A closer look at the 2013 numbers shows that Eagles TE Zach Ertz played 45 percent of the snaps during the second half of the regular season, compared to 36 percent over the first eight games. Twenty-two of his 36 catches came in the second half of the year, as did all four of his touchdowns.

Asked how he sees his role expanding this year, Ertz replied, "I think you kind of saw it the second half of the season what went on, I was used all over the field, so hopefully it's more of that."

HC Chip Kelly explained that Ertz [as well as James Casey] is being used as a "move" tight end in this offense. That is similar to the way Aaron Hernandez was deployed in New England -- as more of a "Joker" that lines up in various spots and is used primarily as a pass-catcher. Brent Celek is more of the traditional "in-line" tight end where blocking is a bigger priority.

It's not really about taking snaps away from the vet at this point -- Ertz and Celek are playing two different positions in a way -- it's more about using packages where they are on the field together. Chances are we'll see a good deal more of Ertz, who averaged 13 yards per reception in '13.

It's going to come down to whether Kelly wants to play Ertz ahead of one of his receivers (Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper or Jordan Matthews) or ahead of Celek. Only four of those five players can be on the field with LeSean McCoy. A rotation could lead to plenty of passing downs for Ertz, but his upside will depend on his playing time.

It seems as though the question is "when" not "if" Eagles WR Jordan Matthews will make the jump to the first-team. HC Chip Kelly looks like he is burying rookies on the depth chart and making them earn significant practice time, as none of the players selected in last month's NFL draft are seeing time with the first-team on either offense or defense so far.

The second-round pick has caught everything thrown his way from routine crossing routes to one-handed tip-toe catches along the sidelines. At times it's difficult to remember that he is only a rookie and was a second-round pick.

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.

On the hype surrounding Eagles WR Jordan Matthews...

In the past decade, four rookie wide receivers - Michael Clayton, A.J. Green, Keenan Allen and Marques Colston - have had 1,000-yard seasons. Five - Eddie Royal, Clayton, Allen, Dwayne Bowe and Colston - have had 70+ catches.

And there's this one from Brent Cohen of Eagles Rewind: 49 receivers have been taken in the second round since 2000 and played at least 10 games as rookies. Average receiving yards for that group has been 437.

All of those numbers are meant for context, and players buck trends all the time. But a really good season for Matthews would be replicating what Riley Cooper did last season, not DeSean Jackson.

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.

Jordan Matthews, WR: No player has opened more eyes than Matthews, who makes 4-5 catches per practice that draw a reaction from the players. Matthews is currently running with second team, but that will be changing soon. "I've never seen a rookie do work like he can," said quarterback Mark Sanchez of Matthews. Watching Matthews, it's hard to disagree.

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. He's an upside pick in the later rounds.

Kempski: "In limited media access to Eagles OTAs so far, Jordan Matthews has looked like the best WR on the team, in my opinion, and it hasn't been close."

The Eagles used two- or three-tight end sets 27.3 percent of the time last season. That percent likely will increase this year as Chip Kelly and Pat Shurmur try to maximize Zach Ertz' pass-catching skills, and still take advantage of Brent Celek's blocking prowess in the run game and production in the red zone.

They also want to play Jordan Matthews in the slot, so snaps may be at a premium for both Ertz and Matthews if all the other receivers and tight ends stay healthy.

WR Jordan Matthews has been very impressive during Eagles' offseason workouts so far, despite the fact he is still running with the second team on offense. The rookie receiver had a number of nice catches on Monday afternoon, including one over two defenders in the middle of the field.

Although Matthews has not taken many snaps with Foles and the first-team offense, the quarterback said after practice that he likes what he sees from the new rookie.

"I think he is a great addition to this team," Nick Foles said. "I think he is doing a great job and buying into what Chip (Kelly) wants us to do here."

Matthews will likely see snaps in the slot this season. The Eagles are going to spread the ball around, so he doesn't have a ton of upside unless there's an injury ahead of him on the depth chart.

Eagles beat writer Jeff McLane's practice observations: "Nick Foles continued to look sharp. He wasn’t nearly as consistent as he was during the first two open practices – he tossed two interceptions during 11 on 11 drills – but he just seems much more confident running the offense than he did a year ago this time. Again a disclaimer: It’s only the spring and the players are running around in shorts without making much contact. But it’s a better scenario than, say, Foles looking as unremarkable as Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley have. Most of his passes have been on target. And when he’s had to go through his reads you can visually see him checking from one receiver to another before finding the open guy and (usually) hitting him downfield."

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 TE Zach Ertz played a total of 450 offensive snaps, 41 percent of the team's total, in 2013. As for his role in 2014, Ertz thinks the latter half of his rookie year offered a preview. "I think you saw it in the second half of the season, what kind of went on as I was used all over the field," Ertz said. "Hopefully some more of that."

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.

"The game truly started to slow down towards the second half of the year. It was such a whirlwind at the beginning that I didn't really know what was going on. The playbook wasn't too hard to grasp, but just the play speed was the biggest thing to get used to," Eagles TE Zach Ertz said. "Last year, I didn't know what to expect from the offense and just being out here in Philadelphia as a whole. Obviously, this year it's going to be a lot better."

After notching 22 catches and all four of his touchdowns in the final eight regular season games, Ertz wanted to continue the momentum through the offseason. He returned to California and has returned to Philadelphia feeling "a lot stronger, faster" than last year. He's put a huge emphasis on getting better as a run blocker. Ertz recognizes that he's more of a move tight end while Brent Celek is the traditional, in-line variety, but in Chip Kelly's offense you have to be able to do it all.

"If you want to play fast, you can't be subbing guys in and out," Ertz said. "With the tight ends we have, we're able to do that whether it's in-line or out wide as a receiver. That's the biggest thing with the tight end group that we have."

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.