Eagles Win in Cleveland

Posted: August 22nd, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Eagles Win in Cleveland

The Eagles backups beat the Browns backups 21-20 on Sunday in what was a pretty entertaining preseason game. There was some sloppy play by both teams, but we also saw guys make plays and both teams moved the ball well. Most importantly, there didn’t seem to be any key injuries for either team.

I was happy to see the #2 offense play well. They ran the ball effectively, inside and outside. The O-line did a good job of getting movement and creating holes. The passing offense looked good all around…protection, passing and catching.

Defense was another story. The Eagles weren’t getting off blocks. The tackling ranged from bad to awful. There were some mental mistakes. Some individuals looked good, but the overall defense wasn’t good. To be fair, we are talking about the backups so this isn’t a huge issue, but some of the guys on the field will play this year so we can’t totally dismiss it.

Let’s talk about some individuals.

Gardner Minshew played well. He finished 14-17-142. He made good reads and got the ball out pretty quickly. He kept the chains moving. You feel good about him heading into the season as the backup QB.

Reid Sinnett had one spectacular play.

https://twitter.com/Eagles/status/1561431597915701251

He finished 4-9-69 so he didn’t do much for the rest of the game. That play did show a good arm and an excellent deep ball. He ran 3 times for 16 yards, showing good mobility. Sinnett has good tools to work with and that might be enough to win him a roster spot.

Boston Scott made his 2022 debut and looked good. The offense looked worlds better than last week when Jason Huntley was the feature back. Scott showed burst and ran hard. He was 10-33-1 and also caught an 11-yard pass.

Kenny Gainwell replaced Scott on the second series and also played well. He brought some juice to the running game. When there was a hole, he hit it. I also liked his physicality. He was 11-46-1. Seeing Scott and Gainwell run like that makes you feel better about the ground game.

The backup receivers played well. Deon Cain led the way with 5 catches for 66 yards. Beyond the numbers, he made a pair of impressive grabs. He is making a push for a roster spot. Some fans want to keep him over Jalen Reagor. I don’t think we’re there, but Cain has played well. Reagor was 2-17 and solid. Zach Pascal had one catch for 15 yards and looked good. This group has come a long way from last year.

Devon Allen was the star of the clip above. He showed elite speed in getting deep. He tracked the ball well and then made the catch. Huge play. You saw just how explosive his speed was as he ran away from DBs. That play isn’t enough to get him a roster spot, but you can bet he’s got the coaches attention.

Cam Jurgens had another good performance. This play showed his ability to pull and block on the move.

Jimmy Bama was impressed with LT Andre Dillard.

I wasn’t focused on Dillard so I’m looking forward to re-watching the game and seeing how he looked.

There won’t be as much praise on the other side of the ball. Tarron Jackson frustrated me when he chased a RB and didn’t see the QB keep the ball on a bootleg. That is poor awareness two weeks in a row. I love his motor, but he’s missed easy sacks.

The one pass rusher who did flash was Kyron Johnson. He showed some juice off the edge and was disruptive on multiple plays. It was good to see him finally show something.

Davion Taylor struggled after a good showing last week. Ugh. I was really hoping he would build off that performance. He wasn’t seeing the field well and missed multiple tackles.

K’Von Wallace built on his good practice from Friday. He did tackle well and was active. Reed Blankenship had another good performance.

The CB who looked good was Josh Jobe. He does have good eyes. When he sees the ball in front of him, he’s decisive and attacks it, whether run or pass. He led the team with 7 total tackles. Jobe is making a strong push for the roster.

I’ll need to study the tape to have a better feel for what happened. Overall, I think Nick Sirianni will be happy because it feels like players are starting to really battle for the final 10 or so roster spots. There seems to be a sense of urgency and it is bringing out the best in some players.

The lack of a pass rush is frustrating, but then consider that these guys weren’t playing:

Haason Reddick
Josh Sweat
Brandon Graham
Derek Barnett
Fletcher Cox
Javon Hargrave

Milton Williams did play, but I don’t think he was out there for many snaps. That meant lots of chances for Tarron Jackson, Patrick Johnson and Kyron Johnson. Kyron is the only one who impressed me while watching live. Tarron had a couple of nice rushes, but wasn’t as good as I hoped for.

The Eagles will have joint practices with Miami this week and then the preseason finale next weekend.

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