PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles launched their annual mandatory minicamp on Tuesday at NovaCare Complex.
The team kicked off its three-day minicamp with the first practice session of the week. The media was allowed to watch the entire practice.
Here are six takeaways and some quick hits from the first mandatory minicamp practice:
1. Welcome back to the party.
The Eagles welcomed safety Malcolm Jenkins, left tackle Jason Peters, right tackle Lane Johnson and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery back to practice on Tuesday. The veteran quartet had skipped the voluntary portion of the offseason program, including the team’s nine organized team activity workouts. Despite their long absences, all four took part in team and individual drills.
Along with those returning players, several of their teammates made progress in returning to the field on a full-time basis. Cornerback Ronald Darby (ACL) and defensive end Derek Barnett (shoulder) took part in individual drills, while safety Rodney McLeod (knee) warmed up with the team on the practice field.
Safety Blake Countess (undisclosed), linebacker Paul Worrilow (knee) and wide receiver Mack Hollins (groin) all returned to practice with helmets after missing varying portions of OTAs. Hollins hadn’t taken part in any of the workouts but was able to participate in individual work in his return. Worrilow and Countess had missed some OTA workouts but both took part in team drills in this session.
Running back Corey Clement (knee), right guard Brandon Brooks (Achilles), linebacker Nigel Bradham (hand) and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (foot) all worked on a side field with trainers.
Wide receiver Nelson Agholor (undisclosed) was not seen at practice by NJ Advance Media. Eagles coach Doug Pederson noted before practice that second-round rookie running back Miles Sanders would be held out for the entirety of mandatory minicamp.
2. Marken Michel, Greg Ward make the most of extra reps
With Agholor missing from practice, Michel and Ward received extra reps. Michel, in particular, took advantage, making several impressive catches throughout the day. During 7-on-7 drills, Michel beat cornerback Avonte Maddox on a go route and quarterback Carson Wentz dished out a perfect throw to hit the wide receiver in stride for what may have been a touchdown. During 11-on-11 two-minute drills, backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld connected with Michel across the middle for a vital 20-yard completion on third down.
Ward was targeted quite frequently in the slot, as he lined up as the first-team inside receiver. A lot of dump offs to the flat and short throws were aimed at Ward, who showed up his speed with some solid gains. At one point, the Eagles used an end around to get the ball in Ward’s hands for a trick pass. While the play was whistled dead as he threw, Ward connected with (who else?) Michel for a decent gain.
3. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside continues to impress in the red zone.
During 7-on-7 drills, the second-round rookie was unstoppable. He got open with ease on several reps and made an impressive diving touchdown catch in red zone drills. Wentz also hit Arcega-Whiteside for a 30-yard gain on a flea flicker early in practice.
Wentz and Sudfeld clearly feel comfortable making tough throws in his direction. Overall, it’s been a pretty strong offseason program for the rookie.
4. Defense makes some plays
The defense terrorized Sudfeld and rookie Clayton Thorson throughout most of the session. That said, Wentz threw a near pick to linebacker Nathan Gerry during the first 11-on-11 series.
Sudfeld was nearly picked off by linebacker L.J. Fort. The ball should have been caught by the linebacker but it simply bounced off his hands. Defensive ends Joe Ostman and Daeshon Hall both produced sacks with the depth groups.
The practice ended on an interception by safety Godwin Igwebuike. The second-year defensive back produced the pick on his former Northwestern teammate, Thorson. The ball was overthrown in the middle of the field and Igwebuike made the heads up play to field the ball that was sent right in front of him.
5. Some lineup changes
With Jenkins returning to practice, Tre Sullivan was demoted to the second-team defense. Countess, who had missed some time, received second-team reps, despite the extra bodies in practice.
With Johnson and Peters back in the mix, rookie Andre Dillard and Jordan Mailata worked mostly with the second-team offense. Rookie Sua Opeta worked as the second-team left guard. Center Jason Kelce rotated with Stefen Wisniewski as the first-team centers.
Worrilow, Brown, Gerry and Fort all received first-team linebacker reps next to Kamu Grugier-Hill.
6. Notable play of the day
The Eagles ran a successful flea flicker in practice. Wentz handed the ball off to running back Jordan Howard, who quickly pitched the ball back to the quarterback. Wentz launched a 30-yard strike down the field to Arcega-Whiteside. It worked seamlessly.
Quick Hits
- Jeffery was whistled for an offensive pass interference penalty during 11-on-11 drills. He collided with cornerback Sidney Jones and shoved him violently to the ground. It was an easy call.
- Countess is serving as the personal protector on punt team.
- Former Eagles tight end Brent Celek was at practice. He had previously watched rookie minicamp earlier this offseason.
Mike Kaye may be reached at mkaye@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@Mike_E_Kaye. Find NJ.com on Facebook.