It’s a shame the Eagles’ Monday training camp practice wasn’t at Lehigh because Carson Wentz and DeSean Jackson put on a show that every Eagles fan would have loved to see.
Wentz and Jackson, in their fourth training camp day together, connected on several highlight-reel plays, including a screen pass that Jackson took to the house and a couple deep balls.
Their timing and chemistry — this quickly — is dazzling.
Today was an awesome day,” Jackson said. “We connected a few times down the field, covered intermediate routes, covered quick screens. We’re just trying to keep adding to what we’re already doing, just keep building, that’s the biggest thing you can do right now with training camp is just keep building and get them reps. The reps we can get now, it doesn’t get any better than that because once the season comes it’s like [in] the back of the head — he knows what I’m doing, I know what he’s doing.
Jackson, who’s scored more touchdowns of at least 60 yards than anybody in NFL history, is with his third team in four years and back with the Eagles for the first time since 2013, when Chip Kelly released him after his third Pro Bowl season.
He’s back where it all began, and he looks like he hasn’t lost a step.
His ability to build such remarkable timing this fast with Wentz is the most auspicious aspect of camp so far.
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Every day [the chemistry] has grown, and whether it’s on the field where you see it with live reps or after practice or off to the side between team drills and we’re talking and we watch film together,” Wentz said. “Chemistry grows in a billion different ways and it’s exciting, for sure.
Wentz said the time he and Jackson spend off the field is just as important as the time they spend on the field, which is limited.
You see them together all the time. Before practice. Between drills. After practice.
There’s a lot that can be discussed, honestly,” Wentz said. “Just reviewing certain routes, different plays, different things, what you’re expecting against different coverages. The defender’s playing a certain technique, what are you expecting, what are you thinking? Just to get on the same page. Every receiver is different. Every receiver has preferences on things and to build that chemistry without getting the physical reps I think is a huge part of it.
If you think back to 2017, it took Wentz and Alshon Jeffery some time to build that connection when Jeffery joined the Eagles as a veteran receiver.
If you remember, Jeffery had 26 catches for 354 yards and two touchdowns in his first seven games with Wentz before things really clicked between them.
We'll see what happens when the season begins, but so far the Eagles' 2008 second-round pick and 2016 first-round pick have clicked in a hurry.
Wentz said building chemistry with Jackson is tricky just because of Jackson’s world-class speed.
It’s different playing with a guy like him and it’s definitely exciting at the same time and that’s why it just takes a lot of communication,” Wentz said. “But I feel really good. I feel in a really good spot with him and I think we’re just going to keep building.
This is going to be fun.
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