What to (Sort of) Look for as Eagles Conclude Abbreviated Spring OTAs this Week
PHILADELPHIA - This week is the last we will see of the Eagles until July 26 when training camp opens.
Not that we saw much of them this spring.
The Eagles decided to have just six voluntary OTAS, well below the league average.
They also opted, for the second straight year not to conduct a mandatory minicamp, one of just two teams not to have one. The Cincinnati Bengals are the other.
In the six practices, there were no 11-on-11s just individual drills, special team drills, and seven-on-sevens.
That will change once training camp arrives, but even those 11-on-11s will be limited, just like last year when Nick Sirianni was a rookie head coach.
“Work is work,” said RB Boston Scott last month. “I think getting reps in is good, but it’s also important at this level to maintain the body.
"It doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have your guys going into the first game of the season, so I think it’s league-wide, finding that balance of grinding but at the same time taking care of the players and making sure the roster is fresh going into the first game.”
RELATED: Observations From Eagles First Open OTA - Sports Illustrated
The one practice open to the media during this abbreviated OTA schedule ran about 50 minutes on Friday.
There will be three practices this week with one of those open again for the media.
It’s not easy to tell much, but here are three things to (sort of) watch for this week:
Can Jalen Hurts look as good as he did last week?
The quarterback certainly put any concerns to bed - at least temporarily - on Friday when he connected for three deep touchdowns – two to DeVonta Smith and one to Deon Cain.
Hurts also threw the ball well on short and intermediate patterns. He looked like a different QB than the one who ended last year, though remember, he was hampered by an ankle injury over the final month of the season which eventually required offseason surgery.
Will Hurts and A.J. Brown take another step in their “chemistry” lesson?
On Friday, the two weren’t able to connect on a pair of deep throws. Maybe this week, when the media is assembled, they will.
“It’s coming along, man I'm learning as I go,” said Brown about the offense. “It was a curveball at first because it's a new offense I had to learn, basically the same words but different meanings. So, you know, just trying to unlearn a lot of things and progress as I go.”
He admitted, too, that, even though he and Hurts are great friends, they’re still a work in progress on the field.
"It's still great,” he said when asked how the relationship was going. “Like I said, (he's) my best friend and we have talks all the time. Even after we leave here - what can we do to get better? So, it's always a talk of what can we do to teach each other to continue to try to get on the same page."
Which players will stand out?
On Friday, it was Jared Mayden and Cain. The safety and receiver made their share of notable plays, despite the short practice period.
Cain had an opportunity since three key WRs weren’t in attendance – Zach Pascal, Quez Watkins, and Jalen Reagor.
Maybe Mayden and Cain stand out again.
Or maybe it’s somebody else.
Stay tuned, because now you see them, then you won’t for more than six weeks.
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
