One down… Two to go… The Philadelphia Eagles put the bow on their first preseason game of their slate. This one was an intriguing watch, one with a fantastic ending. Had it been a game that would have counted against the regular-season total, it would have been instantly dubbed as an NFL ‘instant classic’.
Now the fun begins. We get to throw on our imaginary coaching and general manager caps. No one asked for our evaluation, but we decided to provide some anyway.
The pressure will certainly rise now. Jobs are at stake. Depth charts will be altered. Some guys did themselves some favors versus the Baltimore Ravens. Some saw their stock drop. Let’s talk about the latter.
Ainias Smith, wide receiver/returner
At this point, we feel like every critique of Ainias Smith is the equivalent of kicking a man while he is down. He had a nice catch to move the chains in the second half, but his night overall felt much like his showing at training camp. There’s much more to complain about than praise.
Two more games remain. That means that all hope isn’t lost. He knows what he must work on, but if we were forced to make final cuts now, Smith would be off the roster. It’s gut-check time. Come on rook! Prove us wrong!
Tyler Steen, offensive lineman
Tyler Steen will make this team. Tyler Steen can play in this league and still has a shot at making this roster as a starter. Something seems off here though, and that could be simply attributable to that ankle injury he sustained earlier in camp. Are we to assume that he isn’t totally healed after feeling its effects?
It’s hard to blame an ankle injury for him being flagged for holding on a first-down play after a five-yard Kenny Pickett scramble. Then again, the physical limitations could be affecting him mentally.
All we know is this. A week ago, we were banking that the odds were 60/40 that he’d win the starting right guard job over Mekhi Becton. Now, we aren’t as confident that will happen.
We’ll keep watching that battle. You should do the same.
Jacob Harris and E.J. Jenkins
When you’re a young player trying to battle your way onto a roster no one thinks you will make, every opportunity counts. Blow yours, and you may not earn another.
We were excited about seeing Tanner McKee. We didn’t get the performance we were looking for, but that’s largely due to getting minimal support from his supporting cast.
Jacob Harris and E.J. Jenkins dropped consecutive passes from McKee early in the fourth quarter. That won’t earn you the confidence of coaches or the guy tossing you the rock.
Matt Hennessy
Here’s a secret. We have never felt like Matt Hennessy would make this roster. We knew Philly would draft at least one offensive lineman (they drafted two). We also knew players would continue to be added, and we knew that would push Hennessy further down the depth chart.
Seeing him playing during the fourth quarter of a preseason game is evidence that he may not have the full confidence of his coaches. Seeing him get run over by Josh Tupou and being called for a holding penalty doesn’t instill confidence either, confidence we have in him or confidence he has in himself.
Albert Okwuegbunam
This may sound crass, and that’s okay if you find issues with how this is stated. The facts are the facts though. Albert Okwuegbunam simply cannot play football.
We didn’t see anything from him last season to warrant him receiving the one-year deal he was handed in February. He has shown nothing during training camp, and he showed us nothing in the first preseason game.
Unless he knows some juicy secret about a member of Philly’s leadership structure. There is really nothing to warrant his continued employment past final roster cuts.
Worth mentioning: Isaiah Rodgers
Isaiah Rodgers will make this Eagles roster. He should. That shouldn’t be questioned, but in the race to win a starting spot on the outside opposite Darius Slay, he has fallen behind Kelee Ringo after seeing both play in the first preseason game.
Jake Elliott: Why is he on this list?
Okay, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. No one is safe from criticism when it’s valid. If we can pick apart every Jalen Hurts throw during camp, we can question two bad misses by Jake in a preseason game.
An extra-point attempt traveled too far left. A potential game winner traveled too far right. Thank goodness for a Patrick Johnson strip-sack and recovery. That gave Jake another shot at a game-winner, one he nailed. We’re confident that Jake won’t let us down in the stock watch, but we have to admit.
We’d be lying if we said we haven’t thought about those misses. Regression can come at any point for any player, including one as good as Jake Elliott.
