Defense thwarts Carson Wentz and the offense, Jalen Hurts’ athleticism, and more Eagles camp observations

The Eagles held their second open practice of training camp at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday. A link to my report from Day 1 is here. Let’s get to Day 2′s action:

1. To no great surprise, the first competitive day of camp went to the defense. With significantly more plays and moving parts, the offense typically needs additional time to get its footing. And it showed. Quarterback Carson Wentz and the first unit struggled to get into any kind of rhythm and had several unforced errors. Credit should be given to Jim Schwartz’s group, but there was nothing especially abnormal about the early disparity.

The defense may have benefited some from its overzealous play. Players were in pads for the second day in a row and contact periods were “thud,” but a few defenders may have crossed the line. Rookie linebacker Shaun Bradley, a day after he popped tight end Dallas Goedert, delivered a blow to wide receiver Deontay Burnett after a bubble screen. Offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Isaac Seumalo stood up for their offensive teammate as the defensive sideline whooped it up. Doug Pederson eventually made his way over and appeared to try and caution the group to the players’ amusement.

The defense, overall, recorded three interceptions during team drills and got hands on several other incomplete passes.

2. Guard Jason Peters (lower body) and receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (lower body) were in pads after watching Monday’s session with injuries, but neither did much outside of individual drills. Linebacker Duke Riley (illness) was also back in action. Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (upper body) and defensive end Derek Barnett (lower body) were still out with injuries that could sideline them for extended periods. Center Jason Kelce, receiver DeSean Jackson, and defensive tackle Malik Jackson took over-30 maintenance days. The 32-year-old Brandon Graham did not rest, and later explained that he didn’t want to miss one of the more intense days of camp.

With Kelce out, Seumalo moved from left guard to center, Matt Pryor slid over from right guard to left, and Nate Herbig jumped up to first-team right guard. There weren’t any other significant depth chart changes, except that Marcus Epps took some first-team repetitions at safety in place of Jalen Mills.

3. Mills’ starting spot should be secure even though he’s transitioning from cornerback to safety. He has looked very comfortable at both safety spots and could thrive in a role with greater freedom in terms of movement. He had perhaps the play of the day when he dropped into a zone, read Wentz’s eyes and jumped a Quez Watkins route for an interception. Mills went the other way until he was tapped out of bounds by the chasing quarterback.

Wentz tossed an interception earlier in practice, but it was hardly his fault. After rolling out to his right, he threw to Corey Clement on the back side, but the ball bounced off the running back’s hands and into the waiting arms of linebacker Nate Gerry.

4. Avonte Maddox has had the first go at the cornerback spot opposite Darius Slay. While Schwartz has insisted the competition is open and that others will get first-team looks, it’s Maddox’s job to lose. He wasn’t as involved Tuesday as he was a day earlier, but the third-year corner wisely eased up when he had tight end Zach Ertz within his sights on a deep seam route. The defensive coverage looked like inverted Cover 2 — one that opposing offenses have occasionally exploited with routes down the middle — but Maddox covered his deep half well.

Sidney Jones will likely be up next at cornerback after Maddox. He has yet to flash. He lost receiver Robert Davis after a double move during one-on-ones, but with no safety help and no pass rush, Jones’ coverage had to be graded on a curve.

5. Jones was the starting slot in his second season, but it’s unlikely he’ll end up inside if he is to lose the outside job to Maddox. The Eagles went out and got Nickell Robey-Coleman to start, and they still have Cre’von LeBlanc, who stood out at practice. “Strap” broke up two short passes during one-on-ones and wasn’t fooled on a John Hightower comeback route when he dropped into zone coverage. Even if Robey-Coleman were to become the No. 1 slot, LeBlanc is pretty good insurance.

6. Wentz, as noted earlier, had a rough day. After one inconsistent red zone set, he chucked his helmet to the ground. Wentz has talked about controlling his outward emotions before, but a little outburst isn’t always a bad thing. It’s difficult to estimate how much of his struggles were of his own doing. There is going to be a feeling-out process with so many new receiving faces. Wentz did end practice with a drop-in-the-bucket fade to Hightower out of the slot.

Rookie receiver Jalen Reagor got separation on a downfield post route, but Wentz’s pass sailed high. As I watched the initial trajectory of the throw, I figured the ball would be well out of Reagor’s reach, but he somehow grazed a fingertip. The 5-foot-11 rookie isn’t long, but he clearly has elite ups. He recorded a 42-inch vertical leap at the scouting combine and seems capable of carrying that athleticism onto the field.

He’s built a lot like Jeremy Maclin — compact and with muscle-bound calves. Reagor later said that Wentz compared his route running and explosiveness to Julio Jones, and while that may be hyperbole, the rookie has gotten off to a solid start.

7. I don’t know yet what to make of Jalen Hurts. He took about a dozen snaps before he threw a pass, but the Eagles appear to be giving him just a sliver of the offense to start. Most of his plays involve quarterback reads or moving him out of the pocket. His athleticism is obvious. He has the wheels and an impressive ability to change directions. Hurts juked Epps on a read option play inside the 5 and scored. He later hit an open Josh Perkins in the end zone.

I’m still unsure how much the Eagles will use Hurts on offense. They consider him a quarterback first and foremost and wouldn’t have drafted him in the second round if they thought otherwise. But he does offer intriguing possibilities, particularly in the red zone. Hurts did have an early pass intercepted by rookie safety K’Von Wallace, but his intended target — Watkins — fell.

8. Andre Dillard took most of the first-team reps at left tackle. He was given some plays off Monday, but only because he was coming back from minor injury. He had an early false start in team drills. I didn’t see the first set of O-line, D-line one-on-ones, but he didn’t participate in the second set.

I’m still anxious to see how he performs against power, but Dillard’s nimble feet are a reminder of why the Eagles drafted him so high. He ran about 20 yards downfield during a screen pass and took out Epps before the post safety even knew what hit him.

9. Jordan Mailata is still a work in progress if Tuesday’s one-on-one drills were any indication. He missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, and not being able to practice this offseason may further complicate his unlikely journey from Australian rugby player to NFL tackle. He had a difficult time containing rookie end Casey Toohill on successive rushes. Mailata lost his balance against a spin move and then was late against an outside speed rush. An audible “sigh” could be heard from the mammoth tackle after offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland coached him up.

Rookie tackle Prince Tega Wanogho shined in one-on-ones. He has good feet for a big man. Talent-wise, he could have been a second-day draft pick, but knee issues dropped him on many NFL draft boards. I don’t want to go overboard on Wanogho. His competition here was Genard Avery, whom I still can’t fathom why the Eagles traded in exchange for a fourth-round pick before last season’s deadline. Avery is listed a generous 6-foot, but his low center of gravity doesn’t exactly make him hard to tip over on the edge. I’m not sure if he’s a scheme or positional fit with the Eagles.

10. And a few leftovers … Boston Scott was first up as a kick returner. He was followed by Reagor, Watkins, Hightower, Greg Ward and Adrian Killins. … Scott briefly was attended to by trainers on the sideline but returned to practice. … Alshon Jeffery watched most of practice, but engaged in a 10-minute catch with receivers coach Aaron Morehead during a special teams drill. … Reagor has a good arm, but his accuracy is questionable. He tossed a ball back to an assistant, but it veered off course and hit Ertz in the head. The vet seemed none too pleased and barked at the rookie.