Eagles May Have Their Answers At Linebacker and Safety

The Eagles came into Camp set at most positions. Even at positions like RB where we did not know who would take the lead role, we knew it would be 4 guys sharing the load. But there were two spots on the team, that seemed like a completely open battle for the starters. Safety and Linebacker.

At Linebacker we knew it would be Nakobe Dean. And likewise at Safety it quickly became clear Reed Blankenship would start. But at that other spot at each position, there was a starter spot available. Nicholas Morrow started camp in one of those spots at LB, but the Eagles soon brought in both Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham to compete with him. And Christian Elliss has come on at camp too, making it a 4-way race for 1 spot. Meanwhile at Safety veteran Terrell Edmunds is competing with former 4th round pick K'von Wallace and rookie Sydney Brown.

A couple of games in though, the answers are starting to become clearer. Not just because of how each of them have played, but how Nick Sirianni has deployed them in pre-season games. And to get some insight into which way Sirianni could be leaning, The Best Show Ever talked to Tim McManus.

"Cunningham has really come on. When he and Myles Jack got signed the same day, and then the first practice Jack got first team reps, it seemed like Jack was ahead of Cunningham in the pecking order. Now that has flipped. Cunningham has had some really good practices in a  row. Being a disruptor in the pass game. Getting his hands on balls that have lead to interceptions. Then we see in the preseason game he is going into the backfield and getting a TFL, and was solid in coverage. He looks good next to Dean. It feels like the momentum is on Cunningham's side right now to be the starter next to Dean."

"The one thing I would say, big picture, the Eagles want to limit the big play. So I think they will be more conservative when it comes to the safety spot. No plays over the top. How does Sydney Brown's style fit in there? I think they want him to mature a little bit more, and figure out how to toe that line before they feel comfortable throwing him in there as a starter. The way I would see it is it will be Edmunds or Wallace who will begin as starter. With Brown gaining more and more time as the season goes on. Wallace throws you off a little bit, but I think  he has been pretty strong so far. I wasn't really expecting him to make a push. But right now if  I had to say who I think will be the starter opposite Blankenship, I would probably go Wallace."

Two pre-season games are in the books. Meaning just one more fake game, until we get to see the Eagles play for real. Still no sightings from any of the Eagles' returning starters. That is n surprise though Nick Sirianni rightfully holds his main guys out from the Pre-season games, opting instead to give them a more rigorous schedule in the Joint Practices they have with visiting teams, like the Browns earlier this week. meaning we see much more of guys like Marcus Mariota than we would usually want to. 

And judging by how last night went, that was a good decision. Yes, it makes the game awful to watch. But we saw a lot of Eagles get hurt in meaningless games. Zech McPhearson was helped off the field, and both Moro Ojomo and Tyrie Cleveland suffered scary neck injuries. And as frustrating as it is to watch a pre-season game with none of the starters, it would be even worse to see someone as vital to the team's success as Jalen Hurts, Jason Kelce, or Darius Slay being the ones getting injured. 

But despite it being awful Football, was there anything to learn? At least some of the guys on the field last night could be contributors or important backups for the Eagles. Others are on the edge of making or losing a roster spot and need to show up in these Pre-Season games to win the job. And we did get to see some of the rookies like Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Sydney Brown. 

So as bad as last night’s game was, it is at least worth looking back on to see who stood out. Who may have won themselves a roster spot or a bigger role? Did Mariota put himself in danger of losing the backup QB job? 

The guy who excited Eagles fans the most was probably rookie pass rusher Nolan Smith. He didn’t get any sacks, but it felt like he was constantly in the backfield. he racked up multiple QB Pressures, including one where he dipped under Dewand Jones, to force Deshaun Watson up in the pocket and into the arms of Kentavius Street. And on his final play, before leaving with a minor injury, despite the Browns putting two blockers on him, he still got free and made a play in the backfield.

The talent here is obvious. He just needs to stay on the field after a history of injuries at Georgia. But there is every reason for Eagles fans to be excited about what Smith can do.

The Eagles might have a backup QB issue. Mariota looked bad in the first Pre-Season game. But he was borderline unplayable Thursday night. He was overthrowing everything. Including one pass that sailed over his receivers head and into the arms of Ronnie Hickman. On paper, he seemed like the perfect backup for Hurts. But it is looking like he may be a downgrade from Gardner Minshew. You are in trouble either way if Hurts gets injured. But Mariota seemingly can’t even make simple throws right now.  

