There were some sloppy moments for the Eagles during their two days of joint practices against the Browns. Naturally, their preseason game Saturday afternoon followed suit, as the overall product from both teams was very preseason-ish at the Linc, with the Browns winning 22-13. The Eagles didn't even generate 100 total yards of offense.
Thankfully, final scores are much less important in the preseason than actual developments, and there were plenty of interesting developments to write about.
Showcase showdown?
The concept of the Eagles showcasing Tanner McKee for a potential trade seems highly unlikely now, given that McKee didn't play against the Browns after playing into the second half against the Bengals. The Eagles value their No. 2 QB, and McKee is that guy for them. He won't be going anywhere.
If there was a showcase going on, it was for Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who started the game and who has stacked some good practices lately. DTR didn't exactly sparkle though, as he lacked pocket awareness and held onto the ball too long. One of his passes in the first half was deflected twice and almost picked off, and then a second deflected pass to start the second half was intercepted.
Rookie Kyle McCord replaced DTR in the second quarter and immediately led a seven-play, 31-yard touchdown drive. DTR started the second half but was replaced by McCord after his interception. McCord had a third-down pass batted in the third quarter and was immediately replaced the next drive by DTR as the coaches put these guys to the test. Overall, the Eagles
Both guys will probably get plenty of action in the preseason finale.
A.J. Dillon is handling his workload
The most important development for running back A.J. Dillon is handling his workload without any injury setbacks. He missed all last season from a severe neck injury, and if you remember from the Jordan Howard experience, neck injuries can linger and shorten a good career.
It doesn't matter much that Dillon only gained seven yards on three carries and, for some inexplicable reason, decided to catch a deflected pass 14 yards behind the line of scrimmage when he should've just batted it down. What matters most is that he has 12 total preseason touches and stayed healthy.
The Eagles will find a way to use him when Saquon Barkley needs a break and also pair him with changeup RB Will Shipley, who should also see an uptick in usage this season.
The safety battle isn't over
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio clearly hasn't yet decided on a starting safety opposite Reed Blankenship for the team's heavily used nickel defense (assuming Cooper DeJean is the other starter for base downs). If he had, Sydney Brown would've sat for the game and rookie Andrew Mukuba would've taken all the first-half reps with Tristin McCollum.
Brown and Mukuba both started, and Mukuba clearly seized the opportunity to bridge any gap that might have existed between the two. He showed good awareness on both of his first-half takeaways, snaking through two Browns pass-catchers to jump in front of a poorly thrown ball by Dillon Gabriel for a pick-six. Later, Mukuba came up with a fumble after Browns running back Pierre Strong dropped a handoff and lost the ball in a pile. Somehow, Mukuba emerged with the loose ball for his second turnover.
In fairness, the fumble recovery might have been more right place-right time than anything else, but producing turnovers will aways stick out. Mukuba had one blip in coverage – a first-quarter play-action pass from Gabriel to Cedric Tillman that went for 14 yards with Tillman getting physical against Mukuba to create extra separation – but otherwise played solidly and will continue to push Brown to start.
Offensive line carousel
Hold off on Brett Toth as the definitive replacement at left guard if Landon Dickerson isn't back from meniscus surgery for the season opener. Yes, Toth started at left guard and played there for the first half while rookie Drew Kendall started at center, but Toth moved to center – where he typically struggles with snapping – in the second half, while Kendall slid to left guard. Kendall has almost all of his college experience at center, but Toth can't be considered the clear-cut "next man up" at left guard.
It appears for now the Eagles are keeping Tyler Steen at right guard. Steen, who played in the preseason opener, didn't play against the Browns, suggesting the coaches have seen enough. He hasn't taken any reps this camp at left guard.
iLBs bounce back
The top inside linebackers struggled in the preseason opener against the Bengals but played with more physicality against the Browns, with Zack Baun held out again. Jihaad Campbell picked up an early sack, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. got in on some tackles, and rookie Smael Mondon Jr. bounced back from a tough debut against Cincy to make some impact plays, including consecutive stops to start the second half.
The Browns only averaged four yards per carry through three quarters, and that included a 16-yard run from an end-around that was really Azeez Ojulari's fault for not maintaining backside discipline and a 14-yard run that was a good third-and-short play call against a blitz.
Pass rush was sporadic
At one point, the Browns had more than 100 yards and the Eagles had fewer than 10. Early on, Gabriel burned the Eagles with quickly timed, three-step drop passes that enabled the Browns to move up and down the field as the Eagles played off coverage.
But rookie Ty Robinson did have some good rushes from the inside as the game progressed, and Ojulari showed up in key moments. Ojulari's tight coverage on TE David Njoku is what caused Gabriel to try that tight-window throw that Mukuba picked.
Ojulari also supplied quick pressure against LT Dawand Jones on Cleveland's first drive to flush Gabriel from the pocket and later used a nice stab move against LT Cornelius Lucas to speed past the lineman before sacking Gabriel. This is the most impactful Ojulari has looked since the first few camp practices, as Josh Uche has flashed more often.
Ainias Smith making a strong push
The Eagles don't have a natural slot receiver among their starting three of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson. The coaching staff has creatively used motion and reduced receiver splits (trips and bunch formations) to create openings and use spacing to their advantage. But second-year pro Ainias Smith, who's pushing for a spot on the 53, is their best pure slot option, which he showed again on his second preseason touchdown.
Aligned from the left slot, Smith's two-way go route vs. Browns nickel Cam Mitchell made for an easy touchdown throw for Kyle McCord, as Smith got into Mitchell's hop quickly before breaking inside and catching the pass in stride for his second low-red zone TD catch in as many weeks.
Johnny Wilson hardly played, suggesting he's locked up the fourth receiver spot, and his 6-foot-6 size makes him a tough matchup no matter where he's aligned, but Smith's emergence in camp combined with his ability to occupy two roles – he's also a punt returner – will force the Eagles to decide on keeping Smith as the fifth wideout or going with six to make sure they hang on to impressive rookie free Darius Cooper. Will be very interesting to see how this shakes out.
Other observations
The Browns got 16 yards from an end-around on the opening drive, with Gage Larvadain going around left tackle for the big gain. The Browns ran a few trick plays in the joint practices also.
Campbell's sack came on a signature DC Vic Fangio "sim" pressure – which involves a second-level blitz but is really just a four-man rush. Campbell shot the "A" gap while Uche dropped into coverage from the edge spot, which foiled the Browns' protection scheme and left Campell a nice pathway to Gabriel.
Montrell Johnson Jr., who missed the preseason opener, looked just OK as a ball-carrier in his debut, rushing for 20 yards on six carries. Showed a nice jump cut on one run but also didn't always follow his block and generally just looked adequate.
EDGE Ogbo Okoronkwo, who's had a good camp, showed some nice burst and has the kind of skill-set that makes him good on stunts and line games.
Kelee Ringo was late in coverage and got caught in traffic on a third-down crossing route to Jamari Thrash that went for 19 yards.
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