Another day, another touchdown for Trey Burton, the Eagles offensive standout through two weeks of training camp.
The former University of Florida wide receiver, tight end, fullback and quarterback outmatched Mychal Kendricks for an over-the-shoulder grab on a threaded pass from Sam Bradford this morning. But Burton wasn’t finished, he later ran a square-out pattern in the red zone and reeled in a beautifully floated ball from Carson Wentz near the back pylon for another score.
With Burton busting out this summer, and Zach Ertz seen as the top receiving threat from the tight end position, this could be the season that Brent Celek sees his playing time begin to diminish, although his top-notch blocking skills will undoubtedly be utilized by offensive coordinator Frank Reich. The Eagles may show a lot of two tight end formations in order to keep all of their imposing playmakers involved in the offense.
The Philadelphia Eagles were popping pads once again today after a light session in helmets and shorts on Saturday. Safety Rodney McLeod returned to practice after missing two days to attend a family funeral, while Jason Peters (quad), Malcolm Jenkins (hamstring), Jordan Matthews (knee), JaCorey Shepherd (undisclosed) and Wendell Smallwood (quad) remain sidelined.
With Jenkins and McLeod missing from team activity the past few days, backups Jaylen Watkins, Ed Reynolds, Chris Maragos and Blake Countess have been given sufficient reps with the first and second-team defenses to prove themselves capable as last lines of defense for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. While opportunistic Jaylen Watkins has benefitted from the chance to play with the top unit, coaches are beginning to nudge some other backup defensive backs.
Twice in DB drills, coach Cory Undlin yelled this to #Eagles rookie safety Blake Countess: "You're going to have to show up today, Blake."
— Aaron Kasinitz (@AaronKazreports) August 7, 2016
To his credit, Countess responded to his position coach by swatting away a Wentz pass attempt just as the intended receiver tried to control the pass along the sideline.
On Friday, Ertz was irked after receiving a hit below the knees during a "live" session by Blake Countess, shaking his head as he made his way to the training room.
"Guys got to be pros," Ertz said. "Rookies coming in, they don’t know what the atmosphere is like, the respect that’s given in practice. I think it needs to be addressed."
On Sunday, the combative hitting between the offense and the defense was renewed. Although today wasn’t a "live" practice, the atmosphere included plenty of aggression as the players were still allowed to thud.
One play after cornerback Denzel Rice and Ertz added a little extra impact to their collision, Mychal Kendricks fired up his teammates with a thunderous hit on the former Stanford tight end after catching a pass over the middle.
Defense has been having fun getting some hard pops in on Zach Ertz, who complained about low hits the other day.
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroCSN) August 7, 2016
Kendricks doesn’t seem to subscribe to Ertz’s theory about practice atmosphere. After wrestling his way through the line of scrimmage, Kendricks nearly sacked Bradford below the waist. Quarterbacks, of course, are strictly off-limits in terms of contact during practice.
Just prior to the close call with Kendricks, Bradford inadvertently banged his hand on a helmet while following through on a throw, although the veteran from Oklahoma would shake it off without missing any reps.
While Wentz has been dominant in red zone drills over the past week, the rookie mostly struggled in the narrow confines of the field this morning. Wentz threw one interception and returned to the turbulent accuracy of the first week at camp, completing just under 50 percent of his passes on the day.
Not a great day for Carson Wentz. Throwing worm burners. Sailing passes. Think we're starting to see how big his learning curve is. #Eagles
— Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardo975) August 7, 2016
The Philadelphia defense reigned supreme over the offensive unit once again on Sunday. At one point, the Eagles went several minutes before completing a pass. On one play, Eric Rowe provided sound coverage in breaking up a long pass from Chase Daniel intended for Rueben Randle. Afterward, rookie cornerback Jalen Mills was on the receiving end of a Bradford throw to a blanketed receiver. The seventh-round draft pick has had a superb training camp for the Eagles.
Philadelphia will hold their fifth of six practices in full pads tomorrow morning as the team gears up for their first preseason game against Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Patrick Del Gaone is a staff writer for Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Del_Gaone.
