PS#2 – PHI 21, CLE 20

The Eagles played in their second preseason game on Sunday. I did some traveling early this week so I’m a bit behind with my review, but for those of you who want something to read while you sip on a delicious PBR, here you go.

QB

Gardner Minshew had a good game. I thought he made good reads and good decisions. He spread the ball around and led multiple TD drives. Minshew struggled early on in Training Camp, but he’s been sharp in the preseason games. He was 14-17-142 in Cleveland. He looked like a veteran QB playing against backups (that is meant as a compliment). Biggest complaint was his decision on 4th and goal. Minshew forced the ball to Britain Covey, which almost turned into a pick-6. Not sure if Minshew made a bad read or was forcing the ball to the rookie to give him a chance to make a play. Either way, the Eagles didn’t come away with points.

Reid Sinnett was up and down. He had the Eagles biggest highlight when he hit Devon Allen for a 55-yard TD. Sinnett made a good throw and hit the speedster in stride. Perfect execution on a deep ball. Aside from that, Sinnett was 3-8-14. He threw some good passes and did run 3 times for 16 yards. He’s got good physical tools.

Carson Strong played at the end of the game. He got to throw one pass, but it was incomplete.

RB

Boston Scott played on the opening drive and was good. He was 10-33-1 on the ground and caught an 11-yard pass. Scott ran hard and showed some speed. He was physical when he needed to be.

All of Boston Scott’s touches.
NFL Preseason Week 3 pic.twitter.com/h60HBWoafH

— Zareh Kantzabedian (@ZKantzFF) August 22, 2022

Kenny Gainwell took over on the second drive and looked just as good. He was 11-46-1 on the ground. His burst really jumped out at me. The guys last week just didn’t have that. Gainwell made good reads. He showed some elusiveness. When he got down near the goal line, he got low and ran behind his pads. He was able to win at the point of contact, even without being a big back. Strong outing by Gainwell.

All Kenneth Gainwell touches.
NFL Preseason Week 3. pic.twitter.com/EnfR0qBYZA

— Zareh Kantzabedian (@ZKantzFF) August 22, 2022

Jason Huntley was 8-22. I thought he was better than the opener, but still didn’t do anything to really get my attention. For a guy whose athleticism is supposed to be his calling card, you just don’t see enough of it.

Kennedy Brooks was 6-16. He didn’t stand out, but I do like the way he runs. Good patience, good vision. He needs to be better on STs to have any shot at a future roster spot.

WR

Jalen Reagor was 2-17. He made a diving attempt at an underthrown ball from Minshew, but wasn’t able to bring it in. He caught one pass on the move and had a chance to turn it into a big play, but he couldn’t make one DB miss. Solid, but always leaves you wanting more.

Deon Cain led the team with a 5-66 showing. I was impressed with his game, especially since a couple of the catches were tough grabs. On the re-watch, I felt a bit different. Cain was making contested catches against second and third string CBs. That’s not ideal. Love the production, but you’re always trying to think how the player would look vs starters in a regular season game.

Zach Pascal was 1-15 and looked good.

Britain Covey was just 1-5. He held onto the ball despite taking a solid hit. That was good to see from a small receiver. I tried to focus on his route-running even when the ball didn’t come his way. I wasn’t impressed. A small WR should be very quick and make decisive cuts. I saw DBs hanging right with him.

Devon Allen was the key to the play of the game. He ran a great route and caught a 55-yard TD. Allen tracked the ball well and made a smooth catch. I tried to watch his route running on other plays and he got by DBs multiple times. The speed he showed has to have the coaches and front office trying to figure out his future.

TE

Jack Stoll didn’t have any passes come his way. I thought he moved well and did a good job of getting open. Blocking was up and down. Didn’t sustain as much as you’d like, but there was good effort. Did have some good blocks. Still seems like more of a #3 TE to me.

Noah Togiai was 2-9 as a receiver. Up and down as a blocker. Shows potential, but I don’t know if he’s done enough to beat out Stoll and/or Calcaterra.

