Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Confusion at the QB Factory

Posted August 29th, 2026 | Comments Off on Confusion at the QB Factory

You never want to make too much of what goes on in the preseason, especially the finale. A lot of the guys who played tonight will be unemployed in a few days. The finale is for fringe guys trying to make the roster and rookies who need reps. That said, the Eagles put forth another uninspiring effort and finished 0-3. Not ideal, even for mostly backups.

The real takeaway from this game is QB confusion. Tanner McKee got the start, which was good to see. Unfortunately he struggled in a big way. I figured Cole Payton would replace him, but Andy Dalton came out and played almost the entire second half. Payton got to play the last five minutes. Color me confused.

My guess is that the team hoped McKee would play well and cement the QB2 spot. Then Dalton would look good against Bengals third stringers and help his trade value. Payton won’t play this year so limiting his snaps isn’t a big deal. The plan did not work. McKee was bad. Dalton was a bit better, but still not good. The backup QB situation is as murky as it has been all summer. And your rookie barely got on the field. The Eagles plan may have looked good in theory, but it sure didn’t work well. None of the backups had a good camp.

We’ll see how the team handles this in a day or two. It sure hasn’t been a smooth process. McKee has looked good in previous summers and even regular seasons. That wasn’t the case this year. Maybe that was the scheme change. Maybe the competition affected his confidence. Whatever the reason, McKee took a step backward. This was a forgettable summer for the backups.

I won’t be shocked by anything at QB. Heck, I wonder if the might want to upgrade the backup situation with a trade. Nick Sirianni says he likes the QB room, but I don’t know how much of that is real and how much is coachspeak.

Let’s shift back to the game. One key moment was Andre Sam Getting hurt. He’ll be headed to IR. I had him pegged for the practice squad, but he was having a terrific game and might have put himself in roster consideration.

While a couple of guys may have helped themselves, I don’t think anyone played their way onto the roster vs Cincy. RB Dameon Pierce was 4-44 and looked good. He could make the PS. Carson Steele caught 8 passes and flashed again. While fun to watch in August, I just don’t see hum as roster material.

Rookie Makai Lemon made his debut. Unfortunately he looked like a rookie. McKee struggled to get him the ball a couple of times. Then a catchable pass went off Lemon’s hands and got picked off. Lemon caught 3 passes for…3 yards. The coaches got him very involved early, but it didn’t go as hoped.

Jake Elliott was 2 for 2, including a 56-yarder. That was good to see.

Rookie DBs Kapena Gushiken and Maximus Pulley combined for 11 tackles, but both guys were up and down. Rookie edge rusher Keyshawn James-Newby made his debut and flashed on some plays. He had a sack and a pressure.

Kelee Ringo looked to have a good game. Great to see him turn things around.

CBS didn’t give us many replays so it was hard to get a strong feel for the blocking.

Uar Bernard struggled with tackling. That’s hardly a surprise. Josh Weru had some good moments. He also had a penalty and sloppy run defense. More good than bad.

We can all be grateful that the preseason is over. Nick Sirianni is a highly successful coach, but his teams can be painful to watch in August.

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Preview of the Preseason Finale

Posted August 28th, 2026 | Comments Off on Preview of the Preseason Finale

The Eagles host the Bengals on Friday night to conclude the preseason schedule. This game won’t be significant to most guys, but will be critical to others. Expect the second stringers to play just a bit. Most of the reps will go to third stringers.

I look forward to seeing Lemon in action for the first time. I’m curious to see McKee play with the 2’s. He has been stuck with mostly third stringers in the preseason games and that as made things tough at times. Will playing with the 2’s help him get off to a better start? McKee seems like he should be QB2 this season. A good showing will certainly help his cause.

We’ll see a lot of Cole Payton. It feels like he’s done enough to make the team so this game is just a chance for him to get valuable experience. The thing to watch is if he can make plays in the passing game without having to ad-lib. Being a playmaker is valuable, but you must be able to play within the offensive structure first.

I’m guessing Markel Bell will miss the game since he’s missed practice this week. It will be interesting to see if they play Fred Johnson at all. I don’t expect him to play much. John Ojukwu can help his case for a spot on the roster or PS with a good showing. Rookie Micah Morris should play most of the game. He feels likely to make the team so these reps will just be about getting experience. Cam Williams feels like a PS guy, but here is some interesting perspective.

I don’t know if Cam Latu can prove anything in this game. Playing well will help his argument for a spot. It would be great to see him get chances to make catches. That is the unknown area with him.

Uar Bernard and Josh Weru should play a decent amount. They need all the reps they can get. I think both will make the roster. Weru is trying to show he might be able to contribute this season. Bernard has a tougher learning curve because DT is a more challenging position. He’s just trying to learn.

I hope rookie Keyshawn James-Newby is able to play. He was hurt for a while, but has come on recently. KJN could battle Jose Ramirez for a PS spot.

Deontae Lawson has flashed in the first two games. He is LB6 right now because it is such a deep group. Lawson needs to cover better and look more comfortable in space if he wants to steal a spot from someone else.

Maximus Pulley and Kapena Gushiken are competing for spots. I have Gush in the lead right now, but both guys have played well and either one could make it. Both guys are tackling well. It would help if one of the made some coverage plays.

Kelee Ringo is coming off his best game. Another good showing would secure a spot for him. I’ll be interested to see if Jonathan Jones plays. He’s a veteran DB so he doesn’t need the experience, but he missed most of the summer so shaking off any rust might get him on the field. He is also new to this scheme so some game reps wouldn’t hurt.

As always, the most important thing is for the team to avoid injuries.

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Doug Farrar wrote about three underrated Eagles. Keep in mind this is from a national perspective. Dontayvion Wicks was one of the choices.

Which is where the trade for former Packers receiver Dontayvion Wicks comes in. Last season, the 6’1”, 206-pound Wicks caught 30 passes on 44 targets for 332 yards and two touchdowns. Calf and ankle injuries, as well as concussion issues, limited his time on the field in 2025, which is why he wasn’t able to replicate his 2024 production, when he caught 41 passes on 80 targets for 454 yards and five touchdowns.

Still, when your yards per catch stays exactly the same from one season to the next (11.1), and your catch rate increases from 51.3% to 68.2%, that’s a good thing.

“Me and Sean built a relationship, just like [with] Coach Mahaffey,” Wicks said of his new home with Mannion and former Green Bay receivers coach Ryan Mahaffey. “Relationships play a big part in things, so I felt like that was a big part of the reason [for] the trust for me to be here and for them to bank on me.”

DeVonta is the star. Lemon is the rookie. Wicks cab get overlooked, but will be a key part of the passing game.

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