Philadelphia Eagles: What We've Learned Through Week 1 of Preseason

The Philadelphia Eagles are heading into their second preseason game on Saturday, which is when we'll really start to learn a lot about the makeup of this team. That being said, with one exhibition and three weeks of training camp under their belt, we know so much already.

That goes double seeing as the Eagles just wrapped up two days of joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens on Friday. As Philly defensive coordinator Bill Davis described it to reporters, it was akin to having two extra preseason contests.

The Eagles got a lot of good work in this week and against the Indianapolis Colts this past Sunday. Let's head to the notebook and run down our latest observations from camp.

Jordan Matthews Headed for Great Year

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For those of us who have been down at training camp, it's easy to take for granted how good Jordan Matthews has been every day this summer. He's clearly the Eagles' most targeted wide receiver, be it short, intermediate or long.

But when the Baltimore Ravens arrived in Philadelphia for joint practices this week, Matthews took it to another level. On Wednesday, the secondary had no answer for Matthews over the middle. On Thursday, presumably tired of getting burned, defensive backs took it upon themselves to manhandle the second-year wideout, drawing no fewer than three flags for pass interference.

Matthews has made a ton of sensational catches all over the field this summer, not to mention has been a real weapon for the Eagles inside the red zone. In addition to being a chore to cover, he's a voracious blocker and never takes a play off at practice.

Matthews became just the 11th rookie wide receiver in NFL history to finish with at least 65 receptions, 850 yards and eight touchdowns in a season in 2014. Now that he's the No. 1 option in Philly's prolific offense, Pro Bowl numbers are not out of reach.

Earl Wolff's Time May Be Running out

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When the Eagles failed to add a safety in the draft or free agency, it appeared Earl Wolff was the front-runner to win the starting safety job vacated by Nate Allen. Now, it seems highly unlikely Wolff will even make the roster.

The 2013 fifth-round pick has been limited by a knee injury since December of his rookie season and finally underwent "mini-microfracture surgery" last November. When training camp opened, Wolff was finally a full participant at practice, but as time went on, he was held out again. Finally on Thursday, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly revealed the defensive back was away from the team to see doctors.

As unfortunate as Wolff's situation is, the fact of the matter is he can't make this team if he isn't physically able to play. Add in the fact that Walter Thurmond has seized the starting job and Ed Reynolds and Chris Prosinski are making strong bids for depth spots, and suddenly there doesn't appear to be much of an opening in the first place.

There is a chance Wolff could wind up on injured reserve as opposed to the waiver wire, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to ever see him suiting up in midnight green again. That's a shame because it appeared he could become a competent safety after 11 games in 2013.

Outside Linebacker Depth Getting Dicey

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The depth behind Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham at outside linebacker was already a sticky subject. Nobody knows if 2014 first-round selection Marcus Smith can play, and there isn't a whole lot in the way of established talent otherwise.

To make matters worse, Smith is the latest in a long line of linebackers to go down with an injury. While he's only expected to miss a few weeks with a hamstring injury, Travis Long, Brandon Hepburn and Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo were not so lucky; all are out for the season.

With Smith out for a while, the Eagles were forced to get creative. Brad Jones was signed to play interior linebacker, but the former Green Bay Packer moved outside, where he does have experience. And while defensive end Vinny Curry has seen time on the edge in select packages and this spring, it became a far more regular occurrence the past two days at practice.

Of course, Jones was never the most effective outside (or inside) linebacker, and although Curry can rush the passer from anywhere on the field, dropping into coverage could be a challenge. Plus, Smith was improving but hadn't shown enough to feel confident he would be a bigger contributor in 2015 after a lost rookie season.

Needless to say, this will remain a situation to monitor even as the regular season gets underway against the Atlanta Falcons on September 14.

Andrew Gardner Is the Right Guard

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Eagles coaches continue to talk as if there is an ongoing competition at right guard, but if that is the case, it isn't apparent by what's transpiring on the field. Andrew Gardner has been the starter at every practice, walkthrough and game for over a week now, and there's no signal a change is coming.

Two of the players thought to be jockeying for the position haven't even been lining up there. Julian Vandervelde has been seeing more action at left guard, and Matt Tobin has moved on to left tackle, where he's looked better. Only John Moffitt is still at right guard on a regular basis, and he looked very much like a player who spent the last year out of football in Sunday's preseason opener.

Gardner, on the other hand, had a very strong game against the Indianapolis Colts. He was only on the field for two series, but there were no lapses in protection to speak of.

Gardner finished out last season at right guard for Philadelphia, and while there were the occasional miscues, he wasn't bad for somebody who had never started an NFL game before. In fact, he didn't appear to be any worse than Todd Herremans or anybody else the team plugged in there. Assuming Gardner is the right guard in 2015, the Eagles are probably fine.

Plenty of Competition at Cornerback

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It's amazing how the Eagles secondary already looks worlds better than it did last season. Prize free-agent addition Byron Maxwell deserves a lot of credit for solidifying one half of the field, but there has been tremendous competition for the other spots.

Currently, Nolan Carroll and Eric Rowe are battling for the No. 2 cornerback job. Carroll seems to have the upper hand over the second-round pick out of Utah, but the rookie just keeps battling. Rowe forced a fumble on Colts receiver Phillip Dorsett in Sunday's game, and while Ravens wideout Steve Smith made some plays, the 23-year-old had his moments at joint practices against the five-time Pro Bowler.

Elsewhere, veteran E.J. Biggers, 2014 fourth-round selection Jaylen Watkins and undrafted rookie Denzel Rice are also competing for roles. Biggers is enjoying a surprisingly strong camp after washing out with Washington and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Watkins seems to be coming into his own while battling for the nickel cornerback job. Rice is a little rough around the edges but seems to make a lot of plays.

There's so much more talent compared to last season, when Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher were largely responsible for holding down the fort. Provided the unit stays healthy, there's no way Philadelphia finishes in the bottom two against the pass in 2015.

All camp observations and quotes are the author's unless otherwise noted.