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One of the things that stood out to me from Albert Breer’s profile on Nick Sirianni was the following (bold emphasis mine):
And when I asked Sirianni how the players who show up Monday (and the Eagles are expecting a good percentage to come in for the start of Phase II) will see his background as a teacher, that’s where he pointed.
This seemed noteworthy since the Eagles previously issued a collective statement through the NFLPA about how they would “not be attending in-person voluntary workouts.”
Les Bowen now has more clarity on the situation:
The Eagles had COVID testing today and will start phase 2 of their spring work Tuesday. My understanding is that with new offense and defense to learn, veteran players do plan to attend. The emphasis will be on learning, not on physical grind that the union is trying to minimize.
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) May 17, 2021
The last line there is key. Phase 2 of the spring workout program limits coaches to a “teaching pace” in non-contact drills.
Given their previous statement, it seems like the Eagles still won’t be participating in “full speed” OTA practices that are scheduled to begin in Phase 3. The players will be required to participate in a three-day mandatory minicamp that kicks off on June 8.
In any case, it seems like a positive development that the Eagles now have players in the building to learn the new systems and schemes being implemented by Sirianni and his coaching staff. It’s also a time for the team to build some chemistry.