Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Big Days Coming Up

Posted August 19th, 2026 | No Comments »

The preseason is not something Nick Sirianni approaches the way other coaches do. Starters don’t play. He keeps things super vanilla. He focuses more on practices. He also loves joint practices, when his players face another team in a controlled setting. The Eagles will battle the Patriots on Wednesday and Thursday in what should be spirited joint practices.

These will be important days for the starters and other key players. It would be great for the Eagles to come out like a well-oiled machine and show how good they are. There will be value no matter what happens. The Eagles will find out where they stand when facing talented competition. That will tell the players and coaches what this team’s strengths and weaknesses are.

A lot of attention will be on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense. How will they do against another team? They have gotten better during the summer so the timing of this test is good for them. Hopefully DeVonta Smith will be able to participate. He would be a difference-maker for the offense. Without him there will be a lot of pressure for the other receivers to step up. The Eagles need to get a better feel for where this WR corps is right now. Darius Cooper could use a good showing after being up and down vs the Ravens.

Both Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton need a good showing after their struggles in Baltimore. The quick turnaround is probably the best thing for them.

Landon Dickerson has also been up and down this summer. It will be good to see him go against talented DTs. The coaches need to get a good feel for whether Dickerson is struggling or just pacing himself. Dickerson is a veteran who might not practice the same as some other guys, especially with his injury history. This setting should get everyone a better feel for where he truly is.

Eli Stowers will have a chance to show he learned from his performance on Saturday. He’s got plenty to clean up. Stowers needs as many reps as possible.

There will be a lot of eyes on Willie Lampkin. It would be great to see him go against Milton Williams. Lampkin has shown he can block 2’s and 3’s. The next test is to see him against starters.

Jalyx Hunt has had a great summer. It will be fun to see him against a different starting OL. It will also be good to see Nolan Smith in action. It feels like he’s been at his best recently.

The overall defense will be tested by Drake Maye and an outstanding offense. This will be good vs good. Both teams will win their share of battles. A lot of eyes will be on the Eagles corners as they go against AJ Brown. It will be interesting if this leads to any yapping or even fights. You know both sides will be a bit on edge in these matchups. Egos will be in full force.

Eagles safeties will have a good chance to show what they can do. This will be true from Drew Mukuba and Marcus Epps to Maximus Pulley and Kapena Gushiken.

Uar Bernard and Josh Weru will get another chance to show their progress. They both showed promise in the preseason opener. Every rep has value for them.

Some people will talk about the Eagles “winning” the practices. The real key is to get pushed by good competition. If the team has some struggles, that’s okay. The coaches need to know the weaknesses of the team. They can address them. Or go to Howie Roseman and say “We’re not good enough at that spot.” You want to know about problem areas now and not in September.

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It feels like the Eagles are getting healthier. Smith participated in the last practice and is trending in the right direction. Makai Lemon is more active each day, Hopefully he will be back next week.

Rookie Cole Wisniewski is finally back on the field. He’s got a lot of ground to make up.

We’ll have to see if Johnny Wilson is able to go.

I’m pretty sure the Eagles made this move because Jakorian Bennett got hurt, not to improve the defense.

You need bodies to get through practices and preseason games.

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