OL

Andre Dillard had a solid outing. Still needs to anchor better and be more physical.

Jack Anderson played G and C. I think he’s better at LG than RG. Better pad level this week. Has okay movement skills.

Cam Jurgens had another strong performance. Outstanding athlete. Blocks really well on the move. I thought he played stronger this week.

A lot to love from that Jurgens block above … but he's not just a weapon on the move!

Watch him working in tandem with his guards here on these plays. Really good job surfacing blocks in the zone run game #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/fTlKdyspPu

— Fran Duffy (@EaglesXOs) August 22, 2022

Sua Opeta played RG and was pretty good. He’s moving better than I remember in the past.

Jack Driscoll was the RT. I didn’t pay as much attention to him since we’ve seen him as a starter for parts of two seasons.

Josh Sills played LT and LG. I thought he was effective at both. Plays with good pad level. Uses angles well. Can anchor.

Kayode Awosika played RG and LG. He impressed me last summer, but has not built on that. Sloppy in pass pro.

*****

DL

Tarron Jackson had some good moments, but wasn’t as disruptive as I had hoped for.

Milton Williams played in the first half. Got penetration on a few plays, but I hoped to see him winning more against backups.

Jordan Davis also was a bit quieter than expected. He got some movement when single-blocked. I did think he showed good effort.

Marlon Tuipulotu had a good showing. He battled against the run. He got some some pressure on one pass play. So much better than last year.

Marvin Wilson was solid. Stout vs the run. Got some push vs the pass. Showed good effort in chasing the ball.

Renell Wren caught my eye a couple of times. Has good athleticism. Moves well.

Kobe Smith had a solid game. Stout DT. Also has a good motor.

LB

Patrick Johnson was quieter than last week. He was only in on one tackle. Got pressure a couple of times, but not overly disruptive.

Kyron Johnson caught my eye on a few plays. We finally got a chance to see his athleticism. He showed good burst off the edge. Johnson played with good leverage. Was also physical. Was in on 4 tackles. Disruptive on multiple plays.

Davion Taylor…ugh. He was terrible as a run defender. Really struggled to find the ball and get to the right spot. Did not tackle well in traffic. Had the worst play of the game when he failed to get QB Josh Dobbs out of bounds on a scramble. No excuse for that. Taylor did have some good moments in pass coverage, but overall this was a very disappointing performance.

Nakobe Dean didn’t have a strong game. He was in on 3 tackles and had some good plays, but he seemed to be a step late on several plays. Preseason games aren’t ideal for him. Dean is a guy who is going to be at his best when he does a ton of film study and knows where to be. Just reacting and running to the ball isn’t his strength. He is tough and physical.

Shaun Bradley had a solid showing.

SAF

K’Von Wallace followed a good practice with a good game. He played fast and physical. He closed to the ball well. He tackled well. He played with good confidence and that helped his performance. He was in on 5 tackles.

Josiah Scott missed a tackle early, but got better as the game went on. He was tough and physical.

Jaquiski Tartt played mostly with the #3 defense. Some veterans take that as an insult and half-ass it. Tartt played hard. He was in on 5 tackles and was physical. He was key to the Eagles getting a stop on 4th & 1. He came in and hit the RB hard, stopping his progress.

Reed Blankenship had another good game. He was in on 4 tackles. Played fast and physical. Tackled well.

CB

Josh Jobe played well. He should make the team. Jobe is solid in coverage. He can turn and run with receivers. He can play off and then get a good break on the ball. Physical DB who will play the run and tackle. Good effort on plays that are away from him. Led the team with 7 tackles.

Andre Chachere played the nickel. He had a chance for a sack early in the game when he was unblocked on a blitz. Chachere wasn’t able to get the QB down and that led to a big play. He did have a good play where his hustle and toughness kept the QB from scoring.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1561427194013831168

I was not impressed by the other young CBs.

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