In their first preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Philadelphia Eagles played 74 snaps on offense and 65 on defense. Let’s just get right to the snap counts, some notes, and some special recognition.
(We typically publish these the day after a game, but the NFL was a little slow to add the snap counts to the game book. I guess it’s the preseason for the stat guys, too.)
Quarterback
• 43 snaps: Tanner McKee
• 16 snaps: Kyle McCord
• 15 snaps: Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Notes: McKee was a stud in yet another preseason game, as he picked apart the Bengals’ starters and reserves. He finished 20 of 25 for 252 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs, with a QB rating of 135.3. He also scored on a Tush Push.
Throughout camp, Thompson-Robinson has looked better than McCord, and that held true in the first preseason game.
Running back
• 26 snaps: Keilan Robinson
• 17 snaps each: A.J. Dillon, ShunDerrick Powell
• 14 snaps: Will Shipley
Notes: Shipley had a 38-yard run on one of the bigger holes you’ll see. Otherwise he rushed 6 times for 10 yards. Dillon looked like a serviceable backup. He rushed 5 times for 27 yards.
Powell showed a little juice against backups, rushing 6 times for 32 yards and a TD. His potential spot on the practice squad is probably tied to how quickly fellow UDFA rookie Montrell Johnson can return from injury. (Johnson didn’t play.)
Wide receiver
• 57 snaps: Johnny Wilson
• 48 snaps: Darius Cooper
• 34 snaps: Ainias Smith
• 23 snaps: Taylor Morin
• 16 snaps: Giles Jackson
• 10 snaps: Ife Adeyi
• 9 snaps: Jahan Dotson
• 1 snap: Elijah Cooks
Notes: Wilson’s night got off to a great start, as he made a pair of contested catches, as well as a nice catch on a back shoulder throw. However, he later had a drop, and I thought he misplayed a fade route in the end zone that could have been a TD if he went and got it instead of letting the ball come to him. Still, I think the Eagles pretty clearly want to continue developing Wilson because of his abnormal size, and they’ll be encouraged by the plays he did make.
Smith had 2 catches for 11 yards and a TD, as well as a long punt return. And yet, like with Wilson, I can nitpick his night. On that long punt return, he ran up too far when the punt was in the air, then had to retreat backwards a bit to field it.
Part of the reason Smith did not earn the punt return job last year was because he was shaky fielding punts. I wonder if the Eagles will view his punt return as encouraging or concerning. Maybe both?
The toast of the wide receivers was Cooper, who had a big night, catching 6 passes for 82 yards and a TD. His playing time came with the second-team offense, which is a good sign for his chances of making the roster, and on top of that, he delivered on his opportunity.
Cooks has been a standout in camp so far, but he got carted off because of what looked like a shoulder injury. I like Cooper’s chances of making the roster over Cooks, because Cooper is a rookie and Cooks is a third-year pro.
We should probably also mention Dotson, who didn’t play much, but made 2 catches for 27 yards.
Tight end
• 23 snaps: Kylen Granson
• 22 snaps: E.J. Jenkins
• 17 snaps: Harrison Bryant
• 15 snaps: Nick Muse
• 13 snaps: Grant Calcaterra
• 7 snaps: Cameron Latu
Notes: Granson caught all three of his targets for 28 yards. My “Eagles tight ends after Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra power rankings” remain unchanged:
- Kylen Granson
- E.J. Jenkins
- Harrison Bryant
It is noteworthy though that Bryant played with the twos.
Offensive line
• 60 snaps: Myles Hinton
• 58 snaps: Drew Kendall
• 46 snaps: Brett Toth
• 43 snaps: Matt Pryor
• 37 snaps: Darian Kinnard
• 31 snaps: Trevor Keegan
• 28 snaps: Cameron Williams
• 16 snaps: Kenyon Green
• 16 snaps: Hollin Pierce
• 14 snaps: Kendall Lamm
• 12 snaps: Laekin Vakalahi
• 9 snaps: Tyler Steen
Notes: I still have to go back and rewatch, but the general sense that I got was that the second team unit played well, and the third team unit largely did not.
But the important development was that Steen had a good block on the long Shipley run, and he only played one series. He’s going to be the starting RG. That camp battle never really materialized, and is basically over.
Edge defenders
• 27 snaps: Ochaun Mathis
• 22 snaps: Josh Uche, Azeez Ojulari
• 21 snaps: Antwaun Powell-Ryland
• 19 snaps: Patrick Johnson, Ogbo Okoronkwo
Notes: Johnson had a sack that was negated by a penalty in the secondary, and then he promptly tipped a ball to himself and made an INT. Otherwise, there’s not a lot to say about the edge defenders.
Interior defensive line
• 50 snaps: Ty Robinson
• 49 snaps: Gabe Hall
• 19 snaps: Joe Evans, Jacob Sykes
Notes: Ty Robinson had a sack, and Hall had at least one nice pressure. But, like the edge rushers, this group was mostly quiet.
Linebacker
• 36 snaps: Smael Mondon
• 31 snaps: Jeremiah Trotter
• 24 snaps: Dallas Gant, Lance Dixon
• 15 snaps: Jihaad Campbell
Notes: I’ve been talking up Mondon for weeks now, and then he missed like three tackles. Ugh. (We don’t get to see these guys tackle in practice.)
Trotter had 6 tackles; Campbell had a near-INT.
Cornerback and safety
• 29 snaps: Tristin McCollum
• 28 snaps: Sydney Brown, Andre’ Sam
• 27 snaps: Mac McWilliams, Brandon Johnson
• 25 snaps: Eli Ricks
• 24 snaps: Kelee Ringo, Adoree’ Jackson, Parry Nickerson, Lewis Cine
• 23 snaps: Tariq Castro-Fields
• 21 snaps: Maxen Hook
• 14 snaps: A.J. Woods
Notes: Ringo and Jackson both gave up a bunch of receptions, and Ringo failed to make a tackle on Ja’Marr Chase on an out route, leading to an easy Bengals TD. Ricks had a golden opportunity for a pick-six, but the ball slipped through his hands. Gotta make that play if you’re a bubble guy.
I thought Brown looked good. He played under control, but also flew around the field and got to the ball quickly when he needed to.
Hook is a physical safety, huh? We saw him make a big hit during a live red zone session one day in practice, but opportunities to hit are few and far between in camp. The preseason games are when hitters like Hook have a chance to stand out, and he didn’t disappoint.
Andrew Mukuba didn’t play, as expected.
Three stars 🤩
⭐⭐⭐: Tanner McKee, QB, Eagles: It’s almost not fair that even with all their riches the Eagles might also have the best QB2 in the NFL.
🌟🌟: Darius Cooper, WR Eagles: Bigtime performance from an undrafted rookie trying to crack the 53-man roster.
✨: Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals: 9/10 for 123 and a TD. He’s good to go for the regular season. The Eagles will be Bengals fans this season, by the way. They play the Vikings, Lions, and Packers all within the first 6 weeks of the season.
Game ball 🏈
• Preseason Week 1: QB Tanner McKee, Eagles
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