip to content
Eagles
Link copied to clipboard

DRC missing and other OTA notes

Eagles organized team activities continued Monday. This is the last week of of OTAs -- voluntary practices in shorts and no pads -- before next week's mandatory minicamp which closes the spring portion of workouts.

-- Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was not at Monday's session. Curtis Marsh, Rodgers-Cromartie's replacement for most of the plays with the first team, said that the starting left corner may have missed practice because weather conditions canceled or delayed his flight. Marsh made several fine plays in Rodgers-Cromartie's absence.

(The Eagles later confirmed that Rodgers-Cromartie was out of town for a funeral over the weekend and that his flight was delayed because of weather. They said he is expected to be back for Tuesday's practice.)

-- DeSean Jackson will not be at practice this week. The team said that the wide receiver was tending to a family matter. Jason Avant and Riley Cooper took snaps at Jackson's "Z" flanker spot. Michael Vick tossed a beautiful 45-yard strike to Avant inside the bubble. Cooper dropped a few passes.

-- This week, the Eagles will have their starters practice against scout teams representing their NFC East foes and the Cleveland Browns, who they play in the opener. Today it was the Redskins.

-- Rookie cornerback Brandon Boykin showed his considerable ups when he elevated for a Mike Kafka pass and almost picked it off. The 5-foot-9 Boykin was covering the (listed) 5-8 Dion Lewis, but his vertical leap was impressive, nonetheless. Check out this youtube video of Boykin, who is expected to compete for the nickel corner spot with Joselio Hanson, winning a slam dunk contest in high school.

-- Quarterback Trent Edwards continued to get less snaps than Kafka and rookie Nick Foles.

-- Wide receiver Damaris Johnson has impressed with his straight-on speed, but the undrafted rookie can cut without losing much speed.

-- Jason Kelce missed the first portion of individual position drills, so Dallas Reynolds ran through the exercises as the first team center. Reynolds has very little shot of making the team. The Eagles will need to find an offensive lineman that can be Kelce's emergency backup. Steve Vallos and Mike Gibson, two free agents the Eagles signed in the offseason, will vie for that role, but it's hard to see the Eagles keeping either on the roster. Julian Vandervelde or Brandon Washington, two guards the Eagles have drafted in the last two years, may have to also learn how to play a little center.