Last night was the last dress rehearsal for the Eagles before the regular season. When the Eagles face the New York Jets next Thursday, virtually every player expected to be an impact player for the team in 2019 will be benched so the fringe players will get one last shot at impressing enough to make the final 53-man roster. So taking a look back at last night's storm-shortened game, here's who stood out (for better or for worse)
STUD - JJ Arcega-Whiteside
JJAW has had a terrific preseason overall, but last night was his best game as a pro so far - catching eight passes for 104 yards and scoring a touchdown on a 3rd and long. His strong showing this summer has allowed him to prove to Doug Pederson that he can trust him on the field, even as a rookie.
DUD - Cody Kessler
This was Kessler's last chance to show he was worth keeping around. He did complete three of his five passes for 34 yards, but the offense went virtually nowhere with him under center. He'll be on the market after next Thursday's preseason finale.
STUD - Corey Clement
The Eagles only used two running backs against the Ravens - Clement and Josh Adams. It looked like it was a battle of who would be the 4th running back on this year's squad, and Clement had a much better night than Adams did. Clement finished with 25 yards on seven carries while Adams only gained 18 yards on his seven carries.
DUD - Jeremiah McKinnon
Injuries to Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby has allowed lower-tiered cornerbacks like McKinnon to get more reps and show what they can do in these preseason games. McKinnon squabbled his chances of making the roster after a disastrous game where he was picked on in the redzone, allowing two touchdowns to be caught directly on top with him. You can chalk it up to good throws from the quarterback, but the way McKinnon played those touchdowns didn't look promising. He'll be shown the door after the Jets preseason game.
STUD - T.J. Edwards
Thursday night was yet another preseason game where Edwards was all over the field. He led the defense with seven tackles, and he is proving that his tackling abilities in college will transition nicely to the pros. He is showing Jim Schwartz that he deserves to be one of the depth linebackers that needs to be kept around.
DUD - Josh Hawkins
Hawkins is quickly approaching Roc Carmichael territory in my eyes. After watching him get abused by Drew Brees in the playoffs last year, the team gave him one last chance this year to show he is worth keeping around. He got caught sleeping when he assumed a running play was happening which led to short pass and huge gain by the Ravens offense. It's time for Hawkins to hit the road.
STUD - Josh McCown
McCown had some early rust, but then he dominated against the Ravens' second string defense. His 192 yards and two touchdowns have given Eagles fans some faith in their new backup quarterback. His great play has now put the Eagles in an interesting situation with Nate Sudfeld once he gets healthy. Does Sudfeld go back to being the clear cut #2? Or does he revert to being the #3 guy like he was the past two seasons?
DUD - Penalties
The game was a hard one to watch thanks to the endless penalties the referees threw all night. It got to the point where fans booed a penalty against the Ravens simply because they wanted the game to reach halftime. The Eagles finished with 15 penalties which cost them 115 yards (and only three full quarters were played!). The team needs to tighten up their game or else Week 1 against Washington could be just as frustrating to watch.
STUD - Rodney McLeod
McLeod took the field for a game for the first time since tearing his ACL last September. He was able to play efficiently in the short amount of time he was on the field, but that doesn't matter too much. The important thing is that he looked healthy. McLeod will no doubt be ready for Week 1, which is huge for the Eagles defense, as last year the team's decline started when he went down and they couldn't find a suitable replacement for him.
