It makes sense for Eagles HC Chip Kelly right now to get as many snaps for his receivers as he can. But when the season starts Sept. 7 against the Jags, Kelly’s most experienced (and therefore most reliable) offense will feature Brent Celek and Zach Ertz. I would anticipate that two tight-end offensive packages will be the bread and butter of the Eagles’ attack earlier in the season until Jordan Matthews is ready to see an uptick in playing time.

Last year, Kelly went with experience over upside when he designed his offense around three-wide formations featuring DeSean Jackson, Riley Cooper and Jason Avant, with Celek at tight end. Even though he used the 34th overall pick on Ertz, Kelly gradually eased the rookie tight end into the offense and didn’t feature more two tight-end formations until later in the season.

The same thinking can be applied be applied to the start of this season, with Kelly using Celek and Ertz more at the start of the year until Matthews and Josh Huff are ready.

Ertz averaged 2.8-32-.56 over the final nine games of the season (including the Eagles' sole playoff game) and that included two goose eggs in Week 10 and Week 14. That equates to 6.6 fantasy points per game, which is what Martellus Bennett averaged as the #10 TE in fantasy football. With Jason Avant and DeSean Jackson gone, Ertz could play a lot in the slot, though the arrival of WR Jordan Matthews may limit Ertz’s snaps there. If he can take a step forward in the blocking department, it will help his overall fantasy outlook.

Between Darren Sproles, LeSean McCoy, Jordan Matthews, Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper and tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek, there will be enough pass-run options within this offense to keep opponents honest, and the Eagles figure to be better in short-yardage situations.

Look for them to play their "12" personnel package (two tight ends) more as well.

The two-TE package is important for Ertz who may not be able to beat out Celek for in-line TE duties.

Eagles WR Jordan Matthews isn't just a try hard guy. He has great size at 6'3, 215-ish, he ran a 4.46 at the Combine, and he was the all-time receptions leader at Vanderbilt. He also stood out in OTAs and minicamp, making catch after catch after catch. It may take some time for Matthews to be an impact player at this level, but at a minimum, he should be a significant 'day one' upgrade over Jason Avant.

He may not be the next Terrell Owens, but the first Jordan Matthews seems to be progressing well in his rookie offseason with the Eagles.

According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Matthews took “a number of reps” with the first-team offense on Tuesday.

Matthews, a second-round pick last month, previously had been working almost exclusively with the No. 2 offense, developing great chemistry with veteran backup quarterback Mark Sanchez.

Matthews will likely see snaps in the slot (at least) this season. Jeremy Maclin is working his way back from an ACL injury and Riley Cooper is solid, but unspectacular. There is opportunity in this offense if Matthews has a great summer, and by most accounts he has. Rookie wideouts usually don’t live up to their ADP, but there is the occasional exception.

Eagles beat writer Geoff Mosher on who's manning the slot at minicamp: "Jordan Matthews gets plenty of work in the slot, as HC Chip Kelly said would happen, but Jeremy Maclin also logs his fair share of reps inside. It still wouldn’t surprise me if Maclin saw more playing time inside than Matthews, especially at the start of the season. In college, Maclin played a ton of slot wideout in Missouri’s spread offense."

Eagles beat writer Geoff Mosher on Nick Foles's newfound arm strength: "Nick Foles had some zip on his fastball. He made a few throws that spiraled tighter than I’m accustomed to seeing from him. On one deep pass in team drills, he fired a laser to Maclin down the right side despite tight coverage from Bradley Fletcher. Maclin almost came up with the catch, but the ball bounced off his fingertips as he nearly sprawled. Earlier, Foles found Maclin down the left seam in a zone between Connor Barwin and Nate Allen. Just real good placement."

This is the second report we've seen lauding Foles's arm strength. He posted the #3 PPG in 2013 and in 11 starts (including the playoffs) he averaged 23.1 FP, which was second only to Peyton Manning. DeSean Jackson is gone, but the return of Jeremy Maclin, the arrival of Darren Sproles and Jordan Matthews and the likely emergence of Zach Ertz should offset that loss. The only other question mark is his limited body of work. Sometimes quarterbacks take a step back in their second year as a starter — it’s also Chip Kelly’s second year as head coach — though Foles played at such a high level that even with a step back, he should still be a solid QB1.

