The Eagles have completed three full practices including one open practice at the Lincoln Financial Field where United States Armed Forces were honored. Before I discuss how I feel some of the players are progressing I would like to give my props to the Eagles for what they are doing every year for the armed forces. Being in the armed services is something that takes extreme guts, guts that people like me writing this article would only dream of possessing. Chip Kelly has gained the respect of the entire NFL and the nation not only because of his stellar coaching, but because of the kind of leader and example he sets for younger coaches and just people growing up. He is a leader of men and knows how to run a team, he also knows when to put football below something more important like the army.
Alright lets talk about the practices shall we. Some good things have come out of these early practices. We are learning the defense is on a mission this year to show they aren't one of the most profoundly inconsistent defenses that networks and analysts are proclaiming they are. Billy Davis has this defense playing with tenacity and attitude. They aren't taking any crap from the offense (Pardon my French). The secondary although not recording one interception yet, has been playing great coverage and are making plays on the ball. Nolan Caroll, Malcolm Jenkins, and of course Brandon Boykin have been the standouts with their man on man coverage in drills. Jenkins is finally going to bring some stability to the safety position. Nolan Caroll may start this year Eagles fans, he is a sneaky good signing for the Eagles and is going to push Bradley Fletcher. Caroll is a more athletic corner than Fletcher, and shined in limited plays last year with Miami. For now Fletcher is starting but during the preseason watch out for Caroll to make some really good plays. Fletcher though has also been solid, even getting into a fight with Jeremy Maclin. Showing some emotion and grit is good for Fletcher who I didn't really think was that type of player. Carry Williams likes it that is for sure. Fletcher was great on the ball last year but lacks the physical ability to match up with some of the leagues best receivers. Corner isn't the only player with a position battle, safety next to Jenkins is at full competition with Nate Allen and Earl Wolff. Although right now it seems Kelly is favoring Allen, Wolff is learning this defense and seems to be progressing great after last years injury that sidelined him for most of the second half of the season. I would personally like to see Wolff start, he has come a long way from last year and has shown flashes of greatness. As for the defensive line and line backing core, it is deeper than you expect. Cox-Logan-Thorton make a great potential starting line, but Vinny Curry, Beau Allen, and Taylor Hart make me even more excited. Curry in this third year should make the leap and last year I couldn't stress enough that Curry get more reps, because when he was on the field, he was dominant. At linebacker Demeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks have played great in coverage at practice so far, Demeco Ryans said after practice Monday "We expect big things, and we're pushing ourselves to reach those goals"-PhiladelphiaEagles.com".
At outside linebacker, I can't really say how Marcus Smith is doing because quite frankly there is no tackling. What I can say is that Billy Davis is using him at the jack linebacker spot behind Barwin, what this says to me is that the Eagles would like to use Smith as a pass rusher on third downs with Trent Cole. Does this mean Barwin will be taken off the field though? Possibly. Barwin of course will be the outside linebacker the Eagles rely on but in specific situations Smith may rotate in. In the end though I still see Marcus Smith rotating with Trent Cole and not Barwin, Connor Barwin is just too good to take off the field. Unless maybe Cole and Smith are playing jack and Barwin switches over.....just thinking out loud here so stay with me. I will do a podcast this week so you can all listen to these thoughts. Now that we are deep into this article how does the offense look? Well a few that standout are for one Darren Sproles and the running backs, they will be catching a lot of passes this year as Kelly has featured the wheel route so far at camp. Ifeanyi Momah has come a long way but is a long shot to make the team. Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff have been solid so far, but what I am most excited about is the progression of Zach Ertz who Nick Foles has gone to a lot so far at Camp. Expect to see a lot of different formations this season with the offense, I've seen Kelly go with two tight ends out wide, two running backs on the field, Matthews in the slot in a basic three man wideout with one tight end. But my favorite formation I have seen is Maclin and Cooper out wide, and Sproles and McCoy in the slot with Ertz at TE. I can't even name all of the possibilities the offense has, and the Eagles are trying all those out at camp so far. Its gonna be exciting so lets get ready Eagles Nation, we are in for one heck of a start of the season.
