Friday night brings us the Philadelphia Eagles’ third and final preseason game, a road matchup against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
In typical preseason finale fashion, the Eagles won’t be playing many (if any) key players. Rather, this is the final chance for roster bubble contenders to make one last good impression. The NFL’s roster cuts deadline — Tuesday, August 27 at 4:00 PM Eastern — looms large.
And so here are the most especially interesting Eagles to watch. For your viewing convenience, I’ve listed jersey numbers next to the player names.
CB JAKORIAN BENNETT – #49
When it comes to the CB2 battle, the most realistic ideal scenario for the Eagles at this point is Bennett stepping up and seizing the job. Bennett should be able to have success against the Jets, who are likely playing the combination of … Adrian Martinez and Brady Cook … at quarterback. (Who?)
CB MAC MCWILLIAMS – #22
McWilliams has taken some first-team reps on the outside in this interminable CB2 battle. He likely won’t be the Eagles’ Week 1 starter but he could eventually rise to that status over the course of the season. The potential for him to help his case is there tonight.
CB KELEE RINGO – #7
Ringo seems unlikely to play tonight since he missed Wednesday’s practice due to a new quad injury. If he does play, his performance will obviously be worth monitoring.
S SYDNEY BROWN – #21
Does Brown play in this game? If not, that’s a good sign he’s the Week 1 starter ahead of Andrew Mukuba, who is now dealing with a hamstring injury. If so, maybe the Eagles aren’t too concerned about Mukuba’s injury.
WR DARIUS COOPER – #41
Based on how the Eagles were lining up players during the walkthrough portion of practice on Wednesday (in preparation of the Jets game), it looks like Cooper is going to start tonight. Honestly, he shouldn’t be playing. He’s graduated out of that. One would hope it’s just for a drive or two, perhaps to help out McCord.
WR AINIAS SMITH – #82
Smith scored a short touchdown in each of his first two preseason games. Will he make it three in a row? The feeling here is that Smith shouldn’t be a roster lock but he probably is. If he makes me eat my words by shining tonight, so be it. He figures to get some chances as a punt returner in addition to playing on offense.
WR JOHN METCHIE III – #80
JM3 only participated in his first Eagles practice on Tuesday, so, he’s still adjusting to his new team. Still, it’ll be fun to check out the new guy.
WR ELIJAH COOKS – #86
Cooks was a training camp darling prior to getting hurt in the Eagles’ first preseason game. While missing a number of practices and the team’s second preseason game, Cooks fell out of contention to make the roster. There’s a case to be made he benefits from the Johnny Wilson injury since he’s the largest depth receiver on the Eagles. But his path to playing in the regular season is first making the practice squad and biding his time. Cooks can prove he belongs on the Eagles’ PS with a good game tonight.
QB KYLE MCCORD – #19
McCord has overtaken Dorian Thomspon-Robinson for the emergency third quarterback role. But McCord is still competing to show that his developmental potential is preferable to other QB3 options the team could consider. No one is expecting perfection from McCord, especially since he’ll be working with a less than ideal supporting cast. But it’d be nice to see some signs of promise.
OG BRETT TOTH – #64
Will be interesting to see how much Toth plays in this game. He’s taken the majority of first-team left guard reps since Landon Dickerson suffered a knee injury. The Eagles probably want to get him more game experience … but they should also want to prevent him from getting injured if he’s truly their top backup option at LG.
OL DREW KENDALL – #66
The Eagles moving Kendall from center to left guard in the second half of their last preseason game was an unexpected development. The rookie lacks extensive guard experience and he hasn’t been repping there in practice. But the Eagles clearly want to get him action at LG. That seems like a good sign for Kendall’s stock. We’ll see him play left guard again on Friday night.
OG KENYON GREEN – #76
Green missed the Eagles’ second preseason game due to a shoulder injury. The 2022 first-round pick will be back in action against the Jets. He figures to play left guard, where the depth behind Dickerson doesn’t seem to be settled. There’s an opportunity for Green to step up and show he belongs on the roster.
OL TREVOR KEEGAN – #77
Keegan has spent time at both guard and center (where he’s struggled to snap the ball). It feels like he’s on the bubble. A bad night could sink the 2024 draft pick’s chances of making the roster.
TE KYLEN GRANSON – #83
Granson seems like the leading candidate for the third tight end job, though E.J. Jenkins was still taking some first-team reps in practice this week. Granson could lock up a roster spot with a good showing against the Jets. And not just showing off as a pass-catcher but also making good contributions as a blocker and special teams player.
EDGE PATRICK JOHNSON – #48
If there was a Preseason Hall of Fame, Johnson would be pushing for a spot in it. He simply makes plays in the summer. We’ll see if that translates to the Eagles keeping him around on the roster and not waiving him like they did after Week 1 last season.
EDGE ANTWAUN POWELL-RYLAND JR. – #52
Maybe the most invisible player of this entire Eagles offseason. It’d be nice to see a flash or two that justifies keeping APR around on the practice squad.
OT LAEKIN VAKALAHI – #67
The interest here is the long-term development of Vakalahi, who is in his second of three years as an international exemption player. The Eagles played him in their first preseason game but he didn’t see any snaps in their second. This is his last chance to get some game action until the 2026 preseason.
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