Is his job in danger? Probably not. But the fact it is even a conversation among fans is not a good sign for him.

There is no bigger question mark on this team than the Linebacker position. But Nakobe Dean is doing his part to answer some of those questions. Dean had a pretty big night, finishing with 3 tackles, including one that lead to a forced fumble at the goal line. He looked like the guy we saw play at Georgia. We know he is one of the two starting linebackers. But him looking this good out there is going to get fans excited.

Coming into the offseason, Josh Sills obviously had much bigger issues than his spot on the team. But now that he was acquitted, and can focus on Football, things are still not going very well for him. Part of the problem the Eagles had early in the game was that he was constantly getting beat by his guy. The Safety given up on the Eagles' first possession came about because he missed the block. And that became a trend as long as he was in the game. On a team with a lot of O-Linemen vying for a spot, he could be in danger of losing the spot he somehow held onto through an entire Rape trial.  

Ngata didn’t flash too much in game 1. But he made some impressive plays Thursday night. Fans finally got to see what beat writers had been saying all training camp. Ngata has the tools to be an NFL WR. He is big, has decent speed, and has good hands. For whatever reason, that never turned into much production at Clemson. But the Eagles have hoped to unlock his potential. And last night was a good sign.  

Gainwell’s spot and role on this team are likely safe. He was a force in the playoffs and was been solid overall in his first two years here. But after Swift impressed in game 1, Gainwell failed to do the same in his first chance. The safety is not all his fault, Sills let a free rusher get to him. But there was also some hesitation there that you just can't have in a back-against-the-goal line situation. He also missed a couple of blocks and didn’t flash much when he got the ball. His role and job are safe but would have been nice to see him pop like Swift did.  

We had not heard Tyree Jackson’s name too much in camp. But the former camp standout had a somewhat big night. He led the Eagles with 41 yards, including one 35-yard play. There is probably room for him to beat out Jack Stoll or Grant Calcaterra for the backup Tight End job. More play like this may just put him in that conversation.  

The Eagles 4th round pick is still a work in progress. The tools are all there, he is big and fast enough that he should be able to hang with most WRs. The problem is getting the technique up to par with his talent. There were times vs the Browns where he just did not know where the ball was, and let his man get behind him to make the catch. 

Ringo will make the team. But whether or not he has a role is another question. Jobe is clearly ahead of him. Zech McPhearson got hurt, but that may just open a spot for Eli Ricks or Mario Goodrich to make the team. It may be a rookie season where Ringo spends most of the time on the sideline learning unless he fixes some of these issues.  

Dean was not the only LB who stepped up in game 2. Cunningham also got involved in a lot of plays. He didn’t have the big moment Dean did with a forced fumble. But he was still making plays. Including one where he got into the backfield for a big tackle for a loss. The job next to Dean is clearly open. And Cunningham is making a good case for it. 

Likewise, Elliss has also been flashing all camp. It seems he passed Morrow on the Eagles chart. But now he also has Cunningham and Jack to contend with. 5 tackles, including 2 for a loss, is a good way for him to go about winning the job though. And what helps him is that he is also a special teamer, and the Eagles are now down two of their special team’s aces. Even if he does not win the starting job, he should be safe as a backup and special teamer.

Jack didn’t do anything bad per se last night. But we just did not hear his name much. He was one of the last Linebackers to get onto the field, which is not good for where he stands on the LB hierarchy for this team. They clearly have Cunningham and Elliss above him. And once he did get onto the field he did not do anything to stand out. His was the name that excited us most when the Eagles added him and Cunningham. But it is looking like Cunningham has the leg up on Jack a couple of weeks into their time here. And Elliss is outperforming him too. 

McKee continues to look good, mostly just because he is being compared to Mariota and Ian Book. Book couldn’t even get onto the field in game 2, and Mariota looked awful. So when McKee came in and looked competent, it looks even more impressive than it was. Is he ready to be the guy behind Hurts? Probably not. But the arm talent is obviously there, and he is a guy you could see being a good backup down the road.  

Eagle’s fans hoped Zenter would supplant Arryn Siposs. So far he has failed to do that. He got all of the punts last night and averaged 39.8 yards per punt. His longest went 44 yards. One went just 34 yards. It is clear he is not the upgrade over Siposs we were hoping for. And the Eagles' best option may not be on the roster currently.