Rookie TE Eric Tomlinson impressing Eagles

ERIC TOMLINSON caught all of 19 passes last season as a senior at Texas-El Paso. The Eagles signed him as an undrafted free agent mainly because their system prioritizes blocking by the tight end, and Tomlinson, at 6-6, 263, can deliver a load when clearing a path for a runner.

But when Zach Ertz required surgery last week for a groin tear, the Eagles lost their most dynamic TE weapon, at least for the remainder of the preseason. So coaches didn't mind a bit last Sunday when Tomlinson nabbed five of the seven passes targeting him, rumbling for 61 yards.

"Who would have thought?" offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said this week. "But he did a good job. There were some catches he made where his run after the catch was terrific. He caught a couple balls in a crowd, and so he did some really, really good things in our mind . . . He just needs to build on that now."

"I'm sure he was more of a primary blocker in college, but sometimes, in college, that's just their system," veteran tight end Brent Celek said. "That doesn't mean he can't do it. He did a good job.''

"It was nice being able to make some plays," Tomlinson said. On one catch, he flattened a defensive back and kept churning, much as Celek has so often done. "I was just trying to go forward. I don't have many moves in my book.

"We were a run-first offense at UTEP - a lot of blocking experience," he said. "I think I showed them that I can catch the ball."

One name to watch in the nickel corner-third safety competition is that of six-year veteran E.J. Biggers, most recently of the Redskins. Biggers, 28, a free-agent signee, has looked good in this week's practices with the Ravens. Yesterday he intercepted Matt Schaub.

" 'Bigs' has done a really nice job," Chip Kelly said. "He's got versatility because he's played safety before, he's played nickel before and he's played outside corner. But he's a guy that I think has shown up on a really consistent basis for us. He's someone that's got some experience. He's another guy that doesn't get rattled back there - he's seen it, been through it."

Chip Kelly said safety Earl Wolff is visiting with Dr. James Andrews, who performed his microfracture surgery last November, yet another ominous sign for a player who hasn't felt confident in his knee since injuring it in November 2013 . . . Stellar two-play sequence for Sam Bradford yesterday, when he lasered a slant to Darren Sproles, then found a pretty well-covered Riley Cooper on a comeback route, putting the ball where only Cooper could catch it . . . Good day for Matt Barkley as well, who hit tight end Justin Tukes in the end zone, over Ravens safety Nick Perry, then ended practice by rolling hard to his left and hitting wideout Josh Reese in stride . . . There was some pushing and shoving yesterday, but nothing really noteworthy. Coaches from both teams quickly moved in when tensions arose . . . Inside linebackers DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks were full participants . . . Andrew Gardner's run as the unofficial starting right guard continued.

Blog: ph.ly/Eagletarian