June 04, 2019
One of the common questions a head coach or coordinator might get this time of year is who has impressed during the spring practices so far. Sometimes they'll just blow smoke up our collective media butts, and sometimes you'll get an actual legitimate answer. On Monday, I believe Doug Pederson gave us the latter.
Pederson named (in his order) Nelson Agholor, Dallas Goedert, Carson Wentz, Avonte Maddox, , Sidney Jones, and Rasul Douglas. In the three practices I have seen so far, I (mostly) agree. Let's look at all six players individually, and what that means for them:
• WR Nelson Agholor: In our practice notes last week, we noted that Agholor was making a high number of catches from Wentz, and he showed up to spring practices this year absolutely ripped. Pederson, who I should note has always spoken in a complimentary way about Agholor, has taken notice, thus further solidifying Agholor's status as one of the best slot receivers in the NFL.
• TE Dallas Goedert: In our notes two weeks ago, I felt that Goedert had the performance of the day, making several impressive plays. Last season, Goedert didn't get as much playing time early in the season as he should have. That likely won't be an issue in 2019.
• QB Carson Wentz: Wentz has looked excellent in practice, which in reality is nothing new. It'd be concerning if he wasn't killing it, frankly. That the bar he has set early in his career.
• CB Avonte Maddox: Maddox has picked right back up where he left off last season, when he was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2018 season. It's pretty clear early on that he'll have a regular role on the Eagles' defense, wherever that may be. The bet here is at slot corner.
• CB Sidney Jones: Last week, we noted that now is the time for Jones to start paying dividends on the investment the Eagles made in him. So far, he has been healthy, and looks the part of a talented corner. The question for Jones is whether he can stay healthy over a 16-game season in the pros.
• CB Rasul Douglas: Jim Schwartz also praised Douglas for the offseason he has had, which is a great sign for him. Douglas played well down the stretch last season, and deserves a chance to compete for a starting job on the outside.
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