Eagles practice observations: John Hightower shines; J.J. Arcega-Whiteside returns; Jalen Hurts the No. 2 QB?

The Eagles held their fourth open practice of training camp at the NovaCare Complex on Thursday. (Here are links to Days 1 and 2.) Let’s get to Day 4′s action:

1. I’ve spilled a fair amount of ink already on Jalen Reagor — and rightfully so. The Eagles’ top draft pick has already flashed an impressive array of skills and doesn’t appear overwhelmed. But John Hightower, selected four rounds later, has also stood out and may have had the best day among the receivers Thursday. He was hard to handle in one-on-one drills. Hightower evaded cornerback Darius Slay’s bump at the line with a stutter-start outside release and lost him for good with a cut inside. Slay, ever the wily veteran, caught up and knocked the ball loose at the end of his run, but that was a win for the rookie. Receivers have a distinct advantage in one-on-ones, especially with double moves and long-developing routes, but it’s notable when beating one of the best man-defending corners in the NFL.

Hightower didn’t shine for just one play. He had several other grabs, the best probably a deep pull that ended seven-on-sevens. He split Slay and safety Jalen Mills on a deep post route. Mills would later downplay the catch by emphasizing the excessive amount of time quarterback Jalen Hurts had to throw — there was no rush — but you put enough of those plays on practice film and they’ll transfer over into the games. The sample is small, of course, but Reagor and Hightower look at the very least like receivers who can play on Day 1.

2. Speaking of receivers who played on Day 1, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside did last year after the Eagles drafted him in the second round. But he probably wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility. He admitted as much when asked what he told family and friends back home about his first year. “I kept it real,” Arcega-Whiteside said Thursday. “Wasn’t good enough.” He showed a modicum of improvement as the year progressed, but the production simply wasn’t there for the amount of snaps he was playing.

Arcega-Whiteside didn’t practice on the first day of pads Monday — because of lower body “tightness,” he said — but he participated in team drills Thursday while wearing a sleeve on his left leg. I’m sure there was some rust. He dropped an early pass from quarterback Carson Wentz on a slant route. But he also later plucked a high spiral out of the air even though the play had already been blown dead after a sack.

Nevertheless, Arcega-Whiteside looked a little more fleet of foot than he did a year ago. The Eagles drafted him partly because of his jump-ball skills, but he’s got to be able to move if he wants to keep up with the rookie speedsters he’ll now be competing with.

Arcega-Whiteside said he lost around 5-10 pounds this offseason, most of which was excess fat. He looked noticeably thinner in the face during a video conference. He said the biggest difference between this camp and last year’s, however, was his increased knowledge of the offense. He said he doesn’t show up full of questions every day. He now has most of the answers.

3. Hurts throws a nice deep ball and has deft touch on fade routes. We hadn’t seen much of what he could do in the middle of the field or when pressured — until Thursday. He had a forgettable two-play stretch during team drills. Hurts tried to rifle a pass into a tight window at the seams, but rookie safety Elijah Riley jumped in front of the intended target — I couldn’t see who the receiver was from my viewpoint — and easily picked off the pass. A play later, Hurts evaded the rush and rolled to his left. He had receiver Manasseh Bailey streaking down the sideline all alone, but his heave fluttered short and out of bounds.

Hurts has done well, overall, with a limited playbook. There’s been speculation he could supplant Nate Sudfeld as the backup, and I think it’s possible. I’ve never been much of a Sudfeld guy and he almost looks like he’s regressed this camp. Coach Doug Pederson said there was no competition before practice — “Nate is our No. 2,” he said — but if Hurts were to eventually move ahead of Sudfeld, it wouldn’t be the first time Pederson said one thing only to do the opposite. Sudfeld isn’t exactly a proven commodity, and I’m sure the Eagles could script an abbreviated game plan for the more dynamic Hurts if Wentz were to go down.

4. Injury update time: Running backs Miles Sanders and Boston Scott, tight end Dallas Goedert, cornerback Sidney Jones and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave were still sidelined. They all watched practice. Defensive end Derek Barnett continued his absence with a lower body injury. Defensive end Josh Sweat was out with an illness. Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox was given an over-30 maintenance day.

If you’re wondering why so many established players already have injuries and few bubble players do, it’s because the Eagles are being cautious with the regular season just three weeks away. There are reasons to be concerned with Hargrave’s pectoral strain and the fact that Jones and Barnett are again banged up, but it’s not yet time to hit the panic button.

5. The most significant depth chart change during team drills was that Jason Peters was at his expected starting spot of right guard for the first time of camp. It’s difficult to gauge the action in the trenches, especially when you’re at a socially-distanced 75 yards away, but Peters looked the part. He appears to be in fine shape, as evidence by his pull on a Corey Clement pitch outside. Even at the age of 38, getting out in space shouldn’t be too much trouble for Peters.

Some other notable depth chart notes: cornerback Craig James took Jones’ spot with the second team opposite Rasul Douglas. Clement logged most of the RB1 snaps with Sanders and Scott out.

6. Wentz struggled Tuesday, as detailed in my Day 2 notes, but he rebounded nicely on Day 4. His first toss to Reagor after he beat James inside was low, but he hurled a bull’s-eye to the rookie a set later on a skinny post route. The ball had to be on Reagor’s hands because James’ coverage was tight. Wentz hooked up with tight end Zach Ertz myriad times. I tend to overlook their moments in my recounts because it has become routine, but their synchronicity remains steadfast.

7. Remember Joe Ostman? The defensive end received a lot of publicity for his camp performance a year ago before an ACL injury ended his season before it even started. He seemed destined to make the 53-man roster. But the Eagles are once again deep at end and nothing is guaranteed. Ostman had a nice moment during line drills when he lined up over Sua Opeta and slipped inside the guard. He also teamed up with defensive end Shareef Miller on a stunt that mixed up rookie guard Julian Good-Jones and knocked him back on his rear to the delight of Brandon Graham and other D-linemen.

8. K’Von Wallace has been toiling mostly with the third-team defense, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the Eagles don’t have high expectations for the fourth-round rookie. Safety is one of the tougher defensive positions to learn — as coordinator Jim Schwartz explained Tuesday — and Wallace should have the luxury of time with Rodney McLeod, Mills, Will Parks, and Marcus Epps ahead of him on the depth chart.

Parks has played several spots in the secondary — both safeties, big slot, dime — but so, too, has Wallace. He got matched up vs. Greg Ward in the slot during seven-on-sevens, and draped the receiver and broke up Wentz’s pass on a short out route. Parks also had a nice pass breakup.

9. Douglas has usually been a strong practice player, but he’s had a rough start, particularly against Hightower. Straight speed has always been an issue for the fourth-year cornerback, but add cutting ability, and Douglas’ struggles with weight transfer become a bigger problem. A quick reminder that defensive backs are at a distinct disadvantage during one-on-ones, but Hightower made Douglas look bad, first by blowing by at the line, and then losing him for good with a comeback finish, on one rep.

10. And a few leftovers … The pandemic has forced the Eagles to institute various protocols, one of which is no more team stretch before practice. Players now warm up with their position groups. … As a result, DeSean Jackson’s last-second arrivals for practice don’t stand out as much. He can stretch on his own, too, as so often has been the case during his career. … Pederson said that he expects to have live tackling periods — the first of camp — during Friday’s workout.