The Philadelphia Eagles opened their preseason against the Baltimore Ravens last night, and there’s a chance that the drive back home to Philly was a bit quiet. While the offensive starters and most defensive starters didn’t play, the optics for both the offense and defense weren't good. But it is preseason. I mean, we’re talking about preseason.
Nonetheless, there had to be a winner and loser, and unfortunately, the Eagles lost 24-7. Despite the team losing as a whole, let’s separate the true winners and losers from the Eagles on Saturday night.
I’m not going to lie and say he had an outstanding showing, but Ringo displayed great speed and instincts on a touchdown-saving interception late in the first half. His ability to hit that second gear while running across the end zone was impressive, but is it enough to keep him in midnight green?
Trotter has been all the rage during training camp, and we all saw why with his impressive play against the Ravens. He finished the contest with 5 total tackles and 1 sack, but his instincts and growth were on full display. I’d be interested to see how he grows alongside Baun and Campbell this season. Pairing him with Campbell in the long term could be the best thing for the Eagles.
After a night of very questionable quarterback play, Payton found a way to stand out late in the game. His elusiveness when escaping the pocket and his instincts behind the line of scrimmage were very impressive. He had great instincts when he threw his first touchdown pass. Payton scrambled to the right as the pocket was collapsing and threw a perfect pass to WR Erik Ezukanma in the back corner of the end zone for the Eagles’ lone score of the night.
While the offensive line as a whole was far from impressive, Bell and Lampkin both stood out as possible steals for the Eagles’ future. Bell looked like a monstrous version of Lane Johnson on an outside zone run play as he led the way downfield. Lampkin had impressive moments in pass blocking, as his motor and fight were fully on display. Lampkin consistently showed the fight needed to earn a roster spot.
Dalton was an interesting trade for the Eagles this offseason. Bringing over a veteran and having him compete with Tanner McKee was the ideal move for this offense. It could’ve made McKee trade bait while also giving rookie Cole Payton the runway he needed to develop.
However, after his showing on that first drive, I believe Dalton may be on the bubble now, especially with Payton and McKee playing better than him during their drives.
Tanner didn’t have a terrible showing, but he also didn’t create any ground between him and Dalton. This was Tanner McKee’s moment to take advantage of Andy Dalton’s poor play, but he didn’t capitalize on the opportunity. He looked indecisive at times, which could’ve dipped his stock internally and externally.
I spotlighted two of the players as winners in Willie Lampkin and Markell, but the unit as a whole was far from impressive. The run game was never fully established, and the pass protection looked lost at times, which contributed to the poor QB play.
