The end is near… for training camp that is.

Today is the final day of camp for the Eagles as they get set to take on the New England Patriots Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in Foxborough.

It was also the debut of Christian Hackenberg at practice. Very exciting stuff if you ask me! But besides that, Avonte Maddox continued to get first team reps at the slot corner position, Josh Adams left early, and Alshon Jeffery still isn’t practicing. There are 18 days until the roster cut down.

If Alshon can’t go for the opener or maybe even longer, Mack Hollins could see an increased role for a short amount of time. And he’s hoping some of that extra work that he does after practice benefits him in the long run.

Writes Paul Domowitch:

Hollins’ work ethic doesn’t surprise the Eagles’ new wide receivers coach, Gunter Brewer. Before joining Doug Pederson’s staff in the offseason, Brewer had spent six years as the co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach at the University of North Carolina, where one of his prize pupils for four of those six years was none other than Hollins.

“That’s just the way he is,” Brewer said. “He comes from a great family. Military background. Very regimented. He’s all about business. When it’s time to have fun, he has fun. But when it’s time to work, he works hard.”

The extra work is paying off for the 6-4, 221-pound Hollins. The 2017 fourth-round pick had 16 receptions and averaged 14.1 yards per catch last season, which was the highest yards-per-catch average by an Eagles rookie since DeSean Jackson in 2008 (14.7).

Hollins was targeted 22 times as a rookie and had just two drops. In the Eagles’ first 12 games, he caught 13 of the 14 passes thrown in his direction.

Today’s final practice gets started at 9:35 AM.

The Roundup:

The Phillies traveled back from the west coast yesterday and return to action tonight as they start a two-game series against the Boston Red Sox. First pitch is at 7:05 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Nick Pivetta is on the hill.

In case you missed it over the weekend, Rhys Hoskins popped the question:

Former Phillie Joe Blanton is now a winemaker.

“It was honestly baseball that got me into wine,” Blanton said. “I know that sounds a little weird, but when I was a younger player and we used to travel a lot, the older guys would pick up the dinner and we would usually go to steakhouses and they would always order wine.”

Blanton, who won a World Series ring in 2008 after his first season with the Phillies and pitched for the team until 2012, purchased a vineyard on Howell Mountain in Napa Valley in 2014.

In 2015, the Blantons moved to California and released their first wine — the 2014 Selah Cabernet Sauvignon — last November. The wine received a rating of 93 points out of 100 from wine critic Antonio Galloni, founder and chief executive of the wine publication Vinous and is available to buy through the vineyard’s website for $110.

A native of Kentucky, Blanton, now 37, said Napa Valley became important to him and his wife long before he owned property there. The heart of California’s wine country was where they got engaged and married, and the two of them spent two weeks vacationing there after every baseball season, he said. They used the trip as an opportunity to “pause and reflect” between the months when Blanton was training and playing.

More 76ers medical news: Landry Shamet and Shake Milton were “cleared to resume limited basketball activities.” That’s better than breaking your foot.

Jamal Crawford wants to play in Philadelphia, but is he worth signing?

“I’ve always loved coach Brett Brown. I’ve been on record. I’ve been a fan of his for years. He just needed talent, and now he has that. He added Ben Simmons, I love his game. I love Jojo [Joel Embiid]. They’re both among my favorite players in the league to watch. Markelle [Fultz] is like a little brother to me. Obviously, he went to the University of Washington, and we talk every other day. J.J. Redick is like a brother to me, we’ve been through wars together, so there’s so many things to love about Philadelphia for sure.”

Joel Embiid attempts to do bicycle kicks in Cameroon.

In other sports news, Roquan Smith and the Chicago Bears finally agreed to a rookie contract. He was the last rookie to sign his deal.

Will the new helmet rule be a disaster?

The Cleveland Browns punished rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway with more playing time.

The Clippers reportedly dumped Bruce Bowen as their analyst after his comments on Kawhi Leonard.

Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart passed away.

This is quality product placement.

In the news, Manayunk is on alert for potential Schuylkill flooding. Part of the King of Prussia Mall flooded yesterday as well.

A man in London drove into cyclists and crashed into a barrier outside the British House of Parliament.

Aretha Franklin is reportedly in hospice care.