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Hey, Eagles training camp is next week | Early Birds

Here's what we're thinking about leading into training camp.

Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins sacked New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees during the first quarter in a NFC divisional playoff game on Jan. 13 in New Orleans. The team and Jenkins are working toward a contract extension.
Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins sacked New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees during the first quarter in a NFC divisional playoff game on Jan. 13 in New Orleans. The team and Jenkins are working toward a contract extension.Read moreYONG KIM
    by Les Bowen
    Published 

A week from today, Eagles players will trundle into the NovaCare Complex and Doug Pederson will collect all of their “What I did on my summer vacation” essays. The next morning, actual football practice will take place, and the 2019 season will begin to seem less theoretical.

But before we get into what all that means, this is the first training-camp edition of the Early Birds newsletter. If you like what you’re reading, tell your friends it’s free to sign up here​. I want to know what you think, what we should add, and what you want to read, so send me feedback by email or on Twitter @lesbowen. Thank you for reading.

— Les Bowen (earlybirds@inquirer.com)

Stuff we’re wondering about

So, when we last saw Malcolm Jenkins, he was going to report for camp while his agents and Eagles management worked toward a revised contract that would give the 31-year-old leader of the defensive backfield at least a bit of a pay boost; he’s currently ninth among NFL safeties, on a per-year basis. Nothing more has been said. Where are we on that? We’ll get an update next week.

The team ended its June minicamp with several injury situations unclear. Second-round rookie running back Miles Sanders missed most spring work with a hamstring problem, but Pederson said he expected Sanders to be “ready to go” for training camp. Safety Rodney McLeod, returning from knee surgery, said he expected to be ready. Right guard Brandon Brooks, who suffered an Achilles tear in the season-ending New Orleans loss, won’t be full-go and might not be ready for the start of the regular season.

We don’t know about corners Ronald Darby (knee) and Jalen Mills (foot), or about defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (foot), running back Corey Clement (knee), running back Josh Adams (shoulder), linebacker Nigel Bradham (thumb) or wide receiver Mack Hollins (groin).

Important dates

  1. Players report July 24.

  2. Training camp begins July 25.

  3. Open practice Aug. 4 at Lincoln Financial Field.

  4. First preseason game Aug. 8, at home against the Titans.

  5. Eagles writers run out of new feature ideas, wish fervently that the regular season would start: Mid-August.

From the mailbag

I would say that’s the case for pretty much everybody, @jsaquella. I would quarrel with the idea that they have only a couple of top-level O-linemen. Lane Johnson, Jason Peters and Jason Kelce are among the best in the league. O-line depth actually looks better than last year, though if Brandon Brooks isn’t ready for the start of the season and ultimately takes most of the year to get back to his normal dominant self, the dropoff to Halapoulivaati Vaitai could be quite steep.

Peters’ health is always a question but now there is first-round rookie Andre Dillard, and Jordan Mailata has to be close to being able to contribute. DE probably depends on Derek Barnett, and on Brandon Graham not getting hurt or losing a step. That is an area of significant change. LB looks a lot better with Zach Brown in the fold, but certainly, if Nigel Bradham goes down, that’s a big area of concern.