Getty Quarterback Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles, who look to improve through the 2019 NFL Draft.
That’s a wrap. After three days, the Eagles closed their minicamp Thursday morning with a 24-minute practice. The team will return to the field when they open training camp on July 25.
The final practice session was light and mostly uneventful, with the Eagles forced to practice indoors due to rain. There wasn’t too much to see, according to reporters on the scene, but here are a few highlights posted below. Head coach Doug Pederson explained the decision to send the guys home and what he told them at the end of minicamp.
“Honestly, it’s simple: No. 1 is I appreciate — and I told them this just a second ago — that I appreciate all the hard work,” Pederson told reporters. “This week everybody was here. The entire off-season that the guys were here. That I appreciate their effort, their hard work, attention to detail. And then secondly, I basically just said, hey, enjoy the next five and a half weeks. Spend time away from football with your family. Spend time with them and friends.
“And then the third, and probably the most important thing, is get your mind ready to go. Get your mind right these next couple of weeks. And that’s just not players. I was talking to myself, coaching staff, everybody because when we come back in July, we hit the ground running and we’re ready to go.”
Carson Wentz looked sharp all morning, especially in red-zone drills where he hit receiver Charles Johnson in the back of the end zone for a leaping touchdown. He targeted rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside on another one, but cornerback Rasul Douglas broke it up beautifully. According to NJ.com, Wentz finished minicamp going 35-of-49 and targeted DeSean Jackson a team-high 20 times and Dallas Goedert 18 times.
“Having your quarterback healthy is definitely a positive for us, and all the work that he’s gotten with our guys this spring is just going to pay dividends down the road,” Pederson told reporters. “Looking forward to getting him back in July, and I know he’s going to continue to work this summer and keep building for the regular season.”
Carson Wentz with another beautiful pass in red zone drills. Back of the end zone to Charles Johnson, who dragged his feet for an impressive catch. #Eagles
Dallas Goedert and Zach Ertz were both there and running through tight-end drills.
Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert in some TE drills. #Eagles
DeSean Jackson did not practice and watched from the sideline. Perhaps he had a bit too much cognac at Wednesday night’s celebratory dinner at Barclay Prime. Either way, Jackson has had a terrific spring and his connection with Wentz has been downright scary.
“Two veteran players. It’s a complement to DeSean for spending the offseason here and getting to know Carson not only personally, but on the football field,” Pederson told reporters. “Just even some of the extra time they’ve spent after practice working some routes and doing some things to be on the same page.”
DeSean Jackson sitting out the last day of #Eagles minicamp. No sense in being a hero right now.
Backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld looked solid, too. He hit Carlton Agudosi for a diving touchdown in 7-on-7 work. Sudfeld had struggled for much of the three-day minicamp.
Less than 30 minute final #Eagles practice with some individual and red zone 7-on-7 action. Rasul on all over JJ on back-shoulder from Wentz. DPI though. Charles Johnson with a nice leaping catch in the back of end zone & Carlton Agudosi with a diving TD from Sudfeld
The Eagles also adopted the slogan “Everything Matters” for the 2019 season. Last year, they went with “Embrace the Target” since everyone was gunning for the Super Bowl champions.
“I think that it just comes to light now that we’re on the sort of brink of a new season,” Pederson told reporters. “That you can kind of start fresh and start over and get ready to go for another season; yet you can look back and learn from mistakes, learn from failures, learn from successes.”
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Eagles Close Minicamp with Absurdly Short Practice [WATCH]