Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

2026 PS Game Review – BAL 24, PHI 7

Posted August 18th, 2026 | Comments Off on 2026 PS Game Review – BAL 24, PHI 7

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.

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.

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.

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Some Perspective

Posted August 17th, 2026 | Comments Off on Some Perspective

The Eagles lost to the Niners in early January. The next game was the preseason opener on Saturday. All that waiting led to hopes that the team would play well and/or at least entertain us. Instead the Eagles struggled and got dominated by the Ravens. It is easy to get down on the team after watching a performance like that. We need some perspective so we can put the game in the right context.

The first thing to keep in mind is that most of the guys who played a lot on Saturday either won’t make the team or will be role players that get limited snaps. That doesn’t mean the poor showing should be ignored, but this wasn’t the guys who will dictate whether this is a good team or not.

The #2 defense, which started in Baltimore, looked pretty good. As they came off the field and third stringers got mixed in the defense got sloppy and had some issues. When you have a pass rush that isn’t getting home and you have poor coverage, there are going to be problems. With Jakorian Bennett out, Kelee Ringo probably played more than they wanted. He simply isn’t a good CB.

Jihaad Campbell played early on and I thought he looked really good.

Campbell played fast, aggressive and with a confidence he didn’t have as a rookie. He and Zack Baun are going to be a dynamic duo.

Some defenders who are fighting for roster spots helped their cause. AJ Epenesa played pretty well. He set the edge vs the run. He made pursuit plays. His pass rush was solid. Epenesa finished with 3 tackles. He did get burned in coverage, but I was impressed that he stuck with a TE going down the field. DT Ty Robinson needed a good showing to help his cause. He had 2 tackles and a sack. Robinson was disruptive on other plays. He looked athletic and showed a good motor.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr has his roster spot already locked up. He had 5 tackles and a sack and showed that he’s a guy you can trust if he needs to play or even start due to injury. Trot still needs to get better in coverage, but he has shown good ability vs the run and as a blitzer.

A few defensive rookies shined. Safety Maximus Pulley had 8 total tackles. He was active on defense and also looked good on STs. I think he’ll end up making the roster. DB Kapena Gushiken and LB Deontae Lawson each had 5 tackles and flashed. They helped their push to make the roster or at least the practice squad.

I haven’t finished rewatching the game so I’m behind on the guys in the trenches. Uar Bernard and Josh Weru each had good moments and showed the promise that made the Eagles want them.

There isn’t as much good to say about the offense. Andy Dalton got the start and played poorly. His erratic play made it tough to judge some of the other players. I thought Tanner McKee was better, but he was still far from good. Both guys made some curious decisions on who to throw to. The offense couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm and struggled until the end of the game. Cole Payton showed the value in having a mobile QB. His legs brought some life to the offense and put points on the scoreboard.

One of the big problems last year was OL depth. Saturday gave us some encouraging signs. Willie Lampkin played well at both G and C. He feels like a lock to make the team. Now the Eagles have to decide how they want to use him.

He plays with great leverage because of his size. But watch his footwork. See how hard he works to sustain blocks. Those are honed skills. He is tough and physical. Really impressed with Lampkin.

Drew Kendall was solid. He’s emerged as the top backup at C and G. Rookie Markel Bell looked pretty good. His pad level was too high at times. Still, he showed good feet and you could see that he knows how to use his length. He is also physical. We don’t want gentle giants. We want ass kickers.

Rookie TE Eli Stowers is a complicated subject. His effort as a blocker was a pleasant surprise. Good effort is half the battle so I was encouraged by that. His blocking on the move was terrible. You are taught to run through your target. He would stop just short and brace for contact, making him useless on those plays. That can be fixed, but still wasn’t good to see. Stowers did catch 3 passes, but only gained 12 yards. He isn’t playing fast or aggressively when he’s on the move. The light hasn’t gone on for him. It will need to come on if he wants to see the field this year. The raw talent is there. We just aren’t seeing it on the field right now.

It is important to remember this was just the beginning. Last year LB Smael Mondon really struggled in the preseason opener. He looked worlds better a week later. Mondon made the team and became a core STer, playing in all 17 games. The players can study themselves in action. Seeing game tape vs practice tape is different. They can see their struggles and work on areas that need improvement.

It is absolutley fair to be discouraged by the overall performance, but it is also fair to enjoy the things that went well and the players who did look good.

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