By: Jesse Larch, Sports Talk Philly Staff 
The Eagles wrapped up training camp on Tuesday, and as they enter the middle of preseason fans will only be able to draw conclusions from the games, with no more insights into the practices.
There are plenty of positives from the first weeks of training camp, from coaching to the players themselves.
Doug Pederson Looks Like He Belongs
This season, Doug Pederson has seemed like a far cry from the coach of last season. Obviously, Pederson should have taken a jump from year one to year two, but it is encouraging to see the swagger that Pederson now possesses.
When he would seem to second guess himself, he is now confident in his decision making, and his greatest trait is still there. Pederson thrives in the role of a players' coach. Being a former NFL player, and learning from the ultimate players' coach in Andy Reid, Pederson navigates his players physical and emotional limits with a mastery that some coached never accomplish.
A perfect example of this is when Pederson constantly mixes up the structure of the practices. Sometimes going for long, grueling practices, to short practices that work the players minimally. Pederson has even injected fun into his practices, like when he sent Jason Peters and Fletcher Cox back to field punts in a bet to end practice early.
Pederson has kept the players engaged, and from getting bored. He toes the line between boss and friend, almost as masterfully as his mentor did. Pederson respects his players, and the players show him the same respect in droves.
Alshon Jeffery Is What The Eagles Were Missing
It is no secret that Alshon Jeffery is a physical specimen, and has the kind of natural ability that makes teams drool. While he has not been in the field much in camp at the coaches' discretion, Jeffery has shown his all-pro talent when he has been with the team.
"It's really nice having a guy like Alshon," said quarterback Carson Wentz earlier in the offseason. "Not only his catch radius, but he has some of the strongest hands I've ever seen.
Wentz threw for close to 4,000 yards a season ago with one of the weakest receiver groups in the league. Now with Jeffery, Wentz has the primary target that every quarterback dreams of.
Routinely in practice Jeffery has won jump balls and saved interceptions for Wentz. In addition to his ability to bolster the passing game on his own, he makes the whole receiving core better by moving guys down the depth chart. which brings us to our next takeaway…
The Expectations Should Be High For Nelson Agholor
Nelson Agholor has done everything to deserve the label of a bust. The former first-round pick has failed to produce in two seasons with ample opportunities given to him, and despite his overwhelming lack of production, Agholor is a player that the Eagles should be expecting big things from this season.
Agholor has routinely impressed in camp, often looking like the first rounder that we all expected, but of course the game plays differently in practice than it does on the field in live action.
Agholor was handed another major opportunity by the Eagles when they traded Jordan Matthews to the Buffalo Bills, creating an opening at slot receiver. Agholor is expected to take the majority of work out of the slot, and if the past two seasons is any indicator, Agholor should receive a ton of targets.
Jordan Matthews easily led the rest of the Eagles' receivers in receptions and yards in his three seasons occupying the slot, and while Agholor should not expect the same workload with Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith still on the team, he can expect a steady stream of chances.
Drops have plagued Agholor, but the belief in the locker room and reporters alike is that this is not the same Nelson Agholor for the past two seasons. Agholor appears to be confident in himself for the first time since he was drafted, and with his physical skills, his renewed mentality can help finally make him a regular contributor to the offense.
The Secondary Might Not Be So Weak After All
The Eagles' glaring weakness entering this season was the secondary, and specifically the cornerbacks. Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney Mcleod combine to be one of the most formidable safety duos in the league, but they did not get to show it last seasons after Ron Brooks's injury that forced Jenkins to play as the nickel corner.
After Jenkins and Mcleod the Eagles added Corey Graham, a starting caliber safety to step in as an extra man or fill in if either of the Eagles' starters go down.
At cornerback, things still looked dark with Jalen Mills as the top cornerback and Patrick Robinson as the other starter.
Both are NFL cornerbacks, but both are playing outside of their ability as the top two cornerbacks. With Ronald Darby coming in, the Eagles have a player who is not only young and under team control, but has the skill to hang with top receivers more closely than either Mills or Robinson.
In his brief time with the team, Darby has looked like a different caliber of corner than the rest of the roster. Darby's presence has also lit a fire under the other corners, and the unit has been winning more battles lately than they have all season.
Mills will be much more comfortable as a second corner, and Robinson will bring great value in dime situations. Ron Brooks is expected to return, and he was excellent as a nickel corner before suffering a torn quadricep last season.
For the final spots, the Eagles have seen the fruits of their practice squad, with Aaron Grymes and C.J. Smith Jr. both making plays regularly in practice. They also have Rasul Douglas, the team's third round pick, who provides tremendous length and physicality on the outside.
In a way similar to how Jeffery bettered the receiver core by forcing everyone to move down the depth chart, Darby has done the same with the corners. None of the corners are the caliber of an Alshon Jeffery, but they are far better off now than they were at this time last season.
Do Not Expect Much From The Draft Class
The Eagles drafted a lot of promising talent in the 2017 NFL Draft, but it does not appear that they drafted any of the players with the intention of them being major contributors right away.
First round pick Derek Barnett will see the most playing time, but he is in the bottom of the rotation at defensive end. Barnett looked as good as advertised in the Eagles' first preseason game, but for now it appears the Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry have locked up the two defensive end positions, with Chris Long as the third man.
Second rounder Sidney Jones may have the most upside of any player, but his ruptured achilles will certainly force him to miss some games at the start of the year, if not the whole season. Jones is likely to just be redshirted this year, and come back at 100% with a year of observation and coaching under his belt.
The mid-round picks will all get an opportunity at some snaps this year, but not close to the number of snaps that Barnett will get.
Rasul Douglas looks the fifth or sixth corner right now, after the acquisition of Ronald Darby. Mack Hollins will see a lot of time on special teams, but his role in the offense is still ambiguous with the number of tight ends and running backs with catching ability that get touches with the first team.
Nate Gerry seems like he will get a spot on the 53-man roster as a versatile backup linebacker and special teamer, but spots are not guaranteed for Donnel Pumphrey or Shelton Gibson.
Pumphrey has been used with Darren Sproles in a "pony" package to utilize both receiving backs, but Pumphrey put the ball on the ground multiple times in his preseason debut, and has done the same at practice. Gibson struggles with drops all summer, and recently has turned a corner and been catching everything thrown his way, but it may be too little too late with the emergence of Marcus Johnson and how well Bryce Treggs played in the preseason opener.
Elijah Qualls may get a spot on the team because of the lack of depth at defensive tackle after Beau Allen's injury, but Qualls has not done anything to stand out in practice.
All in all, the rookies are not in a position to be difference makers on this team. There is a ton of upside among the group, but fans likely will not see the results of this draft until next year.
