On Tuesday, veterans reported to Eagles camp, marking the first official day of training camp 2020. This year’s camp will look and operate very differently than we’re used to, for obvious reasons.
This first week will be all about getting tested and holding virtual team meetings. Players are encouraged to self-isolate at home when they can. Once players have gotten two negative tests, they’ll be permitted to enter the NovaCare Complex for physicals and equipment fitting.
For the next two weeks following players getting their equipment, the team will hold strength and conditioning workouts and coaches will be allowed to hold hour long walk-throughs on the field. Starting Wednesday, August 12, the team will then have unpadded practices up until Saturday, before starting full practices on Monday, August 17.
Camp has barely gotten under way, but we’ve still been given some information regarding the state of the team. Here’s what we know so far.
Marquise Goodwin opting-out of the 2020 season
As it was reported on Tuesday, newly acquired wideout Marquise Goodwin has opted-out of the 2020 season, citing family health concerns as his reasoning. With a newborn to look after, Goodwin’s decision is completely justified given these unparalleled circumstances.
Although Goodwin only caught 12 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown in 2019, members of the local media believed he’d be an asset to the Eagles offense in 2020. I saw him as more of an insurance policy if the wide receiving group struggled with injuries again, but that’s neither here nor there at this point.
Given the weirdness of this offseason, Goodwin’s new one-year deal will carry over to next offseason, meaning he’ll still be on the team at season’s end.
Alshon Jeffery placed on Active/PUP list
On Tuesday, the team announced veteran wideout Alshon Jeffery will start camp on the Active/PUP list, which means he’ll be sitting out practice while he rehabs from his foot injury, but he’ll still count towards the active roster.
If he isn’t cleared before the start of the regular season on September 13, the Eagles will have the option to place Jeffery on the Reserve/PUP list, sidelining him for at least the first six weeks of the year.
Doug Pederson is pleased with where Jeffery is at this point in his rehabbing process, stating at a press conference Monday, “He’s doing extremely well. Again, he’s in a really good spot. He’s going to continue to work and get himself ready. Obviously, I won’t – you know me, I don’t put timetables on players, but when he’s ready, he’s ready, and he’ll be back out there on the field with us.”
With Goodwin now out for the year, getting Alshon back full healthy is huge for the receiving corps.
Carson Wentz added some extra beef over the offseason
Eagles Twitter couldn’t stop talking about how much bigger Carson Wentz looked when he arrived at the NovaCare Complex on Monday.
Wentz made a concerted effort last offseason to slim down a bit, in an attempt to get quicker when moving around the pocket. Despite slimming down, he was able to play all 16 regular season games in 2019, the first time he’s completed a full season since his rookie campaign. Unfortunately, this did not carry over into the postseason, where Wentz got knocked out early in the first quarter with a concussion.
Bulking up should naturally lead to less injuries, especially head related ones. In the boxing world, fighters put a heavy emphasis on bulking up their neck area to avoid as much head trauma as possible.
We still don’t know how much bigger Wentz actually got, but based on the photos we’ve seen so far, it’s certainly a noticeable difference.
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