Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

PS Game Review – NE 24, PHI 21

Posted August 24th, 2026 | No Comments »

The Eagles played much better this week, but it still wasn’t enough for them to come away with the win. Outcomes are less important in the preseason than individual performances so there is plenty the coaches can be happy about.

QB – Andy Dalton went 3-10-44. He did lead a TD drive, but most of that came on the ground. Dalton had some bad misses. Not a good showing. Tanner McKee played most of the game. He was 16-22-173 with a pair of TDs. The numbers are better than the eye test. There were a lot of short throws that runed into big plays. That’s good for the offense, but doesn’t tell you much about McKee. Give him credit for making quick reads and accurate, catchable throws. He gave his guys a chance to make all those yards after the catch. Still it would have been good to see more intermediate passing and work with the WRs. Did make a couple of good throws on the go-ahead drive in the 4th qtr.

Cole Payton played the final drive of the game. That was a tough assignment and ended in a strip sack.

RB – Will Shipley had a really good game. He was 11-56-1 on the ground. He ran hard and broke multiple tackles. Shipley showed the ability to run downhill or outside. He is definitely RB3. Eagles fans got to see the summer star version of Carson Steele> He’s looked really good in preseason games for other teams. Steele was 6-84-1 as a receiver and also ran for 33 yards. His style hasn’t translated to regular season success, but he’s fun to watch in August.

WR – Darius Cooper went 3-44 and flashed the ability we’ve heard about from practices. It was good to see him making plays. Britain Covey turned a quick screen into a 14-yd TD. Quez Watkins got multiple targets, but didn’t make a catch.

TE – Eli Stowers looked improved, but not significantly. He put forth good effort on his blocks. The results were mixed. Didn’t have a catch, but didn’t have accurate throws come his way. Cam Latu blocked well. He also caught 1 pass for 14 yards. EJ Jenkins had a good game as a blocker. He didn’t have any catches. Stone Smartt flashed as a receiver, going 5-37. He’s only 230 pounds and is a limited blocker.

OL – Markel Bell started at RT and played until he got hurt. Good showing. Bell improved on Week 1. He was more consistent and looked more comfortable. He had some dominant moments. When he gets his hands cleanly on a defender, it is game over. He can just rag doll them. Bell needs to be more consistent with his hands. He also needs to work on blocking at the 2nd level.

Drew Kendall got the start at LG and played well. He fired off the ball and moved well. He was able to sustain blocks. Kendall is stronger than last year. He was able to get to the 2nd level and block in space. Love his effort. Speaking of which, Willie Lampkin had another good game. He is relentless with is effort. Lampkin and Kendall did a great job on double teams. Both guys are locks to make the team.

Jake Majors was solid. He gets off the ball well and is a good fit for this scheme. He started at RG and then played C. He had some misses, but has shown enough that he could be practice squad material. Fred Johnson started at LT. He has looked okay, but isn’t a great fit for this scheme. I don’t think he’s a lock for the roster.

Rookie Micah Morris had another solid outing. He has NFL tools. He needs to develop NFL skills and those will come with experience and coaching. He moves surprisingly well for a guy his size. He played LG and RG. I think he’ll make the roster, but he’s not ready to play right now. Cam Williams is highly frustrating. There are plays when he looks really good. Then there are times when he looks lost. He threw a DL to the ground on one play. He showed good pass pro multiple times. He can fire off the ball on some run plays. He isn’t roster worthy because you can’t trust him right now. I’d put him on the PS. Myles Hinton played LT. He’s just too sloppy to be a serious roster candidate. I don’t even know that he’s PS material at this point.

DL – Great game. Ty Robinson was the headliner. He had 2 sacks and multiple pressures. Robinson is winning in multiple ways. He is playing more physically and aggressively. He also can win with athleticism and effort.

Gabe Hall had a strong showing. I said last week that he needed to be more physical. Hall did just that. He was able to shed blocks and stuff the RB multiple times. He still showed athleticism, shooting gaps and getting upfield. He drew a holding call. Rookie Zion Wilson started at NT and played a lot. Wilson is at his best when being stout as a run defender. He had a tackle. He also had a good QB pressure when NE forgot to block him.

Uar Bernard took a big step forward from last week’s debut. He started slowly and got better as the game went along. He was able to get off blocks and to get to the ball. Bernard made 2 tackles. The light started to come on for him. You can see him figuring things out within the game.

Edge – AJ Epenesa and Arnold Ebiketie started. I think Epenesa has played well enough that he could be ED4, with Ebiketie being ED5. Epenesa is a stout run defender. He seems more comfortable with dropping into coverage each game. And he’s a solid rusher. Ebiketie is fine. He just hasn’t flashed as much. Josh Weru had the first sack of his football career.

Weru was better against the run this week. He showed improved awareness and technique. His athleticism showed up on multiple plays. I think he’s shown enough that the Eagles have to keep him on the roster.

LB – Another good outing for Jeremiah Trotter Jr. He had 5 tackles and a sack. He timed a blitz perfectly and got to the QB right away. Smael Mondon started alongside him and has a couple of tackles. He generally plays well in space. Mondon did lose contain on a screen that went for a bog gain. Chance Campbell had a good game, finishing with 6 tackles. Campbell played inside runs well. He was able to shed blocks and get to the ball. He also looked good in coverage. Campbell is LB4. Deontae Lawson jumped around blocks in Baltimore. This week he took on blockers, shed them and made tackles. Good progress. He isn’t great in space. Lawson feels like PS material as of today.

SAF – Andre Sam and Michael Cater started. I thought Carter showed good range on a deep ball that went to his side of the field. Rookie Cole Wisniewski replaced Carter after a couple of series. It was interesting to see Wisniewski get on the field this quickly. That tells you the coaches wanted to see him vs the Pats #2 offense. Wisniewski had 3 tackles and was good when things were in front of him.

Wiz wasn’t as good when he had deep coverage and had to really run and cover a lot of ground. He lacks ideal speed.

Kapena Gushiken played nickel and safety. He had 4 tackles. I think his athleticism shows up on tape. He looks fast. Maximus Pulley played in the second half. He finished with 5 tackles and was solid. I just didn’t think he flashed.

CB – Kelee Ringo might have played the best game of his Eagles career. He didn’t have a tackle, but that is because he covered well and the ball went away from him. Ringo looked good in off coverage. He ran with his receiver and stayed in good position. He was confident and alert. Ringo jumped a route early in the game. Should have been a pick-six, but he dropped the ball. I now lean toward Ringo making the team. He was a pleasant surprise on Saturday night.

Mac McWilliams had a solid showing. He gave up some short catches, but then tackled well. He was also good vs the run. He finished with 4 tackles. Ambry Thomas really struggled, both with coverage and tackling. Shaun Wade gave up too many catches. He led the team with 10 tackles and also had a FF.

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