11 Eagles Players Who Stood Out In Preseason Game 1

Preseason game 1 is in the books. As per usual with the Eagles, we saw very little from projected starters. But just because Jalen Hurts and co were not in the game, does not mean that there aren't important players on the field.

We got the first look at some potential key figures this season in game action. Here is who stood out to me, some in a good way, others in a not-so-good way.

Is Tanner McKee the best backup in the league? We saw him step in last season and play very well. And he looked like a star in his first preseason action of the season.

20 for 25, with 252 yards and 2 TDs. He also scored on a tush push. Some of that was against the Bengals 1st team defense with the Eagles' 2nd team offense. His WRs made good plays on the ball, and we will get to some of those WRs, but McKee delivered dots that allowed to WRs to make those plays.

Jalen Hurts has missed time in 3 of his 4 seasons as the starter. You have to feel pretty good about McKee backing him up.

Ringo is in line for a major role with the Eagles. The other outside CB is probably the most important battle in Eagles' camp. He is not off to a good start.

Having to go up against Ja'Marr Chase is a tough draw for Ringo as he tries to prove himself. But he is going to have to face top WRs if he wants to win this job, and this play was more than just him being beaten by a great WR. Ringo misplayed the coverage and then misplayed the tackle.

Should he be taken out of the mix because of one bad play? Of course not. But for a guy who has to prove himself, after hardly seeing the field on defense in his first two seasons, this is a bad start.

Not only did he come down with 3 catches for 73 yards, but the catches themselves were impressive. Wilson has the benefit of being a big-bodied WR, but we did not see him make use of that last season. In this game, he made two contested catches where he had to high-point the ball. Showcasing that skill set is going to really help seal his case to get one of those final WR spots.

Another Eagles DB who stood out in the wrong way. Brown has a reputation for being a bull in a china shop. If he is going to win the Safety job, he will need to hone in his instinct to just barrel through a play, and play with more composure. We did not see that tonight. Instead, he threw his body around, overpursued and missed a tackle, and earned himself a trip to the blue tent.

Brown is lucky Drew Mukuba is hurt. But if he wants to earn the Safety spot and keep it, he needs to learn to play under control.

Like Wilson, Smith is battling for the last couple of WR spots. Also, like Wilson, Smith already has some experience in the Eagles' system. But unlike Wilson, Smith does not have size as an asset in his game.

At just 5ft9, Smith needs to rely on shiftiness to make his game work, and he showcased some of that tonight. Not just on a TD catch where he shook his man to get open for a TD in the Endzone, but perhaps more importantly for his case to earn a roster spot, on this punt return.

If you are the 5th WR on a team with AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, and Jahan Dotson, not to mention Dallas Goedert and Saquon Barkley, you will not get many chances to play WR. But the Eagles need a return man. They do not want to run Cooper DeJean out there next year. Returning punts is Smith's best chance not only to make the team, but to impact the game once he makes the roster.

With Barkley as the starting RB, you need to be able to make an impact with limited carries as the Eagles' backup RB. Will Shipley rattled off a 38-yard run on his 2nd touch of the game. He also showed he can catch a pass.

He is not fighting for a spot, but he is kind of fighting the role of Barkley's primary backup. If he keeps showing explosivness like that, he will have a chance to get the handful of carries the Eagles give to their backup RB.

You would think a bad night for Ringo would be a win for Jackson. But he did not cover himself in glory either. He did not have the viral moment like Ringo did, but he also got beaten by Chase for a TD; it just got erased by a penalty. The rest of his night was not much better.

Again, it is tough to give Jackson or Ringo the excuse of playing the Bengals 1st first-stringers. They will be playing 1st stringers if they win the job.

They didn't just get beaten, they looked outmatched and lost. Maybe there is a good reason the Eagles traded Thomas Booker for Jakorian Bennett. Bennett left the night a winner, and he didn't play a snap.

Rick got to play backups. So you can't give him too much credit. But beyond who they had to cover, Ricks was the CB who flashed the best instincts in the game. He just missed coming down with a pick-6 after he jumped a route.

Ricks has an uphill battle to get the job, especially after the Bennet trade. But perhaps he earned himself a chance to audition for it with his play in game 1.

If Cooper wants to win a spot, he might have to convince the Eagles to keep 6 WRs. He made a strong case for that vs the Bengals. After impressing throughout camp, he impressed in his 1st preseason action too.

The UDFA out of Tarleton State led the Eagles with 6 catches for 82 yards and a TD. He showed off his route-running skills and his soft hands in the process.

What's the best way for a rookie DT to make an impression in the preseason? Get to the QB. That is exactly what Robinson did.

Robinson got the sack, but watch the play, and you see Hall clearing the way for him. The two pulled off a stunt, giving Robinson a clear path to the QB. While only Robinson gets the stat out of it, it's equally impressive by Hall, who helped take two Offensive Linemen out of the play.

Hall disrupted the pocket like that all night. The Eagles have to feel good about their depth at DT after this game. These guys are set to be the 4th and 5th guys in the rotation, and both flashed high-level skill in the game

Not a player, but you need to give some credit to Patullo. The only question mark about the Eagles' offense is their new offensive coordinator. It is only pre-season, and you are not going to see them show off their playbook. But he seemed to run a tight ship, and the offensive was very efficient.

We won't know much about him as the OC until he is under fire in games that count. But his first impression was a good one.