What To Watch For In Eagles First Preseason Game

Eagles football is back! Well, sort of. The Eagles will kick off their preseason and play host to their cross-state rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on Thursday night. While this game certainly won’t have the glitz and glamour of a regular season game, there are certainly still plenty of reasons to watch.

 

The Eagles enter the 2021 campaign with very little expectations, at least through the rational fan’s eye. The Eagles roster is filled with a mix of mostly young, unproven players as well as aging veterans.

 

That blend in the roster creates multiple open competitions throughout the team. This is good, especially in rookie head coach Nick Sirianni’s eyes. Sirianni has been preaching competition and attacking every facet of being a football player since the day he was hired.

 

 

I think we can all admit that, “attacking rest,” seems corny on the surface. However, it could be the right attitude to have as a new head coach with a fairly young team. This is especially true since the new head coach has balanced that attitude with an extremely hands on approach on the field.

 

 

Sirianni announced on Tuesday that all of the starters would play on Thursday night, but he wasn’t sure how long they would play. The starters taking the field for a preseason game has been almost unheard of for the Eagles the last couple of years, so this will be a welcomed sight for the fans.

 

What To Watch For: Eagles Offense

 

Jalen Hurts

According to a wide range of reports, Hurts has been mediocre throughout training camp. He has had some good days, some really bad days, but mostly had days that left reporters unimpressed.

 

Hurts is learning his second NFL system in two years. It’s highly likely that Hurts is still learning as he goes along, which is fine. That being said, how he performs throughout the preseason will be evaluated under a microscope.

 

I expect Hurts’ performance on Thursday to mirror what he has done throughout camp. I anticipate Hurts making some plays that impress, and also some plays that will disappoint. I’m not expecting anything that will totally, “wow,” anyone that watches.

 

Look to see how Hurts commands the offense, fits within Sirianni’s system, and how he adjusts when things go awry. What I’ll mostly be looking for will be how often Hurts looks to run when a play breaks down. While Hurts’ running ability is certainly a strength, it shouldn’t be his default reaction when his first read isn’t open.

Left Tackle

The competition between Jordan Mailata and Andre Dillard for the starting left tackle position might be the most lopsided position battle in recent memory. The competition is so one-sided that you would never believe which one of the two was a first round pick.

 

Mailata has continued to shine in training camp, building off of his strong finish to the 2020 season. Dillard, meanwhile, has continued to look like another major Howie Roseman draft blunder.

 

Mailata has been so impressive during camp, that Eagles insider Adam Caplan believes he is the most impressive Eagle on the roster so far. Mailata has quickly turned into a fan favorite with his likable character and incredible ascension from essentially being a late round lottery ticket.

 

 

In the meantime, Dillard has routinely been beaten badly, regardless of whether he was with the 1’s or the 2’s. Defensive end Josh Sweat has abused Dillard with such consistency that Sweat will soon have custody over Dillard, pending paperwork.

 

In all seriousness, Mailata will start on Thursday night. As for Dillard, the former first rounder suffered another setback on Tuesday as he was forced to leave practice with a leg sprain. He is week-to-week and will miss Thursday’s game.

 

Wide Receiver

The debut of first round phenom Devonta Smith will likely have to wait until the regular season. Smith suffered an MCL sprain last week with a timetable to return in 2-3 weeks. While that could have him return before the preseason is over, I highly doubt that the Eagles will want to risk further injury to their star rookie in a meaningless game. Expect your first look at Smith in game action to be in Atlanta on September 12th.

 

Even with Smith unavailable, there is plenty of intrigue with the rest of the wide receiver unit. Last year’s first round pick, Jalen Reagor, has been inconsistent and underwhelming so far in camp, with the exception of this really cool catch.

 

 

As aforementioned, Coach Sirianni has gotten into Reagor a couple of times during the first few weeks of camp. Hopefully for the team, Reagor was able to use that criticism in a constructive way. Reagor showed some flashes in games last year, but he will certainly need to show more if he wants to stick around in Philadelphia long term.

 

The competition in this unit will be for the third wide receiver spot. The competition will likely be between Greg Ward, Travis Fulgham, and sleeper Quez Watkins. While Ward and Fulgham are likely still the favorites, Watkins has impressed so far in camp with his blazing speed and acrobatic catch at the open practice on Sunday night.

 

 

Ward and Fulgham have each had breakout stretches of their own during regular seasons past. Ward famously carried the wide receiver unit to end the 2019 season. Meanwhile, Fulgham had one of the better stretches of any receiver in the league last season, but disappeared after that due to injuries and incompetence from the coaching staff.

 

Keep a close eye on all three of these guys to see how long they play and what they are able to accomplish with their playing time. Fulgham will likely see the majority of his reps as an outside receiver, while Ward and Watkins will play a mix of outside receiver and slot.

 

What To Watch For: Eagles Defense

 

Josh Sweat

Fourth year defensive end Josh Sweat has been the defensive bright spot of Eagles training camp. He has routinely dominated the Birds offensive line throughout camp, and has received many compliments from his peers.

 

Whether Sweat’s success has to do with poor offensive line play or his own progression remains to be seen. With the way Sweat has been talked up, though, it leads me to believe that he’s earned the high praise.

 

 

Sweat even raised some eyebrows in 2020, totaling six sacks in 14 games. Personally, I think that Sweat has a chance to takeover the role that was supposed to have been filled by Derek Barnett by now. I expect Sweat to start opposite Brandon Graham in Atlanta week one.

 

The New Guys

A majority of the Eagles offseason additions have come on the defensive side of the ball. That, in turn, creates a lot of intrigue around a unit that had become so predictable over the previous five years under Jim Schwartz. Each position group has at least one new guy for new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to keep an eye on.

 

On the defensive line, the fresh face is former division rival Ryan Kerrigan. The ex-member of the Washington Football Team dominated the Birds throughout his ten year stint in D.C. and was selected to four Pro Bowls. While Kerrigan isn’t the player he once was due to his age, it will be interesting to see what kind of role he takes on. I imagine he will be used as this year’s version of Chris Long, a situational pass rusher with a chance to make a big impact reliant on his health.

 

At linebacker, the newcomer is Eric Wilson. Wilson spent the past four years in Minnesota, starting 25 of his career 64 games including all 16 games last season. Last season was a true breakout for Wilson, as he totaled 122 total tackles, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and three sacks. Wilson is currently listed as the starting middle linebacker on the Birds unofficial depth chart.

 

The Eagles have two new guys in the secondary, safety Anthony Harris and and recently signed Steven Nelson. Harris, like Eric Wilson, came over from Minnesota as a free agent in the offseason. Harris, entering his seventh season, spent the last two seasons starting alongside all-pro Harrison Smith for the Vikings. Harris totaled six interceptions in 2019, which was a tie for the league lead. Last season, Harris started all 16 games and amassed 104 total tackles, a hefty number for a safety.

 

Expect Harris to see a lot of time due to the recent K’von Wallace injury and with Rodney McLeod still recovering from a torn ACL. As for Steven Nelson, he will start on the opposite side of Darius Slay at corner. This move bumps Avonte Maddox to slot/nickel corner, which suits him a lot better in my opinion. Nelson is entering his seventh season and spent the last two years with the Steelers, starting 30 games and intercepting three passes. Both of Nelson’s interceptions in 2020 came against Carson Wentz and the Eagles.

 

Broadcast Information

Time: 7:30 P.M. EDT

TV: NBC 10

Radio: 94.1 WIP

Stream: NFL Game Pass

By Matt Szczypiorski | August 12, 2021
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