In their second preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, the Philadelphia Eagles played just 47 snaps on offense and 66 on defense. Let's just get right to the snap counts, some notes, and some special recognition.
Quarterback
• 30 snaps: Kyle McCord
• 17 snaps: Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Notes: The offensive line didn't help, but neither quarterback had any real command of this game. The difference between Tanner McKee and these two guys is vast.
Running back
• 22 snaps: Keilan Robinson
• 13 snaps: Montrell Johnson
• 6 snaps each: A.J. Dillon and ShunDerrick Powell
• 5 snaps: Ben VanSumeren
Notes: Every time we publish a 53-man roster projection, I say that the Eagles should come to a handshake agreement with Dillon at cutdowns that he'll be released and brought back to the practice squad with a promise that he'll be elevated on gameday, have a role in the regular offense, and eventually brough up to the 53-man roster after the first three or four games of the season. And every time I do, there's a bunch of fans who argue that other teams around the league are going to sign him away.
Guys, Dillon averaged 3.4 yards per carry in 2023, he missed the entire 2024 season with a neck injury, and he signed for the veteran minimum this offseason. He has 8 rushes for 34 yards and 4 catches for 13 yards in the preseason, and hasn't done anything special. Personally, I'd rather have most of the NFL's RB3's over Dillon. I get that he is a massive running back and the idea that he can be an imposing figure in the Eagles' backfield is fun to dream about, but teams simply aren't going to be blowing up his agent's phone looking to bring him in if he is on the open market for a day after cutdowns.
Johnson appeared in his first preseason game, and had 6 carries for 20 yards. I'd like to see more of him in the third preseason game against the Jets.
Wide receiver
• 33 snaps: Terrace Marshall
• 32 snaps: Darius Cooper
• 18 snaps: Ainias Smith
• 10 snaps each: Taylor Morin, Giles Jackson, and Ife Adeyi
• 8 snaps: Johnny Wilson
Notes: The offensive line and quarterbacks didn't do the receivers any favors in this game. We saw what Cooper could do Week 1 against the Bengals when Tanner McKee was dealing, but it all looked a lot different Week 2 with McCord and Thompson-Robinson.
Smith had a TD catch, and Wilson's roster spot feels secure after he only played briefly before getting the rest of the day off. Morin had 4 targets and 3 catches in his 10 snaps, and should be a lock for the practice squad especially since he can also return punts.
Marshall hasn't done enough to stick with the team in any capacity, in my opinion.
Tight end
• 19 snaps: E.J. Jenkins
• 18 snaps: Kylen Granson
• 12 snaps: Nick Muse
• 8 snaps: Cameron Latu
• 5 snaps: Harrison Bryant
Notes: The tight ends combined for 6 targets, 2 catches, 19 yards.
Nobody at tight end after Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra has stood out, but if the Eagles keep a third tight end already on the roster, my vote would be for Jenkins, who has size and athleticism, and a higher ceiling than the others.
Bryant was traded to the Texans. I hadn't seen anything appealing about his game throughout camp.
Offensive line
• 47 snaps each: Drew Kendall and Brett Toth
• 28 snaps each: Myles Hinton, Trevor Keegan, Cameron Williams
• 19 snaps each: Darian Kinnard, Matt Pryor, Kendall Lamm
Notes: The first team OL got the day off, of course, including Tyler Steen.
Toth and Kendall played the entire game, switching back and forth between LG and C. Kendall getting snaps at guard is noteworthy, as he's more likely to be active on gameday if he can show positional versatility. The depth chart overall looked like this:
LT LG C RG RT
Kendall Lamm Toth/Kendall Toth/Kendall Darian Kinnard Matt Pryor
Myles Hinton Toth/Kendall Toth/Kendall Trevor Keegan Cameron Williams
Kendall seemed to play well enough. Everyone else... 😬.
Edge defenders
• 27 snaps: Azeez Ojulari
• 26 snaps: Ochaun Mathis
• 24 snaps each: Patrick Johnson, Ogbo Okoronkwo
• 20 snaps: Josh Uche
• 11 snaps: Antwaun Powell-Ryland
Notes: Ojulari secured a roster spot with his strong performance on Saturday. He had several pressures and a sack.
Interior defensive line
• 37 snaps: Ty Robinson
• 36 snaps: Byron Young
• 33 snaps: Gabe Hall
• 30 snaps: Jacob Sykes
• 12 snaps: Joe Evans
• 9 snaps: Justin Rogers
Notes: Robinson seemed to do some nice things in the run game. There isn't much to say here otherwise.
Linebacker
• 34 snaps: Jeremiah Trotter
• 33 snaps: Smael Mondon
• 28 snaps: Jihaad Campbell
• 19 snaps: Lance Dixon
• 18 snaps: Dallas Gant
Notes: Mondon had a bounce-back game of sorts after a poor tackling day Week 1. Trotter had 7 tackles, but also squandered opportunities for other plays that were there to be made.
Campbell looked explosive on his blitz that resulted in a sack of Dillon Gabriel.
Cornerback and safety
• 39 snaps: Tristin McCollum
• 35 snaps each: Jakorian Bennett, Mac McWilliams
• 34 snaps: Andre' Sam
• 31 snaps: Sydney Brown
• 30 snaps: Kelee Ringo
• 28 snaps: Andrew Mukuba
• 25 snaps: Parry Nickerson
• 21 snaps: Adoree' Jackson
• 16 snaps: Brandon Johnson
• 11 snaps: Eli Ricks
Notes: Mukuba was the story of the game, as he had a 75-yard pick-6, and a recovered fumble. It was looking like Sydney Brown was close to landing the starting safety spot opposite Reed Blankenship, but Mukuba's performance may have flipped the odds in his favor.
Bennett had a nice pass breakup, but I'd have to re-watch the corners specifically to better evaluate how they all played, and frankly, that's not happening. 😂
Three stars 🤩
⭐⭐⭐: S Andrew Mukuba: As noted above
🌟🌟: RG Tyler Steen and RB Will Shipley: They got to sit out this abomination of a game, and locked up their position battles.
✨: RB Pierre Strong: 13 carries for 89 yards
Game ball 🏈
Andrew Mukuba
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