Eagles workouts this week: What to watch
The Eagles begin their third week of organized team activities on Tuesday. Here are three story lines and three players to watch:
The Eagles begin their third week of organized team activities on Tuesday. Here are three story lines and three players to watch:
Final week of voluntary workouts: When coach Doug Pederson discussed the absences of Fletcher Cox and Darren Sproles, he emphasized that the offseason program has only been voluntary to this point. The four OTAs this week mark the final voluntary portion of the spring.
The Eagles will host a mandatory minicamp next week and then take a six-week break before training camp. Rookies and selected veterans will report to camp on July 25 and the first full-team workout is July 28.
Quarterback watch: The quarterbacks are always a point of intrigue. Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel, and Carson Wentz split snaps in team drills, but there are no changes on the depth chart - Bradford works with the starters, Daniel with the second team, and Wentz throws to the third-stringers.
Offensive coordinator Frank Reich told WIP-FM last week that "to say that there's not competition, that's just the furthest thing from the truth," but practices this spring have indicated a clear pecking order.
Secondary roulette: Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said last week that there are no position competitions until training camp, and the secondary changes almost each day.
The starting safeties will be Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod, but cornerback remains wide open. Newcomers Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks have been seen with the first-team defense, as has rookie Jalen Mills. Eric Rowe is a likely starter, and Nolan Carroll and JaCorey Shepherd could factor into the mix when they get healthy enough to participate in full-team work.
Players to watch
Allen Barbre: One spot that doesn't have competition is left guard - at least not yet. Coach Doug Pederson said Barbre is the starter at the position even after the team improved its other options at the position. Barbre, 31, started all 16 games at left guard last season.
If he were supplanted this summer, Stefen Wisniewski or Isaac Seumalo would be the likely candidates. Wisniewski has spent this spring as a backup center, and Seumalo is not with the team while he finishes courses at Oregon State.
Chris Givens: With Rueben Randle sidelined because of gallbladder surgery, the Eagles' other free-agent acquisition at wide receiver will get more attention. Givens provides the Eagles with a deep threat that they badly need. That was apparent in practice last Tuesday, when Givens stretched the field the best of any of the receivers during drills.
Givens' 16.6 yards per catch ranks fifth in the NFL since 2012 among all wide receivers with at least 50 catches.
Jalen Mills: Even if Schwartz downplayed the rotations, it's noteworthy whenever a rookie seventh-round pick is taking first-team reps in his first weeks with the team. Schwartz said the coaches wanted to see Mills against competition atop the depth chart instead of mostly rookies.
Mills, a four-year starter at LSU who slid in the draft because of character and injury concerns, has a chance to contribute for the Eagles at an unsettled position. "He's got a lot to learn, and his head's probably swimming a little bit. But what he has shown is he's a very good athlete," Schwartz said. "He can play the ball, and he's comfortable being on an island. I think if you were check-marking things for corners, those would be three near or at the top."
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