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OTA Notes


time2rock
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OTA Notes

 

Posted: May 26th, 2021 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 18 Comments

The Eagles are having OTAs. These are not practices. They aren’t even like old mini-camps. There is no 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 work, just individual stuff. That’s life in the new NFL for you. Nick Sirianni and his staff are making the best of it, trying to install schemes and teach fundamentals to their new players.

Here are some notes from the beat writers. We’ll start with Jimmy Bama.

As we mentioned already, the team only ran individual drills (no team), so there were no 7-on-7’s no 11-on-11’s, no offense vs. defense in any way. In other words, we only saw players practicing against ghosts. With that disclaimer on place, I liked the way rookie RB Kenny Gainwell ran routes and caught the football. His movements are smooth, with little wasted motion, and he plucked the ball out of the air with his hands.

And

Jalen Reagor said post-practice that he’ll play in the slot this year. He subsequently clarified that he’ll play everywhere, and that the receivers will be interchangeable at all positions, whereas he mainly played just on the outside last season. Reagor’s fit in the slot is interesting. In college he was a very good YAC receiver, and the Eagles would be smart to find easy ways to get the ball in his hands and let him create after the catch.

That said, the idea that every receiver can be interchangeable is a little far-fetched. For example, is Greg Ward going to play on the outside, with some other receiver in the slot?

This is the kind of setting where Gainwell should thrive. He’s a space player and he’s got a ton of space to work with in these drills. This doesn’t tell us much, but you do want guys to look good at what they are supposed to be good at. Gainwell could be an interestiing piece for the coaches to move around (RB, slot, misc). It will be fun to see how they use him.

We wondered if Reagor might be the slot guy this year. I wouldn’t think of him as a traditional slot, where the guy makes lots of catches for eight yards. You can have vertical patterns for the slot and take advantage of Reagor’s speed. I do agree with Jimmy’s point about trying to take advantage of Reagor’s ability after the catch.

***

Bo Wulf had some good OL info.

Elsewhere on the offensive line, second-round pick Landon Dickerson lined up in individual drills as the nominal third-string left guard. Versatility is Dickerson’s calling card, and he’s still working his way back from a torn ACL last December, but it’s at least somewhat notable that his first reps are coming at left guard, where the current starter (Isaac Seumalo) is most liable to be replaced by a healthy Dickerson. Dickerson, by the way, is one of the few players whose size stands out in a good way on a field of 80-plus professional athletes. He’s a big, strong, powerful man — as is 6-foot-7 quarterback-turned-tight end Tyree Jackson.

And

The "second-team” offensive line during those individual drills featured, from left to right, Dillard, Sua Opeta, Luke Juriga, Nate Herbig and Jack Driscoll.

Dickerson makes more sense at OG than he does at C to me. He’s got the potential to be physically dominating. I’d rather have that guy at OG. I’m happy to hear they are starting him off at LG. I think his ceiling is higher there than at C.

As for being third string, I think that is mostly due to his knee. He’s still rehabbing so it is smart to bring him along slowly.

I am thankful Matt Pryor isn’t on the second team. He showed last year that’s he’s not a good NFL starter or backup. Other players showed better potential and it is good they’re ahead of him.

Bo also had good stuff on the LBs.

The open secret that defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon plans to employ some kind of overhang pass rusher on occasion became even clearer when the linebackers were split up during drills, with the trio of Joe Ostman, Genard Avery and seventh-round pick Patrick Johnson working separately from the traditional off-ball linebackers.

And

Among those traditional linebackers, the first pair of linebackers to work side-by-side were Eric Wilson and Alex Singleton. They were followed by T.J. Edwards and Shaun Bradley. Then came the final group, a trio of JaCoby Stevens, Davion Taylor and Rashad Smith, with Taylor in the middle.

The Eagles do seem to want some kind of SAM, who is a combination LB and pass rusher. Ostman and Avery fit that role well. Johnson is a developmental prospect, but absolutely has potential to handle that role in the future.

***

Henry.JPG

Maybe the Eagles just needed another body for practice. Fletcher Cox isn’t attending the OTAs.

Maybe the Eagles wanted more depth on the DL. Henry is a good scheme fit and showed a lot of potential in his rookie year with the Ravens. He just couldn’t stay healthy after that. We’ll have to wait and see if he sticks around for the summer to have a better feel for what they want out of him. Either way, he’s at the bottom of the roster so this isn’t all that noteworthy.

http://igglesblitz.com/2021/05/ota-notes/

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32 minutes ago, time2rock said:

That said, the idea that every receiver can be interchangeable is a little far-fetched. For example, is Greg Ward going to play on the outside, with some other receiver in the slot?

I guess Ward doesn't have to be interchangeable though. If Smith, Reagor, Fulgham, Hightower and Watkins can be then he doesn't need to be. He can line up in the slot at times and other times he can line up on the sideline...

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