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Practice Notes: More Progress For Carson Wentz; Tight End Depth Shows Promise

Fran Duffy and Chris McPherson recap Wednesday's Organized Team Activity practice from the NovaCare Complex. Check out their 11 observations from the training session.

1. I spent the warmup and individual periods watching the wide receivers, and a couple of quick things I walked away thinking:

  • Mack Hollins looks bigger this spring. He's definitely added good weight in his first full offseason with the team.
  • Nelson Agholor caught the ball exceptionally well and looked crisp in and out of breaks, which was good to see.
  • Undrafted free agent Tim Wilson, who made the team after trying out after the draft at the rookie minicamp, is taking every rep he can and putting in lots of extra time. The local kid will be a fun story to follow this summer. - FD

2. Carson Wentz took part in warmups, individual drills, "routes on air," and the 7-on-7 sessions. I thought he was crisp all day. The ball placement was there in the quick game, and he displayed great touch on his downfield throws. - FD

3. Wentz wasn't the only quarterback who looked good. In the first 7-on-7 session, Nick Foles zipped in a throw to Rashard Davis between defenders for a big chunk of yardage. The Super Bowl MVP connected on a number of long throws throughout the afternoon. - FD

4. In that same period, rookie Avonte Maddox netted a clean pass breakup intended for Tim Wilson. The rookie from Pittsburgh drew praise during special teams periods as well for his effort. - FD

5. Bryce Treggs ended the drill with a touchdown catch from Joe Callahan in the back corner of the end zone. - FD

6. The offensive and defensive lines took the field for a full team session, and I wanted to focus on the trenches.

  • Destiny Vaeao played with good energy throughout the afternoon as a part of the first-team defense. The third-year player was in the backfield many times.
  • Defensive line coach Chris Wilson yelled in the direction of Josh Sweat, "Nice rush, rookie!" after one play. Sweat absolutely looks the part in person.
  • Shortly afterward, another rookie, Joe Ostman, impressed me with his flexibility turning the corner on his way to the quarterback. - FD

7. The lines went off to the side as another 7-on-7 session broke out. Here's the play-by-play:

  • Nick Foles took the first two reps at quarterback and completed both passes to tight end Richard Rodgers, first on a crossing route for a sizeable gain followed by a throw to the flat.
  • Wentz stepped in next and posted a pair of completions to Zach Ertz, first on a crisp corner route and then on a shallow crossing route. Both passes were right in-stride.
  • Nate Sudfeld took the fifth rep and completed a pass to Dallas Goedert right over the middle for a short gain.
  • Foles took the next two snaps, hitting Goedert down the seam for a would-have-been first down before hitting Ertz on a post route down the field.
  • Sudfeld went back in, with the first completion to a non-tight end in Greg Ward before hitting Rodgers on a crossing route.
  • Joe Callahan got his first rep and checked the ball down to Wendell Smallwood underneath.
  • Wentz re-entered for a pair of throws, completing one pass to Goedert in the flat before hitting Mike Wallace on a slant route. That last throw was a bit behind Wallace, who had to slide to make the catch.
  • Sudfeld got two more reps, first hitting Corey Clement for a touchdown to the left before throwing the first incompletion of the drill. The third-year quarterback tried to hit Tim Wilson on the left side but Rasul Douglas was tight in coverage.
  • Callahan wrapped things up with a checkdown throw to undrafted free agent Anthony Mahoungou. - FD

8. I found one quarterback drill in particular interesting during the individual session. One quarterback would stand in the pocket, and the other three quarterbacks stood in front holding large exercise balls. The exercise balls would be rolled or thrown at the quarterback in the pocket forcing him to work on his mobility. - CM

9. While everyone is excited about Carson Wentz's progress, Jason Peters did individual drills and group installation sporting a brace on his right knee. When Wentz wasn't participating in a period of practice, he was off on the side running under the supervision of head strength coach Josh Hingst. - CM

10. The defensive player of the day - cornerback De'Vante Bausby, who had two interceptions. He was also impressive in the OTA that was open to the media last week. Both picks came in the red zone. The first was off a Nick Foles pass in 7-on-7 drills where Bausby did an excellent job of twisting his body around to make the play. The second interception came on a Nate Sudfeld pass intended for Markus Wheaton at the goal line. - CM

11. If you go through Fran's play-by-play, the top three tight ends - Ertz, Goedert, and Rodgers - were consistently involved in the offense. This progress is critical after the Eagles lost Trey Burton and Brent Celek in the offseason. He also noted how the Eagles utilized Ertz lined up wide of the formation allowing another tight end to line up in the traditional manner. - CM

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