PHILADELPHIA – Three training camp practices have gone by and it seems as if the Eagles quarterbacks are starting to settle into their routines when it comes to individual drill periods and getting acclimated to the receivers.
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The team worked on a lot of red zone opportunities during Friday’s practice. According to Teamrankings, the Eagles were 13th in the league last season in red zone touchdown percentage, scoring six points 60.87% of the time. With heavy importance on scoring in this area, the Eagles wanted to make sure the quarterbacks and the offense worked on route details and experiencing different defensive looks, hoping it translates to success in the regular season.
Here is the Day 3 report card for the three quarterbacks on the Eagles’ roster:
Accuracy
Hurts’ accuracy was on par with Thursday’s performance. Hurts threw a sideline route to tight end Dallas Goedert that resulted in a touchdown. He also threw a good back-shoulder pass to running back Miles Sanders that Sanders just missed bringing into his body. Hurts utilized the quick, short routes to his advantage and got the ball out quickly to the receivers near the sidelines.
There were also times where Hurts threw the ball high, not being able to get his feet set and follow through to deliver a good ball. In one instance, he had Goedert breaking open near the corner of the end zone, but the ball sailed over the outstretched hand of the 6-foot, 5-inch receiver. Another one of his passes targeted for wide receiver Greg Ward, who was running along the backline of the end zone, also sailed high.
Decision-making
Hurts had a strong day with his decisions regarding who to throw the ball to in his route progressions. He looked decisive once again and made the right decisions to move around in the pocket to buy time, keeping the ball and running with it when nothing was open. The only noticeable decision was when he ran the ball on a run play. Hurts decided to hold on instead and would have been tackled for a four-yard loss had it been a real game.
Favorite Target
Hurts threw the same amount of targets to both Goedert and wide receiver DeVonta Smtih.
Play of the Day
Hurts threw a nice pass toward the corner of the end zone, avoiding linebacker Davion Taylor and into the hands of Goedert for a touchdown.
Overall Grade
Hurts’ accuracy will be under a microscope during the preseason because he finished with a 52% completion rate last season. There is no question about his ability to run. If he continues to improve his throws to the tight ends, the offense will open up.
Grade: B
Accuracy
Like Hurts, Flacco had his moments where he looked good but had some throws that could have been better. He made a nice throw to Kenny Gainwell in the middle of the field during one of the 11-on-11 red-zone sessions that would have been a touchdown. Flacco overthrew tight end Tyree Jackson, who was breaking open in the corner. Jackson made a diving attempt for the ball but came up short.
There were a couple of instances where he threw off his back foot to try to get the ball out to a receiver who was breaking open. Flacco has the arm strength to make up for those throws, but it is not necessarily something you want to see regularly. He also threw a pass high and behind running back Jason Huntley.
Decision-making
Flacco did scan the field and did not make any apparent bad decisions regarding throwing the ball based on the coverage the defense was showing him.
Favorite Target
Flacco spread the ball around again, and by the unofficial count, the only receiver he targeted multiple times was Gainwell with two.
Play of the Day
Coming off a play-action pass and wanting to get the ball out to wide receiver Michael Walker, Flacco threw off his back foot and got the ball in the receiver’s hands, placing the ball near the sideline for a touchdown.
Overall Grade
The team seemed to run the ball a lot when he was under center. When it came time for the throws, it was an average performance by the veteran. When it comes to a padded practice and defenses start to show more looks, he may play differently.
Grade: C
Accuracy
The third quarterback does not get as many reps as the starter and first backup, so Mullens has had fewer opportunities during camp. On Friday, he made the most of his. Mullens completed six of his eight passing attempts.
Decision-making
Mullens used the running backs as outlets. When no receivers were getting open downfield, he threw the ball ahead of the running backs to give them a chance to run after making the catch.
Mullens had about seven seconds to try to find a receiver, but there was not enough separation for him to throw the ball. Instead of trying to make the play happen, he used it to scramble. When a receiver eventually came open, the pass was incomplete. In that instance, he probably should have thrown the ball out the back of the end zone or leave the pocket and throw it out of bounds if it were a real game.
Favorite Target
Jhamon Ausbon was the only player that was targeted multiple times by Mullens. He was able to complete both passes.
Play of the Day
Mullens used a pump fake and delivered a good pass to Ausbon for a touchdown during the first 11-on-11 period.
Overall Grade
Mullens has had a good camp thus far. One thing that Mullens has done well is using his eyes to hold the safeties in check when he drops back to pass. Quarterbacks do not want to stare down a receiver and allow the safety to cheat over to the side he wants to throw and enable them to get a good jump.
It has also gotten to the point where he may force it to be a competition between him and Flacco as to who should be the second quarterback behind Hurts. He could make the QB2 decision challenging for the coaching staff and front office if he does well in the padded practices and preseason games.
Grade: B
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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.