Tonight’s pre-season game should feature the first team a lot more than last week. Philly Voice:

The (first team offense) I plan on getting the entire first quarter,” said Pederson. “Hopefully, I can get a series or two into the second (quarter). I want to extend their time, obviously, more than three plays and get them some extensive work in the first quarter and a half.” The players who will not play due to injury are LB Mychal Kendricks, DT Mike Martin, WR Jordan Matthews, CB Jalen Mills, WR Hunter Sharp, and, of course, QB Carson Wentz. Wentz will travel with the team for the purpose of getting extra mental reps, while the rest will remain in Philadelphia.

Marcus Hayes compared Donnie Jones to Jim Furyk for some reason. Philly.com:

My best punting day?” Jones asked. “Dallas. 2007. We played at old Texas Stadium. I was sick. Had a horrible warmup. I was so bad. Then I went out, I was hitting everything. Five-second hang time. Sixty yards, no return. A bunch inside the 5.” Indeed, Jones was exceptional for that bad Rams team, with four punts of at least 61 yards and four downed inside the 15-yard line . . . but he was 27 then. Can he continue to compete at 36? Punters and golfers who are as committed to fitness as Jones and Furyk are seem to cheat Father Time like no other athletes. Jones’ net average of 41.6 yards in 2015 was the best in Eagles history. “Old? I hear that all the time. I think it’s a bunch of BS. You do the right things, you take care of your body, you can play as long as you want,” Jones said. “You’re still scoring like Furyk? I feel like I’m in the prime of my career. I feel like I’ve got plenty left in me, and plenty other punters have done it. Just like Jim Furyk.

Sam Donnellon doesn’t think the DGB trade was really that big of a risk. Philly.com:

Moss was a talented malcontent to the end, as was Owens, their exceptional ability inducing one coach after another — including Andy Reid and Bill Belichick — to make the kind of cost-benefit analysis that Roseman just did with Green-Beckham. Not that Green-Beckham is anywhere near them in achievement. And he’s got a rap sheet — already, at age 23, arrested for marijuana use. He was also dismissed from the University of Missouri after being investigated for allegedly pushing a woman down the stairs. But he became available to the Eagles not because of those, but rather a fickle pair of hands and a perceived lack of intensity, at least in the eyes of new Tennessee coach Mike Mularkey. But the size, the speed, the possibility to mature…According to reporters who cover the Titans, Green-Beckham has also been a quiet locker room presence, a willing student, and far from the “cancer’’ label that at times attached to players like Moss, Owens and Gordon.
So maybe, just maybe, an emotionally intelligent coach like Doug Pederson is just what the doctor ordered for Green-Beckham to flourish. At the very least, on this team of underwhelming wideouts, any side effect appears minimal.

The Eagles are focusing on making the right tackles this year. Philly.com:

In [Billy Davis’] two-gap, 3-4 scheme, safeties were quasi-cornerbacks with limited run responsibilities. Tackling was way down their list of priorities. The way getting coffee is for a Fortune 500 CEO. Yes, Malcolm Jenkins had a team-high 104 tackles last season. But about half of those were on guys Byron Maxwell and Mychal Kendricks missed. That’s changed with a new defensive sheriff in town. While coverage still is job one for the safeties in Jim Schwartz’s Wide 9, 4-3 scheme, they have gap responsibilities against the run, which they didn’t have in Davis’ defense. “There’s a little bit more (run) responsibility,” Jenkins said. “But it’s not overly complicated. Jim has the same mentality as Billy, as far as not wanting an in-the-box safety who’s a big hitter. He wants guys who can cover, who can move, and just fill the hole. “He tells us all the time, in most of our coverages, if we get a tackle for a loss, that means we probably were too aggressive.”

The O-Line plays a very important role tonight. PhillyMag:


Allen Barbre replacing Lane Johnson as the starting right tackle was the expected move, but Isaac Seumalo starting at left guard over Stefen Wisniewski was not a move I saw coming so early on. Wisniewski certainly did not impress against Tampa Bay, but Seumalo is not close to being caught up after missing OTAs and minicamp. The rookie has been open about feeling behind, and I wonder if his head will be spinning against Cleveland if he has to start in Week 1. These next three games will go a long way in determining the Eagles’ starting offensive line once the regular season begins, and tonight will be our first chance to see what Seumalo can do with the first-team offense. We also get a peek at whether Barbre will be a sufficient stopgap while Johnson sits out, and if Halapoulivaati Vaitai shows any aptitude with the reserves.