Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Handing out 10 awards from the Eagles-Browns preseason game – PhillyVoice
1) The ‘Camp Battle Lead Change’ Award 🪜: Andrew Mukuba. Mukuba took the ball away from the Browns twice. The first takeaway was on a weird play in which Browns QB Dillon Gabriel threw a pass in between two Browns receivers who shouldn’t have been that close to each other. Mukuba read the play, stepped in between them, made the interception, and returned it 75 yards for a TD. Mukuba also recovered a fumble on a bad Browns handoff exchange. He was in the right place at the right time, which, sure, has an element of luck to it, but being in the “right place at the right time” is a nice trait for a safety to have. After Mukuba had missed a significant chunk of camp, it was beginning to feel like Sydney Brown was closing in on the starting safety job opposite Reed Blankenship, but Mukuba’s huge game probably puts him in the lead.
2025 NFL preseason, Week 2: What We Learned from Saturday’s games – NFL.com
Have a day, Andrew Mukuba. Because of time missed in camp, the rookie safety from Texas seemed to have lost too much ground to Sydney Brown in the battle for the starting safety job prior to Saturday. One day filled with standout play, however, might have changed the equation. Mukuba only finished with one tackle but registered two takeaways, including an interception he returned for a touchdown made possible only by his refusal to give up on the play. Fittingly, when Gabriel and Pierre Strong botched a handoff, Mukuba magnetically found the loose ball and recovered it in Browns territory. At minimum, the Eagles saw some examples of what they envisioned when they spent the 64th pick on Mukuba.
Andrew Mukuba’s Big Day, CB Competition, and More Eagles Takeaways With BLG! – The Ringer
The Eagles fell to the Browns 22-13 on Saturday in their second preseason game of the season. Sheil and Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation have some takeaways from the game and discuss where some of the close positions might be at following the contest. Eagles second-round pick Andrew Mukuba put his stamp on the game with a pick-six and a fumble recovery. Is that second starting safety spot his to lose (3:01)? Are we any closer to figuring out who will take the CB2 spot (10:50)? Eagles first-round pick Jihaad Campbell had a sack in the game. Are the expectations on the rookie too high (29:50)? How will the depth chart at wide receiver shake out? Will Ainias Smith secure a spot following a touchdown he had (34:31)? Plus, some leftovers, the ongoing feud, and addressing the PHLY guys.
Roob’s Observations: Drew Mukuba shines in rookie debut despite loss to Browns – NBCSP
One of the guys Dave Zangaro and I said all week we really wanted to see in this game was rookie 2nd-round safety Andrew Mukuba, who missed a week of practice time and the preseason opener with a shoulder injury. And he sure showed why the Eagles are so high on him with a 75-yard interception return on the first play of the second quarter. Dillon Gabriel, the Browns’ 3rd-round rookie quarterback, tried to connect with veteran Diontae Johnson on a crosser toward the left sideline, but Mukuba gave Johnson a subtle push, then stepped between Johnson and tight end Blake Whiteheart and the ball sailed past Whiteheart and right into Mukuba’s hands. He took off the other way with the Eagles’ longest preseason interception touchdown return since Ed Reynolds had a 90-yarder off Jets quarterback (and future Eagle) Christian Hackenberg in the Eagles’ 14-6 win over the Jets at the Linc in 2016. Mukuba has been locked in a battle with Sydney Brown for that second safety spot, and that injury didn’t help, but a play like this sure does. Mukuba added a fumble recovery later in the first half after an aborted handoff. This is a kid who’s just around the ball. A playmaker. Brown hasn’t had a bad summer, but it just feels like the Eagles want Mukuba to win that job, and he may have taken a big step in that direction Saturday afternoon. A fun player and a heck of an NFL debut.
