Eagles seem set at receiver, not at corner | Les Bowen
As minicamp ends, its clear cornerback remains an area of concern
WHEN THE EAGLES began onfield work this spring, the two biggest areas of concern were wide receiver and cornerback.
As minicamp wrapped up Thursday, ending drills at NovaCare until training camp starts on July 24 for rookies, quarterbacks and selected vets, there seemed to be strong reason for optimism at wide receiver, where the quality of play was much higher than in spring work a year ago - even if all the new additions to the unit hadn't completed the work of syncing up with quarterback Carson Wentz. But progress at cornerback was harder to measure.
It wouldn't be a shock to see the Eagles try to add another veteran corner before the season. Both of 2016 starting corners, Nolan Carroll and Leodis McKelvin, are gone, and the most acclaimed talent added to the unit so far is second-round draft pick Sidney Jones, who is recovering from Achilles' tendon surgery and won't take the field before September.
Third-round rookie corner Rasul Douglas caught everyone's eye early in OTAs - at 6-2, 209, with long arms, he is an imposing athlete, and he seems serious and studious - but by the end of minicamp, it was clear that Douglas can't yet hang with good receivers deep and is aggressive to the point of becoming a penalty-flag magnet on shorter routes. Douglas might be a quick enough learner to resolve some of that and start as a rookie, but right now he's a work in progress.
This week, the rest of the corner corps seemed to reflect Douglas - really tough, aggressive, hardworking, but flailing and a step behind on the deep ball. Jalen Mills, in his second year, can certainly jump a route, and looks really good on inside stuff. Patrick Robinson, the 2010 Saints first-round pick who was the only veteran corner the Eagles brought in with any sort of NFL resume, had his moments, and has taken on a leadership role, but this is Robinson's fourth team. Then there are several guys in the mold of Aaron Grymes, the gritty CFL vet who got into one Eagles game as a special-teamer last year.
If you're thinking in terms of key training-camp position battles, corner is probably the place to start. Pretty much nothing is resolved.
"By no means is the roster even set or starters even selected. It's still a competition out there at that position," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said Thursday. "I'm really curious now when we get into camp with the pads on and we get to do a little more of the physical, bump-and-run and things like that, that's when we get a chance to see these guys really in action."
Maybe part of the problem is that the corners are working against what seems to be a dramatically improved receiving corps. There's a lot you can't tell when players are working without pads and can't hit, but you can tell when receivers catch the ball or drop it. The results in that area seemed markedly better than a year ago.
The addition of veterans Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith, and draftees Mack Hollins (fourth round) and Shelton Gibson (fifth round) has raised the talent level. But part of the improvement might also be new wide receivers coach Mike Groh, who has brought a tougher, more competitive atmosphere to the group, players and coaches say.
"Coach Groh has been amazing," wide receiver Jordan Matthews said. "He's pushed the guys to another level . . . Guys cutting a route off at 4 yards, (Groh says) 'Yo, you gotta get to 5.' It's those little things that are helping everybody get better."
"The drops are down, obviously, this year," Pederson said. "But the one thing that's been a little more impressive are the contested catches. We've been able to catch a few more of those, which is good to see, and you're going to have to do."
Overall, spring work is when you introduce new players to your systems, hoping that when training camp arrives, they will fit in seamlessly. It's also when you add any new wrinkles, and you hope that those are assimilated, don't require a lot of extra reps in camp.
"Offensively and defensively and (on) special teams, schematically, we threw a lot of stuff, lot of information at our players," Pederson said. "This is the time of year to look at new things. We've done that. I feel comfortable where our guys are. We came away with relatively minimal injury, obviously, in the spring, and feel good about going into camp, but it's still a work in progress . . . We're not where we want to be, and we gotta continue to work."
First-round rookie defensive end Derek Barnett plays one of those positions that's hard to evaluate until the pads go on, but Barnett worked hard and seemed to fit in well.
"I learned a lot about my technique that I need to work on," Barnett said. "Coach Chris (Wilson, in charge of the defensive line), he's a great coach, he pushes us every day. I know what I need to work on. I need to work on staying square (to the blocker), better hand placement on my pass-rush moves . . . having better eyes, as well, but I think I've been improving every day."
If there was a newcomer who most visibly struggled, it was Gibson, the speedy wideout from West Virginia, who found Pederson's offense much more complex than what he'd learned in college.
Asked whether he feels he's ready for the start of camp, Gibson said: "No, not at all. I've got a lot of work to do." He said he would go home and "focus in, dial in on (learning) plays."
@LesBowen