Doug Pederson spoke to the media again on Tuesday and, as usual, touched on a number of topics. He was asked about the running back position, the decision to keep Jason Peters at right guard and the combination of Matt Pryor and Jordan Mailata at left tackle, the health of Carson Wentz and other injured players, and more.
As always, we try to share the press conference transcripts in case you missed the live stream. Below is the full transcript shared by the team on Monday afternoon.
EAGLES HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
Press Conference Transcript
September 1, 2020
Q. Wanted to ask you about your running back group beyond RB Miles Sanders. What have you seen so far that you’ve liked from RB Boston Scott and RB Corey Clement? Are you happy with this group? Do you feel you need to bring in a veteran? (Paul Domowitch)
DOUG PEDERSON: I’ve been pleased with the running backs during camp. Obviously, we know where Miles is at, day-to-day, working hard to get back.
Boston has been a bright spot. He picked up where he left off at the end of the season, and really what he had done last year for us and has been looking really good.
To me, Corey Clement, has worked really hard to bounce back from the injuries he has had, and he looks really good, strong, in a good position there.
Then with our young runners, with [RB] Elijah Holyfield and [RB] Michael Warren and [RB] Adrian Killins. I think these guys are doing a really good job. These scrimmages have been a bright spot for them. They have shown what they can do, and I have really been pleased with that group.
Q. There are a couple reports that G Jason Peters wants a pay bump to slide from right guard to left tackle. Is that true? If it gets to the point where you ask a player to change positions and they refuse, does that undermine your authority? (Dave Zangaro)
DOUG PEDERSON: First of all, I don’t understand where some of these reports are coming from. Jason Peters for us has done an outstanding job at right guard. He’s comfortable at right guard. We have some options at left tackle that we’re working through over there.
It doesn’t undermine anything. The fact that Jason has really embraced a new role for him, he’s done it well. He’s playing at a high level in what we’ve asked him to do there and he’s comfortable.
As you guys know, it’s hard to disrupt too many positions with that offensive line. We’ve got a few more days here before we really get into regular season week to find out who that left tackle will be. But got some options over there.
Q. If you asked Jason Peters to play left tackle, are you confident he would do that? (Dave Zangaro)
DOUG PEDERSON: To me that would be a private conversation, one between me and Jason. I probably wouldn’t reveal that to you guys.
Q. What sense do you have of how long QB Carson Wentz is going to be out? At what point does he need to start practicing to be ready for week one? (Zach Berman)
DOUG PEDERSON: Well, obviously what Carson is working through right now is nothing major. It’s minor. It’s day-to-day. This is actually a good time for this week, to rest. As you know, if we played a game on Thursday, a pre-season game, he wouldn’t play this week anyway. All the backups would go.
This is really a good time for him to really rest, for the majority of our starters, to kind of rest and prepare themselves for next week. I have no issues of where Carson is, where he’s headed. He’ll be ready to go.
Q. The guys that are day-to-day, is there anybody that’s in jeopardy of missing the opener right now? (Tim McManus)
DOUG PEDERSON: As I see it right now today, no. As you know, things can change obviously with anything that goes on. As of right now, no.
Q. Would moving T Lane Johnson from right to left tackle be an option if you’re not happy with where G/T Matt Pryor and T Jordan Mailata might be? (Reuben Frank)
DOUG PEDERSON: Well, if you did that, who are you putting at right tackle? Are you going to put [T Jack] Driscoll over there, Pryor, Mailata over there? There are so many moving parts. That’s why it’s so important for us as a team moving forward that we keep guys in their spots, work at their spots, and we figure out one position as opposed to figuring out two or three.
Obviously, we’ve had these conversations in the past with Lane. But Lane is our right tackle. He’s comfortable there.
Q. Who will be left tackle today in practice? (Les Bowen)
DOUG PEDERSON: Over there today, Matt Pryor will begin the work over there. Jordan Mailata will be getting some work over there. Driscoll is working some right side as well. So, we’re going to continue that rotation.
