By Eliot Shorr-Parks | NJ.com for NJ Advance Media

For the final time before mandatory minicamp begins next week, the Eagles opened their practice to the media on Thursday, working for close to an hour-and-a-half.

Who stood out during the practice session?

Here are observations from the practice.

Don't Edit

Lori M. Nichols | NJ.com

Don't Edit

CARSON WENTZ

Thursday was not a good day for quarterback Carson Wentz.

Wentz was very shaky during a red zone drill, and although it wasn't 11-on-11, he completed less than a third of his passes.

On one play, Wentz threw the ball up in an attempt to simply get it out of bounds, but it was almost picked off by safety Malcolm Jenkins. His best play of the series came on a pass to tight end Zach Ertz, a pass he fit between two defenders to hit Ertz in the back of the end zone.

In a real game, however, Wentz would have likely been sacked, as he had the ball for about eight seconds.

Don't Edit

Wentz did not do much better in 11-on-11 drills. Here are his stats for the day:

REPS: 21

STATS: 11/17, 2 TDs, 1 INT

Don't Edit

Wentz's best throw of the day came on a deep pass to receiver Nelson Agholor, who got behind the defense about 50 yards down the field.

Wentz hit Agholor in stride over two defenders, and Agholor did a great job making the catch for the touchdown.

Still, despite the nice deep pass, Wentz had more bad moments than good ones on Thursday.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

WHERE DOES WENTZ RANK AMONG NFL QBs?

Don't Edit

Tim Hawk | NJ.com

Don't Edit

ALSHON JEFFERY

Receiver Alshon Jeffery did not touch the ball much on Thursday.

It wasn't for a lack of targets. But on the two or three passes that Wentz did throw in Jeffery's direction, the two were unable to connect.

Jeffery does do a good job playing defense when he doesn't have a chance to catch the ball, as twice on Thursday he had to bat the ball away from being picked off on under throws by Wentz.

Wentz and Jeffery have had their moments in OTAs, but it is clear they are still a work in progress.

Don't Edit

NFL POWER RANKINGS: WHERE ARE THE EAGLES?

Don't Edit

SHELTON GIBSON

Rookie receiver Shelton Gibson is having serious trouble catching the ball in OTAs and that problem continued on Thursday.

Gibson dropped the ball three times in individual drills on Thursday, two of them coming on back-to-back passes from wide receiver coach Mike Groh.

Gibson dropping passes is nothing new, as he has about eight or nine dropped passes in the practices that have been open to the media.

Gibson has also been mostly invisible in team drills, not a good sign for a receiver the Eagles were hoping could come in and help them stretch the field.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

DEFENSIVE AHEAD OF OFFENSE

At this point of the offseason the defense appears to be light years ahead of the offense.

The defensive line has absolutely dominated the offensive line in team drills. The pressure from the defensive line is part of the reason Wentz and the passing game has struggled.

It is not surprising to see the defense ahead of the offense at this point considering all of the new pieces that have been added to the offensive side of the ball.

Still, while the defensive coaches must be excited, the offensive coaches are probably starting to realize how much work needs to be done before Week 1.

Don't Edit

WHO ON EAGLES PLAYER IS FIGHTING FOR A ROSTER SPOT?

Don't Edit

TREY BURTON

Tight end Trey Burton figures to be a bigger part of the offense this season and so far he is showing he is ready to contribute.

Burton had two really nice catches on Thursday, both coming in the end zone.

Burton's first nice grab came with no defense, but on a pass that was way over his head, Burton stretched and caught the ball, making sure he kept his feet in bounds after securing the ball.

His second grab came in seven-on-seven drills, pulling in the ball as he slide over the goal line on a low pass from Wentz.

Between Burton and starting tight end Zach Ertz it seems the Eagles should get plenty of help from their tight ends this season in the passing game.

Don't Edit

TIMMY JERNIGAN

Earlier this week defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan had to leave practice early due to an ankle injury.

On Thursday he was back and causing big problems for the defense.

Jernigan blew by offensive guard Isaac Seumalo during an 11-on-11 team drill early on in practice, and quarterback Carson Wentz would have been in some trouble if he wasn't wearing a red jersey.

Jernigan has done a great job so far in OTAs getting pressure on the quarterback.

Don't Edit

DORIAL GREEN-BECKHAM

Wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham's fall from grace is happening pretty quickly.

Last season, Green-Beckham was a starting wide receiver and had the second-most targets among the receivers on the roster.

Now?

Green-Beckham spent most of practice on Thursday with the second-and third-team offense, at times lining up with undrafted free agent receivers.

Unless Green-Beckham has an outstanding training camp it is tough to see him landing on the 53-man roster.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

JALEN MILLS

Cornerback Jalen Mills had a very impressive showing on Thursday.

Mills looked especially good during a red zone drill and earned plenty of praise from secondary coach Cory Undlin.

On one play, Wentz tried to hit Jeffery near the goal line, but Mills came in and broke it up.

On another Wentz got his hands in front of a pass intended for tight end Zach Ertz.

Mills is going to head into the season as the Eagles top cornerback, so seeing him have such a strong day against the first-team offense had to be encouraging for the team.

Don't Edit

CAN EAGLES WIN NFC EAST?

Don't Edit

RASUL DOUGLAS

Speaking of cornerbacks, rookie cornerback Rasul Douglas seems to be climbing the ladder very quickly.

Douglas got some time with the first team offense on Thursday, a step up from the reps he has been getting so far in OTAs.

Douglas has had a strong showing at practice so far this spring. The cornerback is always around the ball and his long arms allow him to make up quickly for any mistakes he might make.

It would not be surprising to see Douglas starting in Week 1.

Don't Edit

DEREK BARNETT

First-round pick Derek Barnett had maybe his best practice so far that the media has been allowed to see.

Barnett was lined up against offensive tackle Lane Jonson during an 11-on-11 drill late in the practice. Earlier during OTAs, Barnett was not able to get anything going against Johnson, but that was not the case on Thursday.

Barnett got pressure on Wentz on back-to-back plays Thursday, both times beating Johnson to get there.

Johnson is one of the best tackles in the NFL, so seeing Barnett hold his own this early on is a very encouraging sign.

Don't Edit

MISSING FROM ACTION

Missing from action on Thursday were:

Wide receiver Jordan Matthews (knee)

Quarterback Nick Foles (family)

Running back LeGarrette Blount (family)

Offensive tackle Jason Peters (has not been at OTAs)

Defensive end Marcus Smith (has not been at OTAs)

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

WHERE TO REACH ME

Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.

Don't Edit

THE NO-HUDDLE SHOW

THE NO-HUDDLE SHOW: Did Eagles improve enough?

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Soundcloud or iHeartRadio.