Following two joint training camp practices between the teams, the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Cleveland Browns in a preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field with a 1:00 PM Eastern start time on Saturday afternoon.
The Birds are unlikely to suit up their starters since 1) they already saw a lot of reps in practice this week and 2) they just don’t like to risk their key players getting hurt in a preseason game.
With that in mind, here are the most interesting Eagles to watch against the Browns. For your viewing assistance, I’ve listed jersey numbers next to the player names.
STARTING CORNERBACK BATTLE
Ringo clearly struggled in the Eagles’ first preseason game. He didn’t exactly rebound in practice against the Browns. Ringo is running out of time to prove he deserves to start, if it’s not already too late for him. He could really afford a positive showing on Saturday.
It seems like the Eagles might be leaning Jackson over Ringo at the moment. Which isn’t really a great testament to Jackson as much as it is an indictment on the Eagles’ other options. If Ringo struggles again, Jackson could be one step closer to starting. Especially if Jackson manages to avoid having a bad outing.
Bennett will be making his Eagles preseason debut after not playing in last week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He notably struggled in the Eagles’ first practice against the Browns. We’ll see what he can do in his first game action. The feeling here is that JB is unlikely to contend for a Week 1 starting job but he could eventually rise to starting status if/when there’s a starting CB benching at some point this season.
McWilliams has recently seen more reps on the outside (mostly with the second-team defense but a few with the first-team unit) and fewer on the inside, which could indicate he’s realistically competing for a starting role. As said with Bennett, McWilliams might be in a better position to eventually rise to starting status during the season than claim the job by Week 1.
Brown is currently the favorite to start at safety (in nickel packages, still behind Cooper DeJean in base). Other observers feel like he’s building positive momentum but the feeling here is that he still has much to prove. It’ll be interesting to see how long the Eagles keep him in the game on Saturday. It’s hard to say he’s running away with the starting safety job when Andrew Mukuba was taking some first-team safety reps over Brown as recently as Monday.
Mukuba will make his Eagles preseason debut after missing last week’s game. The second-round rookie has mostly been repping with the second-team defense. But he could make a late push to start over Brown with a strong performance on Saturday.
STARTING LINEBACKER BATTLE
According to Vic Fangio, Campbell didn’t start against the Bengals due to the training staff wanting to limit his snaps. We’ll see if he’s still on a pitch count again in this game. Does Campbell start next to Jeremiah Trotter Jr.? Or is it Smael Mondon Jr. again? How long does Campbell play into the game? And how does he look when he does play? We’ve yet to see Campbell rep next to Zack Baun, who’s missed a lot of practice time, during training camp. It seems like Trot Jr. could start ahead of Campbell in Week 1. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Campbell won’t be on the field in some kind of rotational role.
TEMPORARY STARTING LEFT GUARD BATTLE
Toth has taken all the first-time reps at left guard since Landon Dickerson suffered a knee injury on Sunday night. Do the Eagles feel the need to get him extensive snaps at left guard in this game? Or do they want to limit his playing time to prevent him from suffering an injury that knocks them down to their third LG option?
Kinnard shifted over from working on the right side of the offensive line to left guard in the aftermath of Dickerson’s injury. If Toth struggles and Kinnard plays well, could the latter rise to the starting role until Dickerson is ready to return?
It’ll be interesting to see where Pryor lines up on Saturday afternoon. Do the Eagles get him any snaps at left guard?
ROTATIONAL EDGE RUSHER BATTLE
Uche has arguably been the Eagles’ third-best edge rusher and he’s even been on the first-team defense ahead of Jalyx Hunt at times. With Philly’s edge rushers failing to generate any kind of disruption against the Bengals’ offense last week, it’d be nice to see them create some pressure in this spot. Uche should be able to stand out in this situation.
Some observers noted that Ojulari had his best practice on Wednesday. That’s not really saying much, though, since he’s mostly been invisible. Time for that to change.
Johnson makes plays in the preseason. It’s what he does. If he continues to do so, how do the Eagles not keep him around? He can also play on special teams. And he does get first-team reps in practice.
Ogbo is pushing for a roster spot. Low-ceiling, high-floor option in an edge rusher rotation that lacks proven talent.
DEPTH WIDE RECEIVER BATTLE
Cooper looked awesome in last week’s game against the Bengals. Since then, the team has increased his first-team reps on both offense and special teams. Cooper’s probably already done enough for the Eagles to keep him on the roster. But it’ll be fun to see if he can terrorize the Browns’ defense on Saturday. Cooper’s potential is exciting. Even if he’s not a huge factor this season, he could be a future starting receiver for this team.
Smith just hasn’t done much of anything on offense to stand out in a good way. Can he continue to prove he provides value as a punt returner? If not, it’s hard to argue he deserves a roster spot.
Marshall missed a chunk of training camp practices and last week’s game due to injury. It might be too late for him to make the Eagles’ roster, especially given Cooper’s ascent. But he’s still fighting for his NFL career. And Tanner McKee has enjoyed throwing his way. So, he could get some opportunities.
Guessing Cooks won’t be able to play since he only returned to practice in a limited capacity on Wednesday. If that’s the case, he’ll have only played one offensive snap in the first two preseason games after looking pretty good in practice prior to his injury. Unfortunate. Maybe he pushes to play knowing that his time is running out.
#14 – DORIAN THOMPSON-ROBINSON
DTR looked OK but not great against the Bengals last week. If the Eagles cut back on McKee’s playing time, which they probably should because I don’t know that there’s a ton more to learn about him, both of the Eagles’ QB3 candidates could get more snaps to prove they belong.
McCord really struggled in his NFL preseason debut. If we see more of the same, are the Eagles really going to feel the need to keep him on the roster when he might be able to make it to the practice squad instead?
BVS didn’t play on offense against the Bengals. Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo suggested that the Eagles don’t want to tip their hand on their fullback usage. We’ll see if that remains the case on Saturday. BVS did see a red zone target from a Jalen Hurts throw in Thursday’s practice. More importnatly, BVS can also continue to prove his worth by excelling on special teams.
Sam was active as both a defender and special teams contributor last week. He’s a guy the Eagles should want to keep on the roster but it remains to be seen if the room is there for him to make it.
#34 – MONTRELL JOHNSON JR.
The undrafted rookie running back from Florida will be making his Eagles preseason debut after missing a good chunk of training camp and last week’s game due to a hamstring injury. Johnson Jr. flashed early in camp prior to getting hurt. He’s realistically pushing for a practice squad spot.
Young missed last week’s game due to injury. It’ll be interesting to see if he stands out on Saturday, especially since he keeps getting mentioned by Vic Fangio in the defensive coordinator’s press conference. But the Eagles already seem to have five defensive tackles ahead of him on their depth chart.
The long snapper? Really? Yes. Hughlett missed last week’s game due to a neck injury, so, this will be his Eagles preseason debut. If you don’t notice him on Saturday, that’ll be a good sign. Otherwise … that’s an issue.
Source link