players that are playing the best in the preseason. Nolan Carrol is a guy I can see as a starter over Fletcher who had a up and down season. As for Jaylen Watkins, you gotta give this kid more time but he is going to be a very special player. I am perfectly fine with Cary Williams, he shined in that NFC East title game against Dallas and brings a certain attitude to the Eagles that they have not had since....well you know it Brian Dawkins (Sensing a trend here?). Bradley Fletcher is a player that confuses me, he isn't really a great athlete but has good technique which allowed him to create some turnovers last season, and was always around the ball. But sometimes being around the ball isn't always a good thing, Fletcher often was beat over top and couldn't seem to keep with some of the greats in the league. That is why with Williams on one side, I believe Carrol just has more skill than Fletcher and athleticism. Let me remind you again that although Jaylen Watkins will be playing special teams this year, You will see him playing outside corner soon. I don't need to mention Brandon Boykin we know what we have in the stud slot corner finishing last season with the second most interceptions in the NFL. Other than the secondary there really aren't many notable starting battles. One however that will bring depth to the Eagles is the receiver battle. We know that Maclin, Cooper, Matthews, and Huff are locks. So with 4 already on the team, Kelly likely will keep 5 receivers leaving one spot for the likes of Brad Smith, Arrellious Benn, Ifeanyi Momah, Damaris Johnson, Jeff Mahel. When your looking at the 5 spot you need a guy that can bring some versatility and production on special teams. That to me defines Brad Smith who joined the team late last season. If it were up to me I would go with Brad Smith, but we still have to see what a healthy Benn can bring and Kelly really likes Jeff Mahel so time will tell the destiny of all of these players. Its gonna be fun though that we know because Eagles football is back! 
Arguably the most talked about position so far during the off season for the Eagles after the release of pro bowl, deep threat, speedy receiver Desean Jackson who now has joined the rival Washington Redskins. Not to mention the second round pick of Jordan Matthews and the signing of Maclin and Cooper to extensions. To some it may seem as obvious what the starting lineup will be at wide receiver, but don't be surprised if the obvious Maclin-Cooper duo ends up turning into the Jordan Matthews show. Lets go behind the 3 starters and take a look at players like Josh Huff, Brad Smith, and Ifeanyi Momah shall we? When Chip Kelly first was hired by the Eagles last summer, the stereotypical wide receiver for Chip Kelly was a small and speedy one like Desean Jackson. He proved to be the perfect fit as the Z receiver in Kelly's scheme, but this year Chip Kelly is taking more of a size approach with only one under six foot player in Josh Huff. Don't take Huff's size as a reason to say he is soft or just a fast receiver. Huff plays a hard nosed, gritty style of wide receiver. With Matthews being the expected immediate starter, Huff can develop his game and be a productive player on special teams, as well as being a rotating fourth receiver with Brad Smith and others. Brad Smith is an interesting player that has versatile abilities playing both wide receiver, running back, quarterback, and returning kicks and punts. Chip Kelly loves versatility that has been shown, so I can see Smith penciled in as no less than the number five wide receiver. Now one of the most intriguing prospects is 6'11 second year receiver Ifeanyi Momah. Last season Momah was a training camp receiver that couldn't use his size to his advantage during the preseason, and really struggled to come off press receiver and struggled with routes. Now remember before last season, Momah tore his ACL early during his season with Boston College, and truthfully didn't play much before that. The size is super enticing, but with how Kelly evaluates his receivers, Unless the Eagles keep 6 receivers and Momah beats out Arrellious Benn who is also coming off major injury, Momah will likely be stashed away on the practice squad and continue to develop into a legitimate NFL wide receiver. Then there is Damaris Johnson who really struggled last season and failed to make an impact on the return game, expect Johnson to be a late cut or call up if injuries strike. The Eagles have a unlimited amount of weapons on the offense, but the receivers may be thin with Desean Jackson gone. Eagles fans, coaches, and players alike though are opptomistic about the youth and skill that this core group has to offer. Its a new era of receivers, no more Jason Avant or Desean Jackson, and with Maclin's contract ending next year, could we see a Jordan Matthews-Josh Huff-Riley Cooper group?
