Preseason In The Books

[time2rock]

Preseason In The Books

Posted: August 25th, 2023 | Author: Tommy Lawlor 

The Eagles fell to the Colts 27-13 in the preseason finale on Thursday night. A ton of guys sat out so we should really say "Eagles” when talking about the group that did play. You needed to keep the team’s roster in front of you to know who some of the guys on the field were.

The Colts played starters for a lot of the first half. They were better, but Indy only led 17-13 at halftime so that should tell you about the talent level on the two squads. With this being the finale, a lot was on the line for the guys who did play. I don’t think many guys changed their status in this game. Nobody was that good or that bad.

Here are some quick thoughts.

TE Tyree Jackson is the player who impressed me the most. He was 3-31, but numbers aside, I liked the way he looked. Jackson ran good routes. He was getting open. His combination of size and speed is impressive. He’s healthy and played with confidence. I think he might force the Eagles to keep 4 TEs.

Rookie LB Ben VanSumeren had a busy night. He was in on 17 tackles. He played hard and showed good athleticism. I just don’t think he showed enough to make the roster. He’s still a project. You want him on the practice squad. If he’s cut and gets claimed, you can live with that. Interesting player, but not a guy who was so good you have to find a way to keep him.

Tyler Steen played RG for the first half. Didn’t play LT at all. He was LT for 4 years in college so the Eagles may have felt he didn’t need the reps there.

Tanner McKee played a lot. He was up and down. Playing behind a makeshift OL with mediocre receivers against a starting D is tough. McKee was 19-34-158. He wasn’t as smooth as the previous two games, but a lot of that was due to the circumstances. He had some impressive plays. There was also some bad luck that hurt (fumble by WR in scoring territory, drop by RB on a sure TD pass).

I wasn’t impressed by Terrell Edmunds or Justin Evans. K’Von Wallace tackled well. Sydney Brown didn’t stand out in my first viewing. Safety is still a mystery to me.

LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams was just signed the other day. He was in on 7 tackles, had a TFL and an INT. Loved seeing the new guy take advantage of all the playing time he got. Wish the team had more time to look at him. Interesting player.

WR Devon Allen only caught one pass, but he stood out on STs. He had a 73-yard KOR to open the game and was good as a gunner on punts. Allen has a chance to sneak on the roster due to his speed and STs play.

Janarius Robinson proved that he can touch the QB, but wasn’t able to tackle him. Loved the motor and athleticism, but you’ve got to finish plays if you want to win a roster spot.

CB Eli Ricks looked good to the naked eye. He’s going to make it tough for the team to cut him.

OG Josh Sills sat for the first half. He took over at LG in the second half. The coaches are not happy with him right now. He is in danger of losing his roster spot. Sua Opeta didn’t dress for the game. The Eagles know what he can do and must not have wanted to risk him getting hurt.

Apparently the Eagles wanted to give him an extension, but couldn’t due to contract technicalities. So they cut him, waited a day and then signed him to a 2-year deal. Good for Johnson. He was the LT in the first half. Didn’t study him too closely. He’s had a good summer and the Eagles want to keep him around.

*****

The Eagles didn’t have any major injuries so that is the best news of the night.

http://igglesblitz.com/2023/08/preseason-the-books/