We've reached the worst part of the NFL calendar. With OTAs and minicamps all wrapped up, there is nothing planned for the Eagles until they open training camp on July 28, and barring any unforeseen off-the-field issues, (looking at you, Nelson Agholor), these summer weeks will drag by with little-to-no news regarding the state of the team.
But for now, let's take a look at a few different players that caught the eye of the writers and reporters who viewed last week's minicamp first-hand.
Despite some concerns with the current wide receiver corps, Bob Ford of the Inquirer believes Chris Givens could step up and play a big role in the Eagles offense:
If you look at it, however, Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor and Josh Huff are pretty much the same guys. Veteran free agent signings Rueben Randle and T.J. Graham are also in the mix, but the most intriguing receiver on the roster has been Chris Givens, another who arrived in free agency.
Givens has burning speed and gives the Eagles a true deep threat they haven't had since DeSean Jackson's departure. During the offseason workouts, he has shown the ability to stretch and break a defense.
One guy who has a lot of writers buzzing is rookie defensive back Jalen Mills, who Jimmy Kempski reports, is setting his sights on the starting lineup:
Mills has gotten an extended look as the nickel corner with the first-team defense, and he looks like he might be a player. He plays with confidence, trusts what he sees, and goes after the football. All throughout OTAs and minicamp, he has been able to get hands on the football. He doesn't look at all like a rookie, which kind of makes sense, seeing as he has played for years in the SEC at LSU.
At LSU, Mills had to go up against receivers like Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry every day in practice, which Mills thinks made him a better player.
"Jarvis and Odell, every day, their tempo was 110 percent," said Mills. "If you weren't on your 'A game' every day at practice they were going to embarrass you. Those guys did prep me a lot just going toward being technically sound and being able to cover those guys. It was big."
Meanwhile, it's another name in the secondary that has some people in the locker room excited. Newly-signed cornerback Leodis McKelvin is back in Jim Schwartz's defense and has impressed both his coaches and his teammates:
"Leodis has probably been the guy that’s really stood out the most to me," Doug Pederson said. "He’s a guy that it seems like he’s making plays quite a bit, knocking PBUs and getting his hands on balls and doing the things that you expect from a veteran corner. He’s a smart guy, very athletic and [we’re] excited for the upcoming season with him."
McKelvin’s teammates praise him for his intelligence and film study, with Rowe saying the presence of McKelvin and Brooks — both of whom played for Jim Schwartz in Buffalo in 2014 — have “dramatically” cut down his learning curve. McKelvin noted that he’s been able to work on his technique more during OTAs and minicamp because of his familiarity with the defense, especially when it comes to his footwork.
By all accounts, the 30-year-old had the best season of his eight-year career under Schwartz, which he attributes to the defensive coordinator’s adroitness in adapting his scheme to his players. This season, Malcolm Jenkins sees McKelvin as a guy who could open up Schwartz’s play-calling options.
An update on the quarterback situation comes from CSN Philly's Dave Zangaro, who thinks Chase Daniel's smarts are helping him in the QB competition:
He’s just been really solid all spring. His height – he’s listed at 6-foot – is a stark contrast from the other two quarterbacks in camp. Daniel probably has the third-strongest arm of the three, but he can still get some zip on his balls; it just looks like he has to try harder to do it. I don’t think he’s as good of an athlete as Bradford or Carson Wentz, but the word that sticks out to me about Daniel is consistency. Sure, he had his ups and downs throughout camp, but overall was pretty solid. Now, some of that might have to do with his knowledge of the offense. But while the arm strength and athleticism of Bradford and Wentz is very apparent in these kinds of practices, Daniel’s strength is his knowledge of the offense, which doesn’t necessarily show up as much.
And finally, Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation gives us his thoughts on who is pulling ahead in the Eagles kicking competition:
Eagles fans might prefer Cody Parkey to Caleb Sturgis, but it's the latter who has the edge so far in the kicking competition. Sturgis has simply missed less kicks than Parkey. There's still plenty of time for Parkey to regain the lead, but for now Sturgis has the leg up. (Boooooo bad kicker pun.)
Tucker Bagley is a columnist for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @tbagley515.
