Eagles Training Camp Notes: Jeffery Participates in Team Portion, Darby and Agholor Shine

By: Jesse Larch, Sports Talk Philly Staff

Fans who were left scratching their head following the trade that sent Jordan Matthews and a third round pick to the Buffalo Bills have to be feeling a little better now that they have gotten to see the Eagles return in training camp. 

Ronald Darby was a standout on Monday morning, as he lined as the team's top cornerback, with Jalen Mills starting on the other side of the field. 

Darby consistently made life difficult for the opposing receivers, and Carson Wentz who rarely threw towards Darby due to his impressive coverage ability. 

Perhaps the most encouraging thing from Darby on Monday was his ability to hang with physical receivers. Darby stands at 5'11" and managed to intercept a pass in one-on-one drills against the 6'4" Mack Hollins, almost intercepted a slant intended for Torrey Smith, and more than held his own against Alshon Jeffery in Jeffery's first reps in full team drills since banging up his shoulder. 

Jeffery did look to be his normal self, making an impressive catch on a fade from Carson Wentz. Jeffery bobbled the initial catch,  but managed to corral the ball and get both feet down. 

With Darby the clear top corner on the roster now after just a handful of reps, the other corners appear to have gotten the hint that they need to improve.

Jalen Mills was a tough assignment all practice for the opposing receivers, playing tight coverage and breaking up a few passes. Rasul Douglas did get beat, but bounced back by breaking up a pass in the team portion, and Aaron Grymes was impressive in 1-0n-1 drills on a day where he received first team reps as the nickel corner with Ron Brooks still nursing a hamstring injury. 

While the corners dominated the day, one receiver did stand out. Nelson Agholor consistently beat coverage to get open. Agholor was matched up with Malcolm Jenkins most of the day, and the third-year receiver continuously bested the Eagles' defensive leader. 

Agholor, as expected, lined up in the slot with Jeffery and Torrey Smith on the outside during the team install period. With Jordan Matthews no longer in town, the slot receiver job appears to be Agholor's to lose. 

Shelton Gibson also continued to improve on his early camp performance. The rookie from West Virginia struggled mightily with drops early this summer, but has been catching everything thrown his way lately as Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com noted:

Shelton Gibson has officially moved past his drops to start training camp. Catches everything #Eagles

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) August 14, 2017

In addition to Jeffery, Nick Foles, Brandon Brooks, Bryce Treggs and Wendell Smallwood were all back at practice on Monday. 

Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Anthony Denham, Josh Andrews, and Paul Turner joined Ron Brooks as the inactives. 

Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reported that running back Ryan Mathews is getting an update on his recovery from spinal surgery. The Eagles are expected to cut Mathews once he is cleared to play.

I believe Ryan Mathews is seeing his spinal surgeon today. If he is healed from neck operation, #Eagles will release him.

— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) August 14, 2017