Drew Mukuba, Ainias Smith score TDs and the 10 things you need to know about the Eagles’ second preseason game – PHLY
If the Eagles have been waiting for someone to go out and win the starting job at either safety or outside cornerback, Mukuba did his part. Starting next to Sydney Brown and playing in his first preseason game after missing time earlier this summer with a shoulder injury, the second-round rookie was responsible for two defensive takeaways. The more impressive of those plays was a pick-six, which came on a play-action rollout by Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel. With two Browns receivers near each other in Gabriel’s vision, Mukuba split between the two and intercepted Gabriel’s pass before sprinting 75 yards for a touchdown. Two possessions later, Mukuba recovered a botched handoff fumble, which was more right-place-right-time than anything. But the ball finds energy. Meanwhile, Brown missed an open-field tackle. If Mukuba ends up starting Week 1 opposite Reed Blankenship, this will have been the turning point in that competition.
Eagles rookie’s ‘rare’ trait sets him apart from others: ‘He’s going to shine in this league’ – NJ.com
After each turnover, Mukuba’s teammates embraced him. It was a big moment for the rookie, but nobody was surprised with his performance. “He’s just a natural born football player, honestly,” Eagles backup safety Tristin McCollum said about Mukuba. “He’s really, really smart and very, very savvy. And as a rookie, that’s sometimes rare to get. … He has the athleticism, but really the thing that sets him apart is just his instincts. … He has a very good knack for just playing the safety position in general. He’s going to shine in this league.” “When we are in the meeting room, (Drew is) very attentive, he’s going to ask questions, and when we get out on the field, it’s all go,” Eagles rookie cornerback Mac McWilliams added.
NFL Preseason Week 2 Game Recap: Cleveland Browns 22, Philadelphia Eagles 13 – PFF
PLAYER OF THE GAME: The Eagles continue to find young standouts in the secondary. Andrew Mukuba may be the latest after notching a pick-six and a fumble recovery against the Browns in his first NFL action. The rookie second-rounder earned a 90.0-plus PFF coverage grade after first reviews. Philadelphia also got strong contributions out of first-rounder Jihaad Campbell, who logged an early sack of Dillon Gabriel on one of his two pass-rush snaps. He also allowed just nine yards across 17 coverage snaps.
John Metchie trade: Eagles acquire Texans wide receiver – BGN
The Philadelphia Eagles are trading for Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III, according a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter. […] Funny enough, the pick swap is a reversal of the one that took place in the C.J. Gardner-Johnson trade back in March. With that in mind, the Eagles effectively gave up CJGJ and Bryant to acquire Metchie and Kenyon Green.
Texans trade WR John Metchie III to Eagles – Battle Red Blog
Metchie, in Saturday’s game, only registered a single catch for eight yards. With Higgins and Noel showing promise, Xavier Hutchinson being a lower draft pick (and thus less expensive), and trades/FA acquisitions expected to be more regular contributors than Metchie, it made sense to move Metchie to the Eagles. In turn, the Texans will be getting a receiving tight end option who is expected to fill Brevin Jordan’s spot in the TE room, who is out for the season having torn his ACL in training camp.
NFL trade grades: Jalen Ramsey, Minkah Fitzpatrick, John Metchie III – ESPN
It represents a classic preseason deal in which Houston traded from a position of surplus to help Philadelphia fill a need. Even with Tank Dell injured, the Texans have more players at wide receiver who could reasonably make their 53-man roster. Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, Christian Kirk, Justin Watson, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, Braxton Berrios were all in that room, so the 2022 second-rounder might have been on the outside in terms of making Houston’s roster. Metchie, who missed what would have been his rookie season in 2022 after being diagnosed with leukemia, has made a limited impact since his NFL debut in 2023. He has caught 40 passes for 412 yards and a paltry 1.1 yards per route run the past two seasons. But the Eagles are quite barren at wide receiver after A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, so they must figure it’s worth a shot to see whether they can extract Metchie’s potential. The bar is fairly low considering the Eagles’ receiver depth consists of players such as Jahan Dotson, Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson.
Stinkfest Saturday – Iggles Blitz
I didn’t come away from the game with a good feel for the CB position. Jakorian Bennett had an impressive PBU where he showed off his speed. I thought he was pretty good. I need to go back and watch the tape to see how all the CBs fared. DTR and rookie Kyle McCord split QB reps. Neither played well, but their protection was bad. Cleveland won the battle up front on both sides of the ball. The Eagles had 25 dropbacks and CLE had 6 QB hits, plus a sack and additional pressure. McCord did play better this week than the opener. He settled down and did have some good moments. Tanner McKee didn’t play. Sirianni said he got enough work in the practices that the Eagles staff wanted to focus on DTR and McCord. The QBs played with both the second and third teams. It looked like they would play two series each and then sit for a couple. The idea was to see them with different blockers and receivers so the coaches could make a more balanced evaluation. I’m not sure that worked as hoped since pretty much everyone struggled.
