June 16, 2018
Philadelphia Eagles spring practices are in the books, and while the players have not yet put on the pads (which is when the good will separate from the bad), here are five players who have helped themselves so far. To note, we'll mostly single out young, unestablished guys, with one exception.
We mentioned this in our notes after pretty much every media-attended practice, but you don't have to be a doctor to see that Wentz is way ahead of schedule. He is moving around well, and putting weight on his plant leg (the one with the injured knee), while driving the ball with force and accuracy. His rapid recovery and impressive physical ability has been the clear story of spring camp.
Goedert looks like the real deal at tight end. He catches everything, and looks like a good route runner early in his career with the Eagles. That's not a huge surprise, as Goedert possessed excellent receiving ability in college. The upcoming challenge for him will be how physical he is as a blocker in the run game when they put on the pads in training camp. Is Goedert just a big receiver masquerading as a tight end, or can he also be a contributor in the trenches?
Davis has made a number of plays, and looks like a shifty runner once he has the ball in his hands. He'll compete for reps at punt returner and in the slot. It'll still be an uphill climb for Davis to make the roster, but Doug Pederson has noticed him.
"I went into this off-season wanting to look at a lot of our younger players, obviously, from a year ago," Pederson said. "I think guys like Rashard Davis and Greg Ward come to mind, Shelton Gibson come to mind, that have had really good springs."
Bausby made a lot of plays during the spring, picking off passes and breaking them up. Bausby was on the practice squad a year ago, and Jim Schwartz has said that the team would have trusted him to play if the Eagles suffered some injuries at corner. He'll have a real opportunity to make the 53-man roster this year.
There's little question about Sweat's explosion. His get-off at the snap is impressive, and he has the speed to get around the edge as a pass rusher. But again, when they put the pads on in training camp, Sweat will also have to prove that he can defend the run if he's ever going to see the field.
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