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.
There isn’t a lot to discuss in regard to the overall game. The Eagles were sloppy and Baltimore played well. This was a total butt-kicking. Luckily that means little in the preseason. Let’s jump into talking about the individual players.
QB – Neither Andy Dalton nor Tanner McKee played well. I was disappointed by their decision-making. Dalton also had some poor throws. The QB competition did not bring out the best in them on Saturday. Cole Payton made his NFL debut and showed that his athleticism is legit. Was 3-45 on the ground and threw a TD pass to deliver the team’s only points. Needs work to be sure, but the raw talent is there. Promising debut.
RB – Will Shipley was 7-22 and had a couple of good runs.
WR – The overall passing game was a mess so it was hard to get a good feel for the receivers. Darius Cooper had a third down drop that was frustrating. He also played more than expected. Was that just to give the offense a good threat or was that because the coaches thought he needed work? Johnny Wilson missed the game. I was really hoping to see him in action. No one stood out.
TE – DG and Johnny Mundt sat out. The fact Mundt didn’t play tells you the coaches see him as a key player. Grant Calcaterra finished 1-8 a a receiver. His blocking was mediocre. Cam Latu was solid as a blocker and looked good on STs. EJ Jenkins played the best of any of the TE group. He blocked well and was 2-20 as a receiver.
Rookie Eli Stowers finished 3-12. He looked fine as a route runner and he caught the ball smoothly. Defenders closed to him quickly and got him down. Stowers blocking was mixed, if we’re being generous. He did put forth good effort as an in-line blocker. He was bad when on the move. Stowers let himself be the nail instead of the hammer. He struggled early on STs and then got better as the game went on. If he can build on this, the showing was fine. If this is the level he’ll be at for a while, he will be doing a lot of watching from the sidelines.
OL – Markel Bell had a promising debut. He showed good feet and used his length well. He showed good power in some of his run blocks. Bell needs to watch his pad level. He got sloppy at times. He also needs to finish his blocks more consistently. There were times when he let up instead of fighting to stay engaged.
John Ojukwu played G and T. He was quick off the ball and did a good job on reach blocks, which is important in this scheme. He was effective in pass pro when playing LT. Ojukwu might not make the team, but he is roster-worthy. Drew Kendall began at RG and moved to C. He only played a handful of snaps, which tells you the coaches are happy with him. He looked fine. Willie Lampkin had a strong showing, playing both C and G.
Rookie Micah Morris played a lot. He was at RG most of the time but also got time at LG. Morris really looks the part. He’s got the size and athleticism you want. He stays square to the LOS. He plays with good strength. I think he will make the roster. Jake Majors was the C for most of the game. He played better than I expected. Myles Hinton struggled. Cam Williams showed some progress from last year and should be ahead of Hinton for sure, but is still more erratic than you prefer.
DT – Ty Robinson needed to play well to help his case to make the team. He did just that. Robinson showed good athleticism and a good motor. He finished with 2 tackles and a sack. Gabe Hall looked athletic and moved well. I think he needs to play with better strength. I there is an injury, he could make the team. David Blay showed a good motor. He finished with 6 tackles and made some impressive hustle plays. Rookie Zion Wilson had a more squatty build than I expected. He had a few plays where he shed blocks and made plays. Wilson totaled 4 tackles. He is good PS material. Uar Bernard had a few good moments, especially when you consider that was the first football game of his life.
Uar Bernard
All snaps from his preseason NFL debut, also his first time EVER playing organized football pic.twitter.com/6Ncx1Ra5u0
Bernard was functional. He never looked overwhelmed. That should lead to more snaps in the future.
Edge – AJ Epenesa played well in his Eagles debut. He set the edge well. He chased down plays from behind. Epenesa dropped into coverage a handful of times. He showed some promise for a guy with minimal experience at that. I thought he showed some good burst off the edge. He should make the roster. Arnold Ebiketie showed good athleticism and physicality. These guys are better than the Uches and Ojularis from last year. Josh Weru made his football debut and looked good. He struggled to set the edge, but rushed well and looked good in space, You could see his athleticism.
Joshua Weru a less talked about member of the IPP had a very strong debut showcasing his speed and strength on the edge, getting consistent pressure on the QB pic.twitter.com/UMk1ggTKj1
LB – Jihaad Campbell was the only starter who played and he looked good. He was fast and physical. He saw things quickly and closed to the ball in a hurry. Impressive start for him. Jeremiah Trotter Jr had 5 tackles and a sack. He tackled well and was impressive as a blitzer. Trot did get burned in coverage on a third down. That’s the area of his game that needs work. Smael Mondon had 5 tackles and played well. He was physical. Rookie Deontae Lawson was mostly good. His tackling was sloppy on a couple of plays. The big issue for him is block destruction. Lawson went around blockers instead of through them. That works against third stringers in a preseason game, but isn;t good long term strategy. Lawson was in on 5 tackles. I think he is PS material.
SAF – Michael Carter looked good in limited snaps. Andre Sam tackled well. He closed to the ball quickly and finished with 4 tackles. He is PS material. Maximus Pulley had a good showing. He was in on 5 tackles. He played fast and sure didn’t look like a rookie. He tackled well and was physical. Pulley covered well. I think he’s got a good shot to make the roster. Fellow rookie Kapena Gushiken also played well. He got snaps at nickel and safety. I thought Gush showed very good speed. He finished with 3 solo tackles and was solid in coverage. He’s got a chance to make the roster.
CB – Mac McWilliams was up and down. He played a lot. He gave up multiple catches, but never got burned for a big play. He led the team with 10 total tackles. Some were on run stops, but most came after catches. Some the plays were in zone and Mac was simply keeping things in front of him. He needs to be better, but his showing wasn’t as bad as it seemed live. Kelee Ringo struggled in coverage. He gave up multiple catches and drew a PI call. Ringo did have one highlight play.
Flashes like this have kept the Eagles from giving up on him. I don’t know if it will be enough this year. None of the outside CBs stood out in coverage.