Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp: What insiders are saying on day one

The Philadelphia Eagles training camp sessions for 2019 has officially kicked off. Let’s check in on some of the highlights from day one.

At last, the Philadelphia Eagles are back together and in town at the Nova Care Complex for 2019 training camp. The Eagles aren’t the defending Super Bowl champions this offseason, so the vibes a little different. It’s not that the Eagles weren’t as motivated to win last season, but the way they went out in 2018 is sure to make them much more hungry to win it all in 2019.

Not to mention, the Eagles have some new faces within the complex. We all know the biggest acquisition in the spring happened to be DeSean Jackson, but they also acquired Malik Jackson, Miles Sanders, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, and many more.

Since the Eagles don’t allow open practices for the fans like they used to, it’s a lot harder for those that are outside of the complex to find out what’s going on at practice. But thanks to the power of social media, we can get quick updates with details of what’s going on from the insiders. So with that, let’s take a look at what the insiders of the Nova Care Complex are seeing at practice.

Everybody is healthy… Except for Jalen Mills

Ronald Darby was rumored to be on the PUP at the start of camp. That turned out to be false. Brandon Brooks, Fletcher Cox, Derek Barnett, and Nigel Bradham were all present and suited up, but they were not available for team drills. Each player is on their own recovery timeline, but so far they are all pretty much limited with what they are able to do at this point. Jalen Mills though happens to be the only player on the PUP right now.

Miles Sanders makes his NFL training camp debut

Eagles’ second-round draft pick Miles Sanders was available for rookie minicamp but was held out of OTAs due to hamstring issues. Until Thursday, Sanders hasn’t been able to practice at all with the Eagles’ veterans. Many were concerned that the second-rounder would fall behind, but he doesn’t seem to be struggling so far. Although Jordan Howard was the first running back to run with the ‘A-Team,’ Sanders was amongst the group of guys to get some first-team reps.

Carson Wentz remains knee brace-less

Last season, one of Carson Wentz’s biggest struggles was overcoming the fact he had to wear a knee brace. His ability to escape the pocket as he did in 2016 and 2017 was limited. Mentally and physically, Wentz was defeated last year, and the knee brace bothered him a lot. This year though, he’s shaken off the brace. It was gone in OTAs, and now it looks like it’s officially gone for good.

Speaking of Wentz, DeSean Jackson may be his new favorite target

Throughout the spring, DeSean Jackson made sure to attend a majority of the practice sessions. The veteran wideout wanted to make sure he built up solid chemistry with his quarterback and get as much work in as possible. Alshon Jeffery wasn’t present for most of the OTAs sessions. Therefore, Wentz and Jackson created a nice bond instead.

Well, it sure looks like that bond cannot be broken right now. Last year we heard tons of complaints about Wentz targeting Zach Ertz too much. Now, it sounds like he cannot stop targeting his new wideout, DeSean Jackson. We’re sure at this point if Wentz wants to deal to DeSean all day, nobody will complain as long as he’s moving the ball.

Darren Sproles still looks solid

Last week, Darren Sproles signed another one-year deal with the Eagles. The 36-year-old running back claims he had four other teams interested in his services, but he was holding out to see if the Eagles were going to make an offer. Well, they did and just like that he’s back in action at the Nova Care Complex. He looked good as he’s healthy — hopefully, he remains that way.