Exit Strategy

PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles on Wednesday closed up shop for the summer, concluding their two-day mandatory minicamp at the Jefferson Health Training Complex. The next time the team will reconvene will be in late July for training camp.

In terms of Wednesday’s practice report for the mandatory session, the lone players not in attendance were WR DeVonta Smith and OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. Tryon-Shoyinka wasn’t on hand for either mandatory practice, while Smith was excused Wednesday for personal reasons. Present but not practicing were WR Makai Lemon, LB Jihaad Campbell, LB Chandler Martin, TE Grant Calcaterra, OT Markel Bell, RB Carson Steele, WR Britain Covey and DB Tucker Large.

In a bit of redundancy from Tuesday’s notes, DT Jalen Carter was a participant at the start but withheld from team drills. Fourth-year pro Byron Young again filled in with the first team. Lemon was again spectator, as he’s mending from a hamstring injury. With roughly six weeks standing between now and training camp, the rookie will have plenty of time to heal and return to full strength.

ITB PHOTO/ANDREW DICECCO: The Eagles held their final mandatory minicamp practice before heading for the exits until late July.

Transactional news

The Eagles announced a pair of roster additions late Wednesday afternoon, signing DE A.J. Epenesa and G Michael Jordan. In corresponding moves, the team waived LBs Chandler Martin and LB Isiah King. Epenesa, 27, was a second-round pick of the Bills in 2020. The Iowa product appeared in 91 games (19 starts), notching 24 sacks and 53 quarterback hits. Jordan, who participated in the Eagles’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth-round in 2019. He’s appeared in 78 games (49 starts).

Observations from Wednesday’s session

* The complexion of the new-look Eagles offense, understandably, is what’s of most interest, and spring practices offered a preview. As a reminder, the team is still very much in the early stages of laying the foundation, but tight splits and heavy motion have been constants.

Quarterbacks have spent a healthy portion of snaps operating from under-center and there seemed to be a concerted effort made towards working middle of the field and intermediary throws. Expect to see multiple tight ends incorporated into the offense at a higher frequency. And one of the facets I’m most curious to monitor is the involvement of the running backs in the passing game, as Saquon Barkley often found himself on the receiving end of passes from Jalen Hurts. Some of the other backs – Will Shipley, Tank Bigsby and Dameon Pierce – have also been a factor in that capacity as well, albeit in varying degrees.

* Much of what I focus on during spring practices pertains to alignment and gauging personnel to get a clearer picture in how the pieces fit into the equation. There’s oftentimes a ton of mixing-and-matching of personnel to provide different looks during spring sessions, but what I particularly found notable was the cross-training with regard to the offensive line.

When the Eagles began 7-on-7s, the first-team offensive line was as expected (L-R): LT Jordan Mailata, LG Landon Dickerson, C Cam Jurgens, RG Tyler Steen, RT Lane Johnson.

Second team (L-R): LT Fred Johnson, LG Drew Kendall, C Jake Majors, RG Micah Morris, RT John Ojukwu.

Third team (L-R): LT Hollin Pierce, LG Jaedan Roberts, C Willie Lampkin, RG Myles Hinton, RT John Ojukwu.

I suspect Kendall – who majors in the center position – will undertake the role of Brett Toth as the Eagles’ jack-of-all-trades interior lineman, so repping at guard now should serve him well in anticipation of a key reserve role. The second-year lineman, by the way, looks to have added more mass to his frame.

Morris bumped up to the second unit and received valuable exposure to build on. Hinton, who has spent time as the second team left guard, got a look at right guard Wednesday. When it comes to depth, the Eagles are quite young and inexperienced, which is why I’m intrigued by Ojukwu.

* While veteran QB Andy Dalton was at the controls of the second unit Tuesday, on Wednesday it was fourth-year pro Tanner McKee handling the second-team work. The Eagles have rotated the two signal-callers, but in the practices open to reporters, it’d largely been Dalton working with the second group. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni provided additional insight into the rotation ahead of practice:

“We’re rotating there at the two spot. I’m not ready to say anybody is anything as far as positions. We don’t have to make any determinations there, but what [QB] Andy [Dalton] and Tanner have been doing every other day is rotating there with the two’s and both [are] getting a lot of good work.”

* The interest in the safety outlook figures to be a theme throughout the summer. On Wednesday, it was DB Cooper DeJean opening alongside Drew Mukuba in base, with veteran Marcus Epps replacing him when shifting to nickel. The second pairing included Michael Carter II and Andre’ Sam, with Brandon Johnson and Maximus Pulley comprising the third group. Watching Carter up close, his foot speed and instincts have been apparent. He’s a fluid mover and a highly intelligent player.

Earlier this spring, Eagles defensive passing game coordinator Joe Kasper offered insight into what changes for DeJean at safety:

“Anytime you move a little bit further away from the ball, now you’re talking about enhancing your vision and being able to maximize your visual tools. And Cooper, at the nickel spot, the nickel position – without being too into the weeds – is a little bit unique because, if I’m a corner, I’m here most of the time. Now I’m at nickel and I’m this weird, in-between space, and now I have to look at things that happen a little bit faster. Well, the trick at safety is things happen a little bit slower. I’m a little bit further away, so I’ve got to determine angles and space and time and distance a little bit differently. So, we’ve got to get him used to that.

“Everything that he’s done at nickel, though, indicates that the understanding and feel for time and distance is not a bridge too far for him. That’s where maybe you could see guys struggle with going from one spot to the other. He doesn’t have those issues. We actually enhance that element within how he plays the nickel position. So, to me, it’s another way for us to continue to maximize a resource that we have.”

* For what it’s worth, my defensive standout of the spring was CB Riq Woolen, who has stood out in each practice open to reporters. His atypical length is what you’ll first notice, but perhaps even more impressive is his fluidity and ability to flip his hips and run. The rangy cornerback capped an impressive spring by intercepting Jalen Hurts, who was looking for TE Dallas Goedert, during 11-on-11s. The true test will be in training camp, but I imagine the team has to be pleased with what he’s shown in the early going.

“I feel like I’ve been doing pretty well,” Woolen said Tuesday. “I’m still picking up on new things. I still got to get more into the playbook, you know, certain plays. Just got to learn and buy into it even more. But I feel like I’ve been doing well. I feel like my teammates, they trust me a little bit and I just got to keep building off from the work I’ve been putting in.”

* I’ve previously mentioned how critical the blocking aspect is to the tight end position in this offense. I’m not sure how, or if, he fits into the roster picture, but E.J. Jenkins again had a productive spring. The 6-foot-6 target garnered an abundance of meaningful reps and had made notable strides as an inline blocker. We’ll see how it all translates once the pads come on, but I thought Jenkins maximized his spring opportunities. At locker cleanout, Jenkins, who previously weighed 260 pounds, mentioned his intent to shed five or so pounds during the offseason. It appears he did.

* One other player I’ve mentioned in the space on a few occasions is LB Chance Campbell, who has flashed alongside Smael Mondon Jr. with the second-team defense. Campbell’s pathway to a roster spot will come via special teams, and while I acknowledge teams typically mix-and-match in the spring, I found his deployment on specials worth jotting down in multiple practices. On Wednesday, the Eagles worked on punt protection. The first unit included RB Will Shipley  – who is the personal protector  – as well as TE/FB Cam Latu, LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., TE Johnny Mundt, Jenkins, Mondon Jr. and Campbell. That’s good company for the fourth-year linebacker.

* A few down-the-roster players I’ll be paying attention to when the team reconvenes? Linebacker Chance Campbell, offensive tackle John Ojukwu, safety Maximus Pulley and cornerback Ambry Thomas.

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.