Eagles practice observations: Carson Wentz to DeSean Jackson; cornerback competition; two tight ends?

The Eagles opened their second week of organized team activities Tuesday and the practice was open to reporters.

Here are some of the highlights:

1. There wasn’t much movement in terms of personnel, but one notable change from last week was that Sidney Jones and Avonte Maddox switched positions with the first-team defense. Jones covered the slot, while Maddox was on the outside. Jim Schwartz will move his defensive backs up and down on the depth chart and back and forth at various spots, so I wouldn’t make much of the change this early into the offseason. But it will be interesting to see how the cornerback spot shakes out once Ronald Darby (knee) and Jalen Mills (foot) return from rehab. Will the incumbent starters retain their jobs? Can Jones supplant either one or will he return to the slot? Can he even beat out Maddox or Cre’Von LeBlanc inside? And what about Rasul Douglas? The Eagles don’t necessarily have a No. 1 corner or even someone who can be penciled in as a bona fide starter, but they do have depth.

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2. Jones has a lot to prove coming off an injury-marred sophomore season. He’s looked solid thus far in the two open practices. He got matched up vs. DeSean Jackson in the red zone on two occasions and quarterback Carson Wentz went at him each time. On the first try, Wentz’s pass sailed high of the slanting Jackson. He may have simply been placing the ball in a near-uncatchable spot with Jones draped over the receiver. On the second, Jackson and receiver Shelton Gibson ran rub routes and Wentz hit the former in the corner beyond the trailing Jones. Wentz also hooked up with rookie receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, who made a splendid grab, on a corner fade over Jones. There wasn’t much the corner could have done to break up the pass.

3. Aside from Darby and Mills, the following players also coming back from known injuries were missing from practice: guard Brandon Brooks (Achilles), defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (foot), linebacker Nigel Bradham (hand), receiver Mack Hollins (groin), and running back Corey Clement (knee). Defensive end Derek Barnett (shoulder) participated in some of practice, but mostly watched from the sideline. Safety Rodney McLeod (knee) came out and watched the second half of the workout. Linebacker Zach Brown and running back Miles Sanders were at practice but were out with apparent injuries. Running back Josh Adams (shoulder) was a full participant after missing parts of last week’s open session. Linebacker Nate Gerry did some work on a separate field with an apparent injury. The following veterans, for whatever the reason, were also absent: tackles Jason Peters and Lane Johnson, safety Malcolm Jenkins, and receiver Alshon Jeffery.

4. Jenkins may be sitting out for contract purposes, and to what end is still unknown, but Schwartz said before practice that he wasn’t concerned. “I know this, when the chips are down, you’ll be able to count on Malcolm,” he said. There were plenty of established veterans in attendance, however, and when a Pro Bowler such as tight end Zach Ertz takes reps on special teams, it can trickle down to the rest of the squad. Jackson wasn’t always a regular during spring workouts in his first stint with the Eagles, but he’s been present for most of this offseason. Doug Pederson’s version of Andy Reid’s West Coast offense is considerably different from the one Jackson last played in, so he’s had some catching up to do, but his attendance alone has brought a welcomed dynamic to the proceedings.

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5. Wentz has yet to hit Jackson on a deep route during the two open practices — he threw outside of the receiver on a long ball into the end zone early in Tuesday’s session — but they connected on an intermediate post route later on. Wentz’s pass fluttered, but he threaded the needle and hit Jackson in stride just over the goal line. It’s early, the players are in shorts, and there have been many missing defensive starters, yada, yada, yada, but Wentz has looked sharp. He also roped a dart to Jackson on a 15-yard out route and floated a 20-yard feather to Ertz after he wheeled past linebacker T.J. Edwards.

6. The offenses worked some on tempo. During the start of one set, the first unit jetted out of the huddle and up to the line — the Rams employed this tactic often last season — and seemed to have caught the defense off guard when Wentz found Ertz alone. I can’t imagine Pederson is practicing many new plays at this time, especially with reporters in tow, but he used a fair amount of “12” personnel on Tuesday. Offensive coordinator Mike Groh referred to both Ertz and Dallas Goedert as starters and, while that may not technically be the case for most games, I’d expect the latter on the field more than he was as a rookie. Goedert impressed almost immediately last spring, but it’s fairly obvious he’s now processing at a faster clip.

7. Here’s my running diary of the first units: Wentz hit receiver Nelson Agholor on an early crosser. Agholor and Jackson have done a fair amount of inside-outside switching. Defensive tackles Malik Jackson and Tim Jernigan got caught in pursuit when Wentz handed off to running back Jordan Howard on a draw. Wentz found Jackson over the middle in the soft spot of a zone. The quarterback tried to dump to Howard vs. the blitz, but the running back didn’t look back in time. Wentz threw a touch behind Ertz on a sideline route, but the tight end adjusted his body to make the grab. During seven-on-seven drills, linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill stepped in front of a Wentz toss to Goedert and knocked the ball to the ground. Linebacker Alex Singleton batted a pass near the line. Agholor squealed in the corner of the end zone, obviously thinking that he had gotten open vs. Jones. Wentz paid him back a series later with a BB down the seam.

8. The second units: Quarterback Nate Sudfeld’s first pass during team drills was intercepted when cornerback Josh Hawkins jumped a toss to receiver Carlton Agudosi. Suds bounced back on his next attempt and laced one to receiver DeAndre Thompkins. Agholor pulled in an over-the-shoulder toss from Sudfeld with one hand during three-on-three drills. Defensive end Josh Sweat tagged the quarterback for a would-be sack. Receiver Charles Johnson couldn’t haul in a high one. Sudfeld dropped a dime to tight end Richard Rodgers in the back of the end zone during seven-on-seven red zone drills. He repeated that feat later on, only this time to Goedert.

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9. And the third units: Quarterback Cody Kessler hit running back Boston Scott on a nicely timed wheel route. Tight end Josh Perkins jumped offside and was promptly yanked to the sideline. Edwards slashed downhill and got two hands on running back Donnel Pumphrey on an outside zone run. Quarterback Clayton Thorson tried for Arcega-Whiteside high near the sideline, but the receiver couldn’t hang on. Perkins rallied and beat safety Deiondre’ Hall on an inside route into the end zone. Rookie cornerback Jay Liggins got beat badly on an Agudosi double move. I predict that the 6-foot-6 receiver will be a fan training camp favorite, if only because of his length. Pederson had to burn a timeout when a couple of rookie receivers couldn’t get lined up right. Thorson just glared in their direction. His next pass sailed way over the head of receiver Braxton Miller.

10. And a few leftovers … Receiver Greg Ward scored on an end around to the pleasure of many offensive starters. He may not have a home on the Eagles’ 53-man roster, but Ward has enough talent to play at this level. … Of course, Schwartz did a pretty good job of putting spring practices into perspective with the following quote: “They all look good this time of year. I think 27 years in the NFL, I could probably make a pretty good all-star team of OTAs and first week in training camp, and we can put that group together and there probably wouldn’t be very many people that a lot of guys have heard of.” I may have to put together my own list.