By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Eagles training camp came to a close on Tuesday and with a game on Thursday night, the team's 17-0 shutout win over the Steelers, Saturday marked the first time the Eagles returned to the field.
Week 3 of the preseason is a crucial one for potential starters, who usually get their largest amount of playing time and get to face the opposing team's best. It is as close to a meaningful game situation as it gets.
The Eagles got good news one week before their Week 3 game against the Colts, as several injured players returned to practice.
Mychal Kendricks, Jalen Mills and Wendell Smallwood all returned to practice on Saturday. Carson Wentz also did some mild throwing as he works back from a hairline fracture to his ribs.
Jordan Matthews, Mike Martin, JaCorey Shepherd, Caleb Sturgis, Blake Countess, Aaron Grymes and Lane Johnson were all absent from practice. Fletcher Cox was also not at practice, as he was excused to attend the funeral of his high school coach. Johnson had back soreness that held him out of practice.
Otherwise, it was a rather low-key day at Eagles practice. Players are more focused on getting back from injury — like Jordan Matthews, who said he will be ready at the start of the regular season "for sure," — and about what went right during the first two preseason games.
From a defensive standpoint, Malcolm Jenkins, one of the defensive leaders of the team, gave a lot of credit to his fellow teammates in the secondary for coming up with seven total interceptions in the first two games. Even though the Eagles are creating turnovers against the non-starters for other teams, the fundamentals they are showing as they create these turnovers is what has Jenkins encouraged.
"It’s very encouraging that we get opportunities to take the ball away, and that’s been one of the highlights so far of our defense," Jenkins said. "Just guys making plays. We have those opportunities and those change games. That’s definitely a plus so far."
Jenkins spoke specifically about interceptions that have come while the opponent is in the red zone, and how turnovers can turn the tide on a game.
The Eagles will return to practice on Sunday.
