Austin Howard
, who made the team last season as an undrafted free agent, took all the reps at right tackle in the morning session. King Dunlap has been the right tackle throughout camp thus far, while Winston Justice continues to rehab from offseason knee surgery. Howard looked solid for the most part, though he did have trouble with Juqua Parker's speed off the edge on two instances.
The turnstile position on the line thus far has been right guard, where first-round pick Danny Watkins is the expected starter. But until Watkins signs his rookie contract, the Eagles will continue to experiment. Mike McGlynn has been the primary first-team right guard thus far, with A.Q. Shipley getting a days' worth of reps as well. Monday, it was fifth-round pick Julian Vandervelde's turn, as he took all the reps with the first team.
Meanwhile, at center, Andy Reid has already declared Jamaal Jackson the starter, so there's no controversy. But Mudd rotated Jackson with sixth-round pick Jason Kelce Monday morning, presumably to give Kelce a chance to develop some chemistry with Michael Vick in case he's called into action this season. Eagles fans will remember some of the difficulty former offensive lineman Nick Cole had when he had to replace Jackson late in the 2009 season when he had not been working at center.
Elsewhere, another rookie got a shot with the first team as second-round pick Jaiquawn Jarrett played safety alongside Nate Allen. Allen had a impressive morning, ranging sideline to sideline, while Jarrett didn't look nervous nor overwhelmed by the first-team reps. We'll have more on the potential safety duo of the future later on All-Access.
Jarrett likely received his first-team reps as a result of an ankle injury that kept Kurt Coleman out of practice Monday morning. Two other players, rookie running back Dion Lewis (hamstring) and tight end Brent Celek (back spasms) did not practice, though none of the injuries are considered serious.
Still, despite the big-name additions the Eagles have brought in thus far in the offseason, it's clear that the team wants to get a good look at their rookies. In addition to the aforementioned first-year players who worked with the first team, undrafted rookie tight end Martell Webb and undrafted rookie running back Graig Lewis also got first-team looks in sub packages.
Productivity wise, aside from a nice touchdown grab by rookie Terrence Turner on a Mike Kafka throw in a mock two-minute drill, the defense carried the day. Allen made plays all over the field, Darryl Tapp earned praise from his teammates and coaches for a serious of pressures, Antonio Dixon batted down two Michael Vick passes at the line of scrimmage, Casey Matthews and Jamar Chaney (the two nickel linebackers) both looked good in coverage, each garnering pass breakups, and defensive tackle Trevor Laws was a terror, registering two sacks within a three-play period.
Also, a couple of jersey number changes. With Vince Young taking No. 9, rookie kicker Alex Henery is now No. 6, while Cornelius Ingram has switched to No. 85 now that Donald Lee has staked claim to No. 88.
This afternoon will be another walkthrough for the team ahead of tomorrow’s players' day off. The big question is whether Asante Samuel, who arrived at camp early this morning after a team-excused absence for personal reasons, will participate. Stay tuned to PhiladelphiaEagles.com and follow us on twitter @EaglesInsider for the latest.
