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Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Takeaways From Today’s OTAs

By Anthony DiBona

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After being delayed due to weather yesterday, the Philadelphia Eagles held another open practice during OTAs for the media, although it rained again. Although I’m not actually able to attend the Eagles’ practices, it’s easy to keep up with the events due to the various writers and reporters that cover the team via the magic of Twitter.

Yesterday I mentioned certain things to watch for during today’s practice. Many were worried about whether or not quarterback Sam Bradford would make his debut in 7-on-7 drills, as head coach Chip Kelly hinted he would begin doing this week. Then there were the obvious concerns about who would start at cornerback opposite of Byron Maxwell and at safety opposite of Malcolm Jenkins. During last week’s session, Nolan Carroll and Chris Maragos filled those spots but today there was a change made. Here are my five takeaways from today’s open practice session:

1) Sam Bradford participated in 7-on-7’s

As expected, Bradford was able to participate in 7-on-7 drills today but was limited to an extent. He still stretched individually and not with the team, which could certainly be due to him having a different routine because of his knee injury. Either way, Bradford finally practicing with the team is a good sign. Although he didn’t participate in every 7-on-7 drill and didn’t take nearly as many snaps as the other three quarterbacks did throughout the day. The starting quarterback job is ultimately Bradford’s to lose so this sort of progress is important for the team’s success moving forward.

2) Walter Thurmond starting at safety

Well then. After accepting the challenge of playing safety for the first time in his NFL career just three weeks ago, Thurmond is already practicing with the team’s starting unit. Considering the rest of the “competition” at the safety position, Thurmond certainly seems to be the early favorite to win the starting job. His only real competition is Earl Wolff but he’s recovering from mini-microfracture surgery and is reportedly walking with a noticeable limp. That means Thurmond has an open path to starting at safety alongside Jenkins on the back-end of Philadelphia’s defense. It’s clear that Thurmond has the tools to play safety, now it’s just about him getting it done on the field and in meetings.

3) Nelson Agholor makes his debut

After missing last week’s open practice session due to the NFLPA Rookie Premiere event, first-round pick Nelson Agholor made his on-field debut in front of the media. The last they saw of Agholor on the field was during rookie minicamp so this was a big step to see the rookie with the rest of the team. What I was interested in seeing was whether or not Agholor received reps as a punt or kick returner and sure enough, he received reps as a kick returner with fellow wide receiver, Riley Cooper. According to Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation, Agholor apparently screams when he’s returning kicks as well…which is hilarious to picture.

4) Nolan Carroll is still starting at cornerback

Some were shocked last week when Nolan Carroll was getting first team reps at cornerback, but he’s got starting experience and may be the team’s best option if they’re bringing the rookies along slowly. Carroll has the size and length the team looks for and was praised by both Kelly and Jenkins for his work during the offseason thus far. He remained in the starting spot opposite of Maxwell today and seems to be the early favorite to keep that job as well.

5) Mychal Kendricks isn’t sure if he’ll play in Philadelphia in 2015

Throughout the offseason, there have been plenty of questions surrounding the Eagles’ group of inside linebacker, especially Mychal Kendricks. He hasn’t been approached about an extension, even though he’s heading into the final year of his rookie contract and was rumored to be in a potential trade package for quarterback Marcus Mariota during the 2015 NFL Draft as well. Kendricks doesn’t even know if he’ll be in Philadelphia himself, according to Mark Eckel of NJ.com.

"Asked if he was 100 percent sure he’ll be on the roster when the season opens in three months, the veteran linebacker who was the subject of trade rumors during the offseason, wasn’t sure.“I don’t know,” Kendricks said after Tuesday’s OTA at the NovaCare Complex. “I don’t know. I think so.”"

Next: Could Eric Weddle be a Philadelphia Eagle in 2016?

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