Mike Groh says Darren Sproles seems to be as quick as he was prior to the injury

Now halfway through the second week of training camp, the Eagles offense is getting a lot of attention thanks to some young and exciting playmakers and the opportunity for veterans to take charge and lead the locker room.

Offensive coordinator Mike Groh spoke to the media on Thursday about how they plan on splitting up carries for the running backs, the focus of the wide receiver group, and of course, how amazing Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert will be in tandem.

On the RB situation

Last season, with Darren Sproles on IR, the team used Corey Clement in third-down situations, but with Sproles back this fall, Groh was asked how they plan to handle third downs moving forward.

The OC lauded Duce Staley, stating he did a “tremendous job managing that room, that position during the course of the season”. Staley’s contributions went well beyond just managing several top-name, highly-talented players, but also in terms of how well he developed some of the younger guys on the roster.

Moving forward Groh anticipates utilizing all the weapons they have at running back and being versatile with a lot of their packages.

He did mention that Sproles looks as quick as he did last season, despite the limited time Groh had with the running back before the injury.

The OC was also asked about Donnel Pumphrey and his development this offseason. The coach claimed Pumphrey has done a great job and put himself in a good position to nab one of the final 53 roster spots. That’s a little non-committal for my liking, but Groh pointed out, “all those guys are doing well and will be evaluated during the preseason”.

On the WR room

Groh has been impressed with the wideouts so far this offseason, saying he likes the way they’re working and the effort they’re putting in. Right now, they are mix and matching a lot of the different options, with some vets running with the twos and threes.

The OC wouldn’t pinpoint one specific player whose made a big jump from Year 1 to Year 2, but mentioned the group as a whole has been dialed in all spring/summer. Groh mentioned that they are all working really well and getting better each day, and more importantly, getting more comfortable with the things Groh and crew are adding to the playbook.

Other notes

• Groh is excited about having Nate Sudfeld at No. 3. He’s encouraged by the confidence he’s developed since getting some regular season experience last season. He sees the QB having a very high ceiling and has room to improve, and Sudfeld is excited about having the opportunity.
• As has been the theme this week, there were lots of questions about tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert and how they seem to form a pretty strong two-TE set for the Eagles. Groh said it was too early to know how much playing time Goeddert will get as a rookie, but did note, “obviously we like Dallas’ skill set; that’s why we picked him second”.
• One of the differences Groh has noticed as a coordinator vs position coach during training camp is how much time he gets to spend on teaching. He’s used to taking his small group of guys and working through new packages and working on some of the fine details, but he’s finding a way to still be involved with those things, just on a larger scale.