Q. What did you make of Matt Pryor’s difficulties in Sunday’s scrimmage with DE Josh Sweat? (Les Bowen)
DOUG PEDERSON: I don’t make too much of it. Pryor has been working right guard and right tackle. I believe this might have been the first time he’s really had extensive left tackle work without any preparation or practice time.
It’s a great example of why you just don’t move guys around at the spur of the moment. Matt Pryor is a guy that, once he gets all the work during the week, is a solid guard or tackle. He’s proven that in the past for us. He’ll settle in over there at the left side, and we’ll be fine.
Q. You just said Matt Pryor has hardly ever played left tackle, and that’s a reason why you don’t move people where they haven’t been before. You have a Hall of Fame left tackle that you’re not moving to left tackle. What am I missing here? (Jeff McLane)
DOUG PEDERSON: The fact that we’re not moving him to left tackle? Nothing. You’re not missing anything. The fact that he’s come in here and done a great job for us at right guard, he’s solidified that right guard. He’s worked well with Lane when Lane has been out there. He’s working great with [C Jason] Kelce. Kelce has a comfort level there with him.
The thing is if we end up moving too many spots, especially this late into camp, it can disrupt some timing up front. Those guys need to be in sync. For us to go out and put our best five up there, that’s the plan, that’s where we’re going, that’s where we’re headed. We’re going to get them all ready to play.
Q. With WR Jalen Reagor out week-to-week, how confident are you with WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and WR John Hightower on the outside opposite of WR DeSean Jackson? (Mike Kaye)
DOUG PEDERSON: I’m very comfortable with J.J. He’s played. He has some game experience. I think he’s worked well with Carson. Carson is understanding him better this year, having worked now more I would say exclusively together.
Hightower has had a good camp. The one thing with him right now is just game experience, right? He’s a rookie, a first-year player.
It doesn’t seem to be too big for either one of those players right now. I’m looking forward to both of them competing and helping us as we start the season.
Q. With Jalen Reagor missing some time here, WR Alshon Jeffery has said he could possibly be out there on the field with the team soon. Is there a chance we could see Alshon playing in September? (John Clark)
DOUG PEDERSON: I mean, there’s always a chance. I’m not going to put a timetable on Alshon. I want to make sure he’s obviously 100% or 105%, if that’s such a thing, before we put him out there.
He’s working extremely hard. He wants to be out there. He wants to practice and play in games. But at the same time, we know it’s a long season. We’ve got some guys that we need to make sure that are healthy for the entire season, not just the beginning of the year.
Q. With Jalen Reagor set to miss a little time because of injury, what did you make of his training camp and the strides he made as a rookie from first practice to Sunday? (Daniel Gallen)
DOUG PEDERSON: I’ve been really, really impressed with Jalen, his work ethic, picking up our system.
One of the things I guess from our virtual meetings that we’ve had with him in the off-season to now to training camp, is how well he carried the information over, how well he retained the information, right? Then his competitive drive in practice has showed up. His explosiveness, his speed. He has really good hands.
Things that were hard to see on his college tape, but we knew as a receiver that he could do. He came in and, gosh, he wants to learn. He’s a sponge. He’s learning from Alshon, from DeSean, he’s learning from Carson.
I’m excited to see obviously this year when we get him back, then obviously the remainder of this year and see how his career really unfolds working with Carson down the road.
Q. This year with the pandemic basically having wiped out your whole off-season, how important is it for guys, like RB Adrian Killins, but maybe some other guys, to have come in here and be able to show they are able to play more than one position? Do you really value that even more this year than in other years? (Nick Fierro)
DOUG PEDERSON: He’s one of the players that I think has kind of caught our eye a little bit. We had him at receiver, then running back, or vice versa, running back, receiver, now back to running back. Someone that’s come in and really done a nice job that way.
It is hard. I tell you, from a coaching side of it, not having pre-season games, I would tell you it’s difficult to really evaluate these guys, and really see them in game situations. It’s probably been the hardest thing this camp.
We’ve seen probably enough from him to understand who he is and the type of player he is. We like him. At the same time, it’s just a matter of missing games. That evaluation process goes a long way.
