Over 40,000 fans showed up to the Linc on Sunday night for the Eagles’ only open practice this summer.
The weather was perfect in South Philly and it was a fun atmosphere.
But it wasn’t all good news.
1. That’s where we’ll start these observations. Defensive end Joe Ostman, who had been having a really good training camp, suffered what appeared to be a knee injury during a special teams drill. The 24-year-old needed to be carted off the field and a bunch of his teammates stopped by the cart to wish him well. Never a good sign.
A little later, receiver Shelton Gibson had to be helped off the field with what looked like an ankle injury.
2. OK, now to something happier: DeSean Jackson stole the show on Sunday night. It was Jackson who received the loudest cheers during introductions and you could just tell the 40,000 fans were waiting for a big play. It finally came during an 11-on-11 period. Carson Wentz heaved the ball deep (around 50 yards) and Jackson had to come back and leap in the air to grab it. It wasn’t a good throw and the defenders over-ran the play, but fans didn’t care. And after Jackson caught the ball, he ran toward the end zone and tossed the ball into the stands for one lucky fan.
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3. Without Kamu Grugier-Hill (who confirmed he has an MCL sprain) and without Nigel Bradham (who is still recovering from offseason surgery), here were the Eagles’ three linebacker pairings on Sunday:
First team: Zach Brown, Nathan Gerry
Second team: L.J. Fort, Alex Singleton
Third team: Alex Singleton, T.J. Edwards
4. Tight end Josh Perkins, who has kind of been a forgotten man this summer, made a nice grab in the back corner of the end zone during 7-on-7s.
5. Miles Sanders made a really great jump cut during 11-on-11s to bounce outside to the right and score a five-yard touchdown. He’s been very impressive this summer and his lateral movement is a big reason why. Jordan Howard doesn’t make that play.
6. Overall, Nate Sudfeld had a pretty good day. One of his best throws came to rookie DeAndre Thompkins near the right sideline. The young receiver from Penn State hasn’t made a bunch of plays, but this was a good one. Nice job to stay in bounds.
7. Military Appreciation Night never gets old.
8. At one point, Wentz threw a ball that was batted at the line of scrimmage and bounced back into his hands. He ran forward into the end zone, while the rest of the defense quickly realized they couldn’t hit him. If you’re wondering, Wentz has two career catches for 11 yards.
9. Darren Sproles had one electrifying moment on Sunday. He bounced a run outside and beat the defense to the end zone. Nice round of applause for No. 43.
10. During 7-on-7s, Avonte Maddox had a great rep against Jackson. He stayed with him stride for stride in the red zone and was able to knock the ball down.
Stupid Observation of the Day: Johnathan Cyprien had a huge towel tucked in his game pants. Most guys use a smaller one, but it looked like he had a beach towel hanging from his waist.
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