On several occasions Wednesday, Eagles QB Nick Foles attempted to stretch the field with deep throws both in seven-on-seven drills and full team 11-on-11. One missed connection though was on a 50-yard pass over the middle that was just out of the reach of a diving Jeremy Maclin. Among the other positives from Foles' impressive showing this spring is that his arm appears to have gotten stronger during the off-season.

Nick Foles posted the #3 PPG in 2013 and in 11 starts (including the playoffs) he averaged 23.1 FP, which was second only to Peyton Manning. DeSean Jackson is gone, but the return of Jeremy Maclin, the arrival of Darren Sproles and Jordan Matthews and the likely emergence of Zach Ertz should offset that loss. The only other question mark is his limited body of work. Sometimes quarterbacks take a step back in their second year as a starter — it’s also Chip Kelly’s second year as head coach — though Foles played at such a high level that even with a step back, he should still be a solid QB1.

Once Michael Vick went down in October and Nick Foles stepped in the starting role, Eagles WR Riley Cooper excelled. In 10 games, he made 39 catches for 742 yards and seven TDs. He also pulled in six catches for 68 yards and a TD in the Birds' playoff loss to the Saints.

"He tracks the ball extremely well, especially the ones a long way away from the line of scrimmage," OC Pat Shurmur said. "And he's got size. So he has the ability to go up and over a defender and make a contested catch, which gives him an advantage in some situations."

With Jeremy Maclin out for the season, Cooper had a good year, finishing #24 in standard formats and #31 in PPR. For a five-game stretch from Week 6 to Week 10, Cooper was the #2 receiver in fantasy football, but he definitely faded down the stretch, posting #54 WR numbers the rest of the way. He'll have to hold of rookie WR Jordan Matthews, who has been the talk of camp.

When asked how Eagles QB Nick Foles as improved, HC Chip Kelly had this to say:

"Just a better command and an understanding of what's going on. You know, lining guys up. Coaches were lining everybody up last year. But now Nick has really got a great command of what we are doing offensively to kind of and you can just see it.

"There's a lot more confidence in how he's playing and now it's just a matter of refining the little things for him, footwork, hand offs, carrying off fakes. Not the minor details; they are really major details, but he's not worried with where he's going with the ball. It's just how is he going to do that; how can he manipulate the safety, but he's still going to throw the ball to his left."

Nick Foles posted the #3 PPG in 2013 and in 11 starts (including the playoffs) he averaged 23.1 FP, which was second only to Peyton Manning. DeSean Jackson is gone, but the return of Jeremy Maclin, the arrival of Darren Sproles and Jordan Matthews and the likely emergence of Zach Ertz should offset that loss. The only other question mark is his limited body of work. Sometimes quarterbacks take a step back in their second year as a starter — it’s also Chip Kelly’s second year as head coach — though Foles played at such a high level that even with a step back, he should still be a solid QB1.

Eagles beat writer Geoff Mosher on expectations for Jordan Matthews and potential playing time for Zach Ertz...

Comparisons between Eagles WR Jordan Matthews and Terrell Owens -- or any top-flight wideout -- are a wee bit overboard. Matthews is doing a nice job catching passes and seems like a hardworking, determined guy, but I’d be real careful about sky-high expectations for the kid in Year 1. Two AFC scouts told me Matthews struggled at the Senior Bowl against press coverage, which isn’t a big deal since he wasn’t among the first seven receivers drafted and wasn’t a first-round pick. But it should reinforce the adage that judgments begin when the pads come out, not in shorts.

Given that Matthews and Josh Huff are both rookies, it wouldn’t surprise me if Chip Kelly showcased more 12 personnel -- two tight ends, two receivers -- early in the season to lean more heavily on experienced veterans than rookies. I think Kelly would feel more comfortable playing an early regular-season game with an offense that featured Riley Cooper, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek and Zach Ertz than one that put Matthews and/or Huff on the field ahead of Celek.