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Hayes: 10 things about Eagles offseason practices

    by Marcus Hayes
    Published 
It’s a result of pronounced and lengthy football withdrawal, but by the time organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamps roll around, there arises in every football writer the urge to reassess the team’s talents and limits. This year the urge is stronger than usual. That’s because of the bizarre circumstances surrounding the process of assembling this Eagles team: a coach fired, another hired, a GM re-ascended, tons of talent shipped out, monumental trades and a shiny, new, untouchable rookie quarterback.
Also, there were five months of mediocre hockey and abysmal basketball.
Many assessments of players on any NFL team after three voluntary workouts in May will reveal themselves as inaccurate or premature or both. After all, no one is getting hit and no one is really getting tired. Early assessments tend to be even less accurate when a new coach installs new schemes, which is what is happening at the NovaCare Complex these days.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to make observations, if they only serve to gauge progress when the team really begins to take shape in July and August. And, so:
1. Sam Bradford clearly is the best player on the team. This might even be true if defensive tackle Fletcher Cox was not conducting a pseudo-holdout as he negotiates a contract extension. Bradford was not fully recovered from his second knee operation until the 2015 season began. His arm looks markedly stronger than it did a year ago, probably due to his stronger base and his improved mechanics. 
2. Despite gushing reports to the contrary, rookie quarterback Carson Wentz is a long, long way from proficiently running an NFL offense, mainly because he is a long way from consistently making NFL throws with an NFL-sized football. Farther away than, say, Marcus Mariota was last May in Tennessee. This is understandable. 
3. Second-year receiver Nelson Agholor is faster this May than he was at any point last season. Watching him return kicks can be breathtaking.
4. Brent Celek still has great hands, which means he probably is a top-flight tight end when healthy. He has been absolutely abused the past three seasons.
5. None of the cornerbacks looks even average.
6. Second-year middle linebacker Jordan Hicks always seems to be in the right place.
7. Kenjon Barner, who ran everything from a 4.5-second 40-yard dash to a 4.3 coming out of Oregon in 2013, is making the most of Darren Sproles' pseudo-holdout. Barner is a polished, professional back.
8. Cox missing OTAs is no big deal. Sproles missing OTAs is a bigger deal. Many of the plays designed for Sproles rely on a great deal of synchronization. If that timing is off, it negates Sproles’ effectiveness. 
9. Six-foot backup Chase Daniel seems even shorter standing next to Wentz, who is 6-5, and Bradford, who is 6-4. Daniel looks like a backup safety playing the role of scout-team quarterback … except, when Daniel decides to rip a pass, it carries remarkable pace, especially on deep sideline routes.
10. Seventh-round defensive end Alex McCalister is startlingly skinny. He makes 1997 bust Jon Harris look like a professional wrestler. As defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said, McCalister will need to hit the “feed bag” every day until he feels as if he’s going to burst. Or bust.
    MH
    Marcus Hayes
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