Eagles running back Elijah Holyfield apparently plays faster than his 40 time. Will it help him make the roster? | Early Birds
Holyfield’s effort during camp hasn’t gone unnoticed, with both Duce Staley and T.J. Edwards using the same adjective to describe him: “hungry.”
Good morning, Eagles fans. I trust that you’re making the most of these last few weeks of summer, because football season is rapidly approaching. The Eagles return to the practice field Wednesday morning for Day 9 of this phase of training camp. Tuesday was a much lighter practice without helmets and pads, which made sense considering Monday’s long, hot session, which lasted more than two hours.
The countdown to the Eagles’ season opener against the Washington Football Team sits at 17 days, and it seems like they are starting to feel the time crunch that awaits them more acutely. Eagles coach Doug Pederson has very clearly made an effort to ease the team into the season slowly, but this week there has been significant talk about the sense of urgency forming in the building.
A significant amount of roster shuffling, practice time, and depth-chart sorting will happen between now and then, and the unorthodox offseason without OTAs, minicamp, and preseason games exacerbates it. There will be another live contact period this week, but the first time the 2020 Eagles will truly go live in an uncontrolled environment will be in a regular-season game, when the mistakes are amplified.
“It’s something that I talk a lot with the team about,” Pederson said Sunday. “It’s just the sense of urgency. It’s understanding where we are. And I just keep bringing up the fact that, hey, we’re X amount of days away. … That sense of urgency I think with the entire team — that’s with coaches, too. That’s not just with the players. And I’ve got to continue to put that out in front of the team.”
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— EJ Smith (earlybirds@inquirer.com)
Audience of none
After playing three years at the University of Georgia, Elijah Holyfield was in for a shock during his rookie season.
The running back went from playing in front of thousands to the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad, which at times felt like playing in front of an empty stadium. The Eagles signed Holyfield late last December when the Panthers chose not to sign him to a reserve futures contract at the end of the regular season.
Now he’s fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster, feeling as if he has an audience again.
“Being on practice squad a lot of times you don’t feel like you’re getting evaluated sometimes,” Holyfield said after Tuesday’s practice. “[You’re] doing a lot of work and nobody’s really watching, so just the chance to get back out here and get to play, and having the opportunity, has just been great for me.”
Holyfield went undrafted in 2019, partly thanks to a lackluster 40-yard dash time. He was a productive runner in the Georgia backfield, rushing for 1,038 yards in his junior season and averaging 6.2 yards per carry in his career. But the combination of his 4.78-second 40 time at the NFL scouting combine and his lack of production as a receiving back in college doomed his draft stock.
It would appear he’s made progress in both deficient areas, though. On the speed front, Eagles assistant head coach and running backs coach Duce Staley doesn’t think the measured time from last summer is indicative of the player Holyfield has been with the Eagles.
“I think he plays faster than what his 40 represents,” Staley said last week. “Hey, that 40 is a nerve-wrecking deal, man. … It’s a lot of pressure that’s involved vs. getting out there and just telling him to pin your ears back and run, and you see a lot of guys like that even play faster.”
Holyfield has caught several passes out of the backfield during training camp. He said he spent the offseason working on his hands because passing to running backs is a focal point in the Eagles offense.
“We do throw the ball to the back a lot, so it’s something you have to be able to do to be in this offense,” Holyfield said. “Just one of those things, if you can’t do it, it’s going to be hard for you to make it so it’s one of the things I really focused on this offseason.”
With Miles Sanders missing time because of a lower-body injury, Holyfield has gotten reps with the first-team offense and is seemingly competing for the fourth running-back spot on the roster. Assuming Sanders, Boston Scott, and Corey Clement are healthy and on the 53-man roster, his primary competition for the presumptive final spot will be undrafted rookies Adrian Killins and Mike Warren.
Killins has the advantage of versatility over Holyfield. The 5-foot-8 back out of Central Florida has taken almost as many reps at wide receiver as he has at running back. Killins could make a stronger case as a special teams contributor capable of filling in at multiple positions, whereas Holyfield is more of a power back.
Still, Holyfield’s effort during camp hasn’t gone unnoticed with both Staley and linebacker T.J. Edwards using the same adjective to describe him: “hungry.”
“He’s a hundred miles per hour every play,” Staley said. “He’s going to get in there and knock you around with protection. Special teams, he’s going to run down and he’s going to knock you around a little bit. I like where he is. He’s hungry. He’s out to prove to everybody, all the doubters at least, he’s out to prove to them that he can play.”
Edwards added, “Elijah Holyfield is someone who just looks hungry at all times. … He plays with great techniques and great strength, so definitely a guy who sticks out in my mind for sure.”
What you need to know about the Eagles
The Eagles drafted two linebackers last April to fortify a largely unheralded group of returning players. Even with so many unproven guys, don’t expect those two rookies to see the field on defense early on. Les Bowen explains why.
Even though Tuesday was essentially a walk-through, there were plenty of observations to be made. Jeff McLane offers his recap of Tuesday’s practice, which includes depth-chart analysis and some notes on assistant coaches.
Be sure to study up on McLane’s observations from Monday’s practice, too. There has been an apparent change to the linebacker depth chart.
Dallas Goedert said he’s rooting for fellow tight end Zach Ertz to get the massive extension that he deserves, but, as Bowen writes, that potential extension could complicate the two’s ability to remain teammates down the road.
The Eagles’ competition for the No. 2 cornerback spot was hardly a competition at all, and the victor is Avonte Maddox. But can a 5-foot-9 defensive back hold down the outside? Paul Domowitch explores the challenges Maddox will face against bigger receivers.
Nickell Robey-Coleman has been teammates with both Carson Wentz and Jared Goff. How do the No. 1 and No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft compare?
From the mailbag
What’s your confidence level in Jalen Mills now compared to where it was when camp started? Scale of 1 to 10. — from Shane (@shaney_b_93) on Twitter.
Great question, Shane. It’s interesting you ask it, because I was recently thinking about the biggest question marks going into training camp and which ones have been at least partially answered. Whether Mills at safety will be sufficient enough for the Eagles to win games was near the top of the list going into camp for me. I’d say he’s looked natural at the new position through the first eight practices, which helps his case. He’s made a handful of plays, including a pair of interceptions off Wentz, and he hasn’t made many obvious mistakes to the naked eye.
The team, from defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to teammates Darius Slay and Rodney McLeod, has given him high marks on how he’s handled the swap. Obviously the green-haired defensive back who calls himself “Goblin” is not lacking confidence whenever asked about playing safety, but it is worth noting that he often talks about his experience playing the position early in his college career.
I’d say I was at a 4 or 5 out of 10 going into camp. I thought there was a chance we’d look up halfway through the season and say Mills’ inability to replace at least part of what Malcolm Jenkins brought to this defense for so many years was causing issues. He’s still going to have to perform well against actual opponents at game speed, but I’d say I’m far less skeptical seeing the Eagles secondary take shape with Mills on the back end. Let’s give him a 7 out of 10 now.