Eagles-Browns takeaways: Tanner McKee sits, offense sputters, Jihaad Campbell dazzles – The Athletic
This was not the best week for the Eagles. Dickerson injured his knee last Sunday, another week passed without separation at No. 2 cornerback, and the Eagles did not outplay the Browns in practices before a lackluster performance in the preseason game. “It’s hard to score points when you move backwards and I just felt like we had a couple too many that we moved backwards on, and that’s for different reasons,” Sirianni said. “Whether that’s a pre-snap penalty, whether that’s a negative run, whether that’s a sack, all those things stall drives out. That’s what I felt like with that second day of practice, more so than anything.” This might not matter in a month. They practiced without Brown and Dickerson (plus Lane Johnson for one of the sessions), and some players can fast-forward to Sept. 4. The Eagles’ success and their talent give them the benefit of the doubt. But there were joint practices in past years in which the Eagles clearly outplayed the opponent — and it can be an indicator for what’s ahead during the season. The Eagles should hope this week is not suggestive of how they’ll perform. My guess is any panic might seem like an overreaction come December, but it’s at least worth keeping in the back of your mind with the season opener fast approaching.
Dillon Gabriel defeats the Super Bowl Champions in Browns 22-13 win over Eagles – Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns won their second preseason game in a row, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 22-13. QB Dillon Gabriel got the start, so how did Cleveland’s other rookie do in his start compared to QB Shedeur Sanders? Let’s get to the full game recap to see how he did. [BLG Note: I appreciate DBN’s headline here.]
Dan Quinn: Terry McLaurin won’t play Monday night, starting return to play process – Hogs Haven
Dan Quinn spoke to reporters after today’s practice. His usual pre-practice presser was pushed back, and the team announced that WR Terry McLaurin(ankle) has been activated from the Active/PUP list. McLaurin wasn’t at practice today, and he won’t play in the team’s Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Quinn said that he will ramp up as he returns to play, just like several other players that were ruled out have been. McLaurin is still seeking a new deal, but can now practice with the team when he is cleared for full participation.
The current state of the Cowboys running back room – Blogging The Boys
On Saturday night against the Baltimore Ravens, veteran Miles Sanders got the start and made his Cowboys debut after recovering the last few weeks from a knee injury he suffered in practice. Sanders was the Cowboys’ leading rusher with just 15 yards off seven carries. In his limited opportunities, Sanders showed some burst and looked fresh, but there were also moments where he danced around trying to find the right lane to run through.
4 NFL win total over bets worth taking – SB Nation
Dallas Cowboys: Over 7.5 wins (-125): There is no question the offseason has been shambolic in Dallas, but it’s pretty ridiculous to take that and translate it into a five win season. The core issue with the ‘Boys has been the same every year for over a decade: They underperform the talent on their roster. That could very well be true again in 2025, but there’s little reason to believe there will be a further backslide away from their 7-10 record a year ago. Obviously the team is in trouble if Micah Parsons ends up leaving, but it’s difficult to imagine that actually happening when the rubber meets the road. There’s a lot of preening happening right now to try and gain an upper hand in these contract negotiations, but when the rubber meets the road it seems the sides will come together. Simply put: An underperforming Cowboys team is still an eight win team. [BLG Note: It just feels like taking the over is too good to be true.]
Giants-Jets ‘Kudos & Wet Willies’ review – Big Blue View
Jaxson Dart — The rookie quarterback went an excellent 14 of 16 for 137 yards, threw for a touchdown, ran for a touchdown and had a 123.2 passer rating. Dart led two third-quarter drives and both went for touchdowns. The first drive was nine plays, 71 yards and ended with a 20-yard touchdown to tight end Greg Dulcich. The second drive was 12 plays, 55 yards and ended with a 1-yard Dart run. Everything this young man has done this summer should have Giants fans excited for the future at quarterback.
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