Wednesday was the third day of 2016 Eagles training camp practice. It was also the last day of practice where only a limited group of players were on the field. The first full team practice will take place tomorrow. In the meantime, here's what I noticed on Wednesday.
PRACTICE NOTES
• Injury update: No major injuries to report. Cayleb Jones was a full participant after being shaken up on the final play of practice on Tuesday.
• Attendance update: The Eagles gave veterans players off today. So, no Sam Bradford, no Chase Daniel, no Nolan Carroll, no Cody Parkey, etc.
• Carson Wentz showed more signs of outward leadership with Bradford sitting out. It was the kind of behavior comparable to how kids behave when their real teacher is in but they stop following the rules when a substitute takes over for a day. Not that Carson was misbehaving, of course.
Wentz is a more vocal guy than Bradford. After warmups were over, he rallied everyone into the huddle and clearly could be heard from where I was standing on the sideline. Here's a shot of the action.
Carson Wentz and McLeod Bethel-Thompson the only two #Eagles QBs out at practice. Wentz leads huddle after warm ups. pic.twitter.com/V4zoqmiBrY
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) July 27, 2016
Wentz also made sure to high five literally every single offensive player that ran up to the field when it was time for team drills. As the third string quarterback, Wentz won't have many opportunities to be the dominant leader. He took advantage of his rare opportunity on Tuesday.
• To no surprise, Jalen Mills broke up another pass during practice. I've already lost count of how many he's had so far.
• Mills isn't the only young cornerback who has stood out. Aaron Grymes, formerly of the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos, had a nice practice featuring two pass breakups. The first one was a leaping effort to knock the ball down away from a receiver along the sideline. Then he knocked down a pass that was thrown into the middle of the end zone. Including today's practice, Grymes has three passes deflections and one interceptions through three days of practice. Not bad for the 2015 CFL All-Star team member. The Eagles have a really competitive position battle going on at corner.
• Blake Countess had a nice diving breakup while covering a receiver running a hitch route. The Eagles had the rookie safety wear a camera on his helmet during practice.
• Rookie linebacker Quentin Gause ripped the ball out of M.J. MacFarland's hands after the tight end made a leaping catch over him. Nice recovery.
• Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson tried to juke a defensive back after catching a pass in the flat. Lol.
• The Eagles' rookie UDFA receivers were unimpressive yet again. Marcus Johnson had drops on back to back plays in the red zone.
• Today's practice notes are light but I promise you more thorough notes will be coming when the real practices begin, starting tomorrow.
• Here's a video clip from Eagles practice. Like on the official Bleeding Green Nation Facebook page to watch these videos live as they happen.
Up next: The Eagles' first full team training camp practice of 2016 doesn't start until late afternoon tomorrow: 3:30 PM ET. Stay tuned for more coverage until then.