Before taking the field on Wednesday, the Philadelphia Eagles cut ties with linebacker Travis Long, who was coming off of three ACL tears in the past four years.
After projected starting linebacker Nigel Bradham was arrested for allegedly beating a cabana worker at a Miami hotel on Tuesday, the Eagles front office might be considering replacing Long with a more dependable option. FOX29 has reported that the 6'2", 240-pound linebacker contends he was defending his girlfriend after she was struck by the hotel employee, a claim the 160-pound alleged victim has fervently denied.
Bradham, a former Florida State Seminole, is the second Eagle to be accused of assault in Doug Pederson’s first summer with the team. Nelson Agholor was alleged to have sexually assaulted a dancer at Cheerleader’s Gentlemen’s Club on June 9, although Agholor was never charged due to "insufficient evidence."
With all veterans who have reported to camp given the day off today, it was rookie Carson Wentz who led the team huddle following warm-ups. Wentz was much more comfortable in a leadership role around his fellow rookies on Wednesday, making a point to high-five every offensive teammate prior to one team drill. Wentz received plenty of reps with Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel given the day off.
Philadelphia’s No. 2 overall pick threw strike after strike during the offenses practicing of the "rub" route, in which the outside receiver runs a slant in close proximity to the slot receiver who goes outside. The goal of this play is to divert the wide cornerback’s coverage and create enough separation for an easy pitch-and-catch with the slanting outside receiver.
The most famous "rub" route in NFL history resulted in an interception by Malcolm Butler in the closing minutes of Super Bowl XLIX. Butler brilliantly read and undercut the route, simultaneously catching the ball while making contact with the receiver.
Wentz had some shaky moments on Wednesday as well. Some of his passes were fluttering, and on one roll out to his right the young quarterback threw a very wobbly pass out of bounds with the closest receiver a good five yards away.
Former CFL cornerback Aaron Grymes continued to show off impressive ball skills at rookie camp on Wednesday, leaping to deflect one long pass near the sideline. Later in practice, the Seattle native batted away a ball in the end zone and then provided solid coverage on wide receiver Marcus Johnson’s second of two consecutive drops.
At first, Grymes was considered a long shot to make the Eagles roster, but he has proven himself to be a formidable defender and immensely improved his chances of making the team. One rookie who is not a long shot to make the team is former LSU Tiger Jalen Mills, who has broken up an astounding number of passes.
Jalen Mills has broken up approximately a billion passes during #Eagles training camp so far.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) July 27, 2016
Mills has been dubbed the "Green Goblin" by his teammates because of his bright green dyed, Odell Beckham-esque hair. To his credit, the rookie’s stellar play to date has taken much of the conversation around camp away from his popular hair style.
While catching the ball has been a major issue for Eagles rookies this week, ball security after the catch has been another cause for concern. On Day 3, tight end M.J. McFarland vaulted over linebacker Quentin Gause to retrieve a pass from Carson Wentz, but then had the pigskin stripped by Gause.
One glaring difference between Pederson’s practices and former coach Chip Kelly’s is the downtime between drills.
It's been like 4 mins since Bradford's last team drill and Daniel starting up his. #RIPChip
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) July 26, 2016
There have been no injuries to report through three days at the NovaCare Complex. Eagles veterans will report to training camp this afternoon. The first full team practice will take place tomorrow as the team gears up to get the pads popping for the first time this Saturday.
Patrick Del Gaone is a staff writer for Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Del_Gaone.
