Eagles practice observations: The defense strikes back; Jalen Mills thumps; Jordan Matthews still not himself

The red zone was the focus for most of the day. The Eagles offense finished 24^th in the NFL in converting possessions inside the 20 into touchdowns last season. The defense was third in preventing them. Overall, Jim Schwartz's unit had more success on Wednesday – and they needed to bounce back after several days of beatings – but the first set went to Doug Pederson's offense. Quarterback Carson Wentz tossed three "touchdowns" on five plays. He first hit wide-open running back Darren Sproles on a wheel route – there appeared to be a missed assignment on defense – and he then hooked up with tight end Trey Burton with a couple of sweet pitch-and-catch scores.

Patrick Robinson and Jalen Mills had tight coverage vs. Burton, who split wide each time. Wentz's passes were in tight windows and his receivers made strong catches each time. But you would like to see Robinson and Mills win matchups against tight ends, especially when size isn't an issue. Burton isn't much taller than either and it's not like he used his frame to outmuscle the cornerbacks. For comparison, safety Malcolm Jenkins had to cover Burton out of the slot later in practice and he easily knocked an accurate Wentz pass away. I joked to a nearby reporter that the Eagles have a starting-caliber corner on the roster — except he plays safety. The cornerbacks have been much-maligned, and I'm going to dig deeper on the subject in a separate column, but the group, overall, was more effective than it has been for most of camp. Of course, there really was only one direction to go.

The second-team offense, led by Matt McGloin, scored "touchdowns" on its first two plays. The quarterback threw a touch short of Greg Ward underneath, but the depth of the pass allowed the receiver to use his momentum and curl inside by covering safety Terrence Brooks. Receiver Nelson Agholor beat corner C.J. Smith on an inside slant and McGloin hit him in stride. Brooks bounced back and intercepted a toss intended for tight end Anthony Denham. I didn't see the entire play because I was watching corner Rasul Douglas closely. He stuck to receiver Bryce Treggs, who ran a crosser, but pulled his jersey at one point. The rookie, when grabbing, must be careful as to not stretch the uniform. Officials will throw a flag there almost every time.

One-on-one drills between receivers and defensive backs were also concentrated on the red zone. Even though the offense typically has the advantage here – there's no pass rush – I thought Eagles defenders had some moments as the drill progressed. Early on, Agholor caught a pass over Mills, receiver Mack Hollins used a lead step to beat Smith inside and Torrey Smith – back in action after sitting out Tuesday with back spasms – one-handed a McGloin toss. Cornerback Aaron Grymes had a strong showing. He intercepted a Dane Evans pass – it was an ill-advised throw – and he bodied up Agholor, who couldn't slip the slot corner with a double move. Douglas broke up an Evans attempt to receiver David Watford, but he also needed a handful of cotton. Wentz jumped in late, though, and hit Agholor in the back of the end zone vs. C.J. Smith, found Shelton Gibson over the middle (although his receiver dropped the pass) and connected with receiver Jordan Matthews on a fade just beyond the reach of Jenkins.

Wentz and the offense, however, had a difficult time during the second set of team red zone drills. In fact, he was 0 for 7 through the air. Mills had maybe his best period since camp started. He draped Torrey Smith on Wentz's first attempt which sailed high. He shadowed his man on another incomplete pass. And he nearly picked off Wentz when he skied in front of Burton. Mills seems to have replaced his celebratory finger wag with a chest thump. The offense tried a few runs inside the 20, but the defense snuffed out both. The first was a misdirection to running back Wendell Smallwood that defensive tackle Tim Jernigan stayed home to stop. Wentz should have had at least one completion, but Matthews couldn't pull in a post before the back line.

Wentz was once again without his best receiver. Alshon Jeffery (shoulder) was sidelined for a second straight day. He has declined to talk about his injury. I can't imagine it's serious. Jeffery worked out briefly on a separate field by catching passes from offensive coordinator Frank Reich. The following players also missed practice: quarterback Nick Foles (elbow), running back Donnel Pumphrey (hamstring), defensive tackle Elijah Qualls (groin), defensive end Alex McCalister (hamstring), receiver Paul Turner (shoulder) and guard Josh Andrews (hand). Running back LeGarrett Blount (personal reason) was excused for a second consecutive day.

The defensive line-offensive line one-on-ones weren't as spirited as they are in full pads, but there were highlights. Jernigan vs. Isaac Seumalo has been a noteworthy matchup. The defensive tackle may have gotten the better of the guard on this day, but Seumalo has been steady throughout camp, or at least that's been my impression since I haven't felt compelled to write about him specifically. Defensive end Vinny Curry sprung to life with a bull rush vs. Gordon, who lost his balance. Guard Chance Warmack anchored well against a Gabe Wright power move. Defensive end Steven Means slapped tackle Taylor Hart aside on their first encounter. But the latter rebounded and stood the former up vs. his edge rush. Derek Barnett continued to work on his spin move. It still needs work. He took too long to turn on his counter move and tackle Victor Salako stoned him.

The final team drills weren't concentrated on the red zone. Smallwood took the first carry and found a crease up the middle in between center Jason Kelce and Seumalo. Tight end Zach Ertz dropped a short pass from Wentz. The quarterback and Matthews weren't in sync on a sideline route. I've mentioned it before, but it bears repeating: Matthews is still not back to the old Matthews. He still has high-level moments, but the energetic practice receiver that we saw for three straight training camps is still missing. Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox slanted and tagged Smallwood for a backfield "tackle." Wentz heaved a bomb to Hollins on a deep post, but C.J. Smith broke the pass up. The second-year corner battled back after some dubious defense in the first half of practice. Jenkins scored a tackle for loss when he met Smallwood behind the line. Wentz had checked to another play, but he safety wasn't fooled.

And some leftovers … Gordon, who was a blocking tight end in college, played a little fullback on a red zone play. He's been there on occasion since the spring … The Eagles resume practice on Thursday and are scheduled to have "live" tacking periods.