Bad and Worse

The bad news…the Eagles did not play well in the preseason opener.

The worse news…QB Nate Sudfeld broke his wrist and will be out for a while.

Before you go hitting the panic button, please remember that the 2015 Eagles were dominant in the preseason and mediocre when it counted. Most of the Eagles top talent sat this game out so it wasn’t shocking that the team was sloppy. It was disappointing that they were so sloppy, especially on offense.

Doug Pederson has been giving the vast majority of the snaps in practice to his starters. That showed as the second and third stringers looked out of sorts.

Let’s talk about some players of interest.

Nate Sudfeld – I was impressed. He moved around well and showed the ability to avoid the rush. He put good touch on his downfield passes. Accuracy was a bit inconsistent, but he made some impressive throws. Hit Michel for a 75-yard TD. That was a quality throw. Good velocity on intermediate passes. Did a good job of using his big targets wisely (Goedert, JJAW). Put the ball in a spot where they could go get it.

Kessler/Thorson – Not good at all. Thorson was terribly inaccurate, but at least he showed some physical ability.

Dallas Goedert – Looked terrific. 3-50. Caught the ball well and was good after the catch.

JJ Arcega-Whiteside – Has been somewhat quiet in TC, but played pretty well in the game. Almost made a great catch on the opening drive. Used his size well. Handled the physicality of the game. Good hands. Ran pretty well.

Backup WRs – Didn’t seem to be a good showing. It appeared they were struggling to get open. The poor QB play didn’t help matters.

Andre Dillard – Good showing. Athletic, smart and smooth. Looked natural.

Matt Pryor – Bad game. Played LG and LT. Had at least 3 penalties. Struggled to get his hands cleanly on DL and sustain blocks.

Jordan Mailata – Played RT for most of the game. Up and down. Need to see the tape to offer more detail.

Daeshon Hall – Good game. 6 solo tackles, sack, 3 TFLs, FF. Wasn’t explosive, but good burst off the edge. Did a good job of extending an arm into the blocker and moving him backward. Needs to work on counter-moves. Good motor. Got hurt, but stayed in the game. Coaches should be very happy with his performance, both in terms of production and effort.

Josh Sweat – Struggled against the Titans starters. Played better as the game went on, but still disappointing. Wasn’t getting off the ball consistently well. Not disruptive enough.

Hassan Ridgeway – Played very well early on. Used his hands well. Strong. Able to hold his ground vs the run. Also able to penetrate and disrupt. Got hurt and left the game.

Treyvon Hester – Also looked good. Quick and disruptive. Blew up a short-yardage run by going low and driving the blocker backward.

Nate Gerry – I need to see the tape. Flashed on a couple of plays, but also had some snaps where he looked lost.

Zach Brown – Didn’t play a lot, but was in on 3 tackles. Looked like the game got him going after a mediocre camp.

LJ Fort – Good game. Showed speed and athleticism. Had a big hit on a pass play over the middle. Legal, but hard. Used speed to fly around the field. Was beaten by TE for a TD, but that might have been more on the FS not staying deep.

Tre Sullivan – Struggled early on. Didn’t cover well and then missed tackle on big run play. Needed to show he built on last year, but looked like he took a step backward.

Backup CBs – They seemed to hit and tackle well, but ball skills were sorely lacking. Josh Hawkins really struggled. Jay Liggins made a couple of plays late. Hopefully he will play more in the next game. Showed potential.

*****

The Sudfeld injury hurts. Pederson stressed that it isn’t season-ending, but that’s hardly great news. What do you do for the rest of the preseason? What about the regular season, even if only for a few weeks?

I think Clayton Thorson will get better. Nerves were a big problem for him. That said, I don’t think he’ll be good enough.

Kessler? He did not look like an NFL veteran tonight.

Sure feels like the Eagles will have to make a move.

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