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Philadelphia Eagles: Recapping Day 1 Of Minicamp

By Anthony DiBona

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Earlier today, the Philadelphia Eagles began the first day of mandatory minicamp with all 90 players on the team’s roster in attendance. The day began with head coach Chip Kelly addressing the media and immediately being pelted with questions regarding the release of Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis.

Kelly stood by his decision to release Mathis and stated several times that Mathis’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, had demanded the release on multiple occasions. It was clear for quite a while that Mathis was unhappy with his contract with the Eagles and he even admitted to asking for a release from the team in March, according to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com.

Once Mathis asked for a release, he was pretty much a goner in Kelly’s eyes. As a coach that preaches culture and putting the team first, if a player says they want to be released, that’s it. That was the last straw, as they say. Mark Salveit, author of “The Tao Of Chip Kelly,” said it perfectly with the following tweet this afternoon.

Kelly also discussed the rest of the team’s offensive line, once again praising guard Allen Barbre. It’s clear that he must be confident in the team’s other offensive linemen, considering he released Mathis but they’re all clearly downgrades as well. Luckily the team still has Jason Peters, Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce as starters so the main concern with the offensive line upfront will be at guard.

Speaking of guard, once the team began today’s practice, Andrew Gardner was getting reps as the team’s first-team right guard instead of Matt Tobin, who had been receiving a majority of the snaps there thus far. This is notable considering Gardner started 8 games at right guard in 2014 and played reasonably well. Gardner was the only Eagles’ guard to finish the season with a positive grade according to Pro Football Focus besides Mathis.

On the defensive side of the ball, there were a few more changes to the first-team unit as well. Brandon Boykin received first-team reps as an outside cornerback, replacing Nolan Carroll. Jerome Couplin also received first-team snaps, replacing safety Walter Thurmond. Although it’s only June, it’s worth noting which players are getting actual practice reps with the other starters since this is the film the team will rely on to get ready for training camp. If they didn’t believe Boykin or Couplin could actually start, they wouldn’t waste time giving them reps with the starters.

Boykin has repeatedly hinted at wanting a chance to start on the outside and it looks like he’s finally getting it. Although he’s smaller than the Eagles may prefer their cornerbacks to be, he has a similar build to Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr., who new Eagles secondary coach Cory Undlin helped turn from a slot cornerback into one of the best outside cornerbacks in the NFL. Maybe Undlin can help Boykin make the same exact transition.

Two disappointing 2014 draft picks seem to be trending upward as outside linebacker Marcus Smith and wide receiver Josh Huff both took first-team reps at times during practice. Both players have been battling injuries thus far but seem to be near or at 100% and should be ready to compete for important roles once training camp begins. It’s certainly a good sign that Smith and Huff seem to have shaken off their rookie rust.

At quarterback, Sam Bradford still isn’t participating in 11-on-11 team drills but remains on track to participate in the drills once training camp begins. There is no set timeline for when Bradford will resume fully practicing but both Kelly and Bradford seemed to believe that the injury prone quarterback will eventually be ready before preseason action begins. For now, Bradford continues to work with the starters in 7-on-7 drills and will likely be the team’s starting quarterback when they open up the regular season on Monday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons.

There are two more days of mandatory minicamp remaining with both being open to reporters, although sadly I am not among that group. Either way, be sure to check back here at Inside The Iggles for all of the latest Eagles’ news and more!

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