Less than four months after the Eagles won Super Bowl LII in Minnesota, the whole team will be back together for the start of voluntary organized team activities on Tuesday.
Eagles OTAs are from May 22-24, May 29, May 31-June 1 and June 4-7. After that, there's a mandatory minicamp from June 12-14 before the long layoff leading into training camp in the summer.
OTAs fall under Phase 3 of the 2011 CBA, which limits activity during this period. For the first time this spring, players are allowed to wear helmets for the 10 days of OTAs. The big difference between 2 and 3 is that now there can actually be some competition. While 1-on-1s aren't allowed, team offense vs. team defense is finally OK with no contact. It's not really football, but it's something.
Here are some storylines to watch over the next few weeks:
No time off
Because the Eagles played into February, their offseason has been very short. It's a good problem to have, of course, but it's still a problem. This will be the first time the team is back together since the Super Bowl. Head coach Doug Pederson has been pretty vocal that he'd like to have all his players at these workouts, but they are voluntary by rule.
"Look, this is a voluntary program. We know it," Pederson said earlier this month. "I've been in touch with these guys and just staying on top of them and wishing they were here. But look, it's a voluntary program. These guys are veteran players. They know how to get themselves prepared."
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It'll be up to Pederson to manage his veteran players in the spring and summer after the short offseason. His experience as a player should help him understand how important rest is after a deep playoff run.
The new guys
The Eagles are back together, but the team doesn't look exactly like the one that won last season's Super Bowl. Guys like Brent Celek, Trey Burton, Vinny Curry, LeGarrette Blount, Patrick Robinson and Beau Allen are gone.
And there are plenty of newcomers, including Michael Bennett, Haloti Ngata, Mike Wallace, Matt Jones and others joining the team.
The 2017 team had special chemistry. If the 2018 team has a chance to win a title, this group is going to need to mesh in a similar way.
Unanswered questions
Bennett is awaiting a criminal case for allegedly pushing an elderly paraplegic woman. Jay Ajayi is facing a lawsuit for allegedly trashing an L.A. mansion. Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett and Alshon Jeffery all had offseason surgery.
Plenty to ask these guys.
Still the starter
Carson Wentz has been amping up his rehab but he's still not cleared for anything other than rehab, so all the first-team reps this spring are going to go to Nick Foles. Nate Sudfeld will get some extra work in his absence too.
Trip to D.C.
Last week, we learned the Eagles were invited to the White House on June 5 and that they're working on the logistics of a visit. One of the questions is about how many of their players will attend and what else they're going to do while in D.C. June 5 is a practice day, so we'll see how the Eagles handle that too.
