Ravens’ Earl Thomas credits Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz

Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas gives credit where it’s due to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Carson Wentz.

This week, the Philadelphia Eagles resumed their summer practices, but this time the circumstances were slightly different. Instead of competing against their own teammates, the Eagles would go against their week three preseason opponents, the Baltimore Ravens.

Last season, Doug Pederson and the Eagles elected not to host a joint practice. This year, they brought it back. And seeing as though most of the Eagles’ starters haven’t really obtained any preseason action, the joint practices in 2019 are becoming even more crucial.

The one player who the Eagles are most curious about this season is their franchise quarterback, Carson Wentz. While the former second-overall pick has the support of his front office and coaching staff, he still has to prove two things during the 2019 season.

One, Wentz has to show his team that he can remain healthy for most, if not, all of the 2019 season after suffering back to back season-ending injuries. Then two, he has to prove he can return to playing at that MVP level that we all witnessed in 2017.

With the weapons surrounding Wentz this year, that shouldn’t be an issue. But as we know, everything is easier said than done. And so far, Wentz hasn’t had the opportunity to prove anything in the preseason — so the joint practices became his first test of the year.

Credit from a Pro Bowler

On Monday and Tuesday, Wentz and the Eagles offense were fortunate enough to compete against a potentially elite secondary, with proven stars in the mix. While Wentz didn’t pick apart Baltimore’s aggressive defense, he did flash some elite plays and took care of the ball.

All in all, the Eagles quarterback finished with promising results considering the strength of the competition. During two live sessions, he completed roughly 30 passes, for two touchdowns, and zero turnovers, according to 94WIP’s Eliot Shorr-Parks.

While the insiders at the Nova Care Complex applauded Wentz for his performance, the credit from the other side of the ball might mean more in this case. All-Pro safety Earl Thomas is known to lead a fierce secondary in Seattle, but he’s begun a new stint with the Ravens this season.

While they don’t have their secondary one-hundred percent figured out quite yet, they did give Wentz a hard time with some airtight coverage, and some pass breakups. While Wentz was going through some tough reps against Baltimore, their secondary was feeling equally challenged as well as the first day wrapped up.

"“Carson Wentz is not a pushover, so it’s good to go against him,” Thomas said. “It’s good to go against that offense. The tight ends are pretty good, receivers are really good, so it’s a great challenge for us.”"

Ravens’ reporter Aaron Kasinitz had a brief discussion with Thomas following the first day’s practice. That’s when Thomas credited Wentz and the Eagles offense for giving them a tough fight as they inch closer to the NFL season opener in a few weeks.

Although Wentz didn’t beat up on the Ravens secondary through the two-day sessions, it is necessary to note he had two strong practices against a really good defense with minimal mistakes made. Now, we’ll wait and see if he gets preseason playing time this Thursday.