Training camp is officially in the books for the Eagles. The players can now return to their homes, free from the hotel, and practice will start to look more like the ones the team will have in the regular season — save for two joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens next week.
The camp has been an important one for quarterback Carson Wentz, who is looking to bounce back from season-ending injuries in back-to-back seasons. Wentz's camp was not the stellar showing he had prior to the 2017 season, when he was lights out nearly everyday in training camp. The quarterback had some issues with turnovers and missed a few throws each day he should have made.
That being said, Wentz had a pretty good camp overall — and here are four things he did a great job of this year in training camp:
Spreading the ball around: The Eagles have plenty of weapons on offense, and getting them all involved is not going to be easy — a good problem to have for Wentz and head coach Doug Pederson. If training camp is any indication, however, Wentz is ready to keep everyone happy.
The Eagles' top three receivers — Alshon Jeffery (28 targets), DeSean Jackson (28 targets) and Nelson Agholor (30 targets) — all finished within two targets of each other. They also each finished within three catches as well. After some unfair criticism last season that he targeted tight end Zach Ertz too much, Ertz had fewer targets than all three of the team's starting wide receivers.
Staying in the pocket: Wentz seemed to be making a clear effort to staying in the pocket during camp, not rolling out and trying to make plays on the run. Whether that is a good long-term strategy remains to be seen, but those who want Wentz to stop running around and taking unnecessary hits would have been happy to see their quarterback sit back in the pocket and distribute the ball. In fact, of the nearly 250 passes Wentz attempted in camp, only maybe one-or-two came from outside the pocket.
Last season, when Nick Foles took over for Wentz, some believed that the reason the offense clicked was that Foles simply sat in the pocket and ran the offense, not freelancing as much as Wentz did. It is unlikely Wentz will stop making plays with his legs — and he shouldn't stop — but it does seem like he is going to be focused on staying on the pocket as much as possible this season.
Connecting with DeSean Jackson: One of the most important things the Eagles had to accomplish this offseason was getting Wentz on the same page with new receiver DeSean Jackson. Mission accomplished. Wentz and Jackson were an almost unstoppable duo in training camp, connecting on three touchdowns of 50-plus yards, and five touchdowns overall. It wasn't just the deep passes that Wentz and Jacksons showed chemistry on, however, as they were an issue for defenses at all levels of the field. It was also clear that Wentz made a concerted effort to talk to Jackson as much as possible between plays, as they were consistently next to each other when on the sideline, discussing the previous play. The groundwork for Wentz and Jackson to have a big season together have definitely been laid during training camp.
Practicing: It shouldn't be overlooked or taken for granted how much work Wentz got in during this offseason. Wentz took every single first-team rep during training camp and didn't miss a single day of practice, a drastic difference from last season when he was still recovering from his torn ACL/LCL. The injured back that ended his 2018 season early also didn't stop him from being at practice everyday. Prior to the 2017 season, when Wentz had the best year of his career, he attempted 330 passes. By the time the two practices with the Ravens end next week, he should be right around that number — an increase of over 230 passes from what he got in training camp prior to last season.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
