Saturday night in Foxborough is less about the Eagles’ established names and more about the players sitting at the edge of the 90-man roster, trying to force their way into the conversation. After two productive joint practices earlier in the week, the preseason game against the Patriots gives those fringe guys one more live shot to make a case in front of Howie Roseman and the coaching staff.
For some, the margin for error is tiny. For others, it may already be close to gone.
The biggest spotlight belongs to Tanner McKee. He’s had a tough offseason so far, and this could be his last real chance to take the backup quarterback job from veteran Andy Dalton.
If things go the way they did in Baltimore, McKee is likely to get the start after Dalton handled that assignment in the opener. The issue has been consistency: while he’s been juggling competition and a new offense, McKee has looked hesitant too often this summer.
He needs to show he can run the operation cleanly first. If that happens, the confidence and the arm talent should follow.
A.J. Cooper is in a different kind of spot.
DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon are expected back in team drills next week, which makes Cooper’s role look more like that of the No. 5 or No. 6 receiver. He had built some real momentum earlier this summer, but that took a hit with a rough showing against the Ravens in the preseason opener.
This is his chance to get that momentum moving again.
At tight end, Kylen Stowers is safe from a roster standpoint, but his summer hasn’t exactly helped his case. The slow start has made him a strong candidate to be inactive early in the season, and he has three weeks to change that before the opener against Washington on Sept. 13.
Quinyon Mitchell? No, the cornerback under the microscope here is Kelee Ringo, and Vic Fangio addressed his status this week in plain terms.
“He's been everybody's piñata doll for a while,” Fangio said of Ringo. “ I kind of sense he could be coming [on]. We'll see.”
Ringo does have one thing working in his favor: special teams. That gives him an edge over the other depth corners, so the ask is simpler than it sounds.
He doesn’t need to be a shutdown player on the outside; he just needs to avoid the costly mistakes. In Baltimore, he followed an ugly DPI with an end-zone interception.
Fangio would clearly like to see more discipline and steadiness than that.
The final name is Tristin McCollum, and his situation may be the trickiest of all. On paper, he’s the Eagles’ fourth safety behind Drew Mukuba, Marcus Epps and Michel Carter.
But roster decisions aren’t always pure math, and Roseman could decide he likes seventh-round pick Cole Wisniewski or undrafted free agent Maximus Pulley better. That means McCollum can’t afford a bad night if he wants to survive the cut to the initial 53.
In Other News...
Eagles Run Game Just Lost A Key Piece At The Worst Time
Johnny Wilsons latest setback comes at an awkward time for the Eagles, who were already trying to smooth out the early stages of a run-game transition under a wider zone approach. Wilsons size and willingness to block made him a useful part of that equation, even if his role did not always show up in the box score, and a lingering knee issue has now pushed him off the roster for the moment.
If he clears waivers, Wilson will land on injured reserve, which leaves Philadelphia thinner at receiver and a little less sturdy on the edges where the scheme asks wideouts to help create room. For a team trying to make that physical identity work, losing one of the players built to handle the dirty work is the kind of absence that can ripple beyond a single position group. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Fans May Need To Rethink The Post Stoutland Fear
When Jeff Stoutland moved on, the instinct in Philadelphia was to wonder whether the Eagles offensive line standard might slip even a little. But early preseason action has offered a different look under Chris Kuper, with the backups holding up well, giving up few sacks and showing they can move bodies in the run game. It is a small sample, of course, but it has been enough to ease some of the immediate anxiety that tends to come with any change in that room.
Kupers first summer on the job has had a chance to show up in the details, from OTAs through training camp and into these preseason snaps. The bigger question is still ahead, because preseason reps are not the same as regular-season pressure and the sample remains limited. Still, for a group that Eagles fans naturally watch with a sharper eye than most, the early signs suggest the post-Stoutland transition may not be the concern many expected. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Roster Debate Now Hinges On One More Veteran WR Move
With the Eagles getting down to the final roster questions before the opener, the wide receiver room is once again part of the conversation. One suggestion floating around is a trade idea from a Philly Voice reporter that would send backup quarterback Andy Dalton to the New England Patriots in exchange for Mack Hollins, a familiar name in Philadelphia who has also spent time with several other teams.
Hollins drew attention after a productive season with New England last year, and the appeal is obvious for a team still weighing its veteran depth at receiver. Whether Philadelphia actually pursues a deal like that remains unclear, but it is the kind of late-summer move that can reshape the back end of a roster and give the Eagles one more experienced option to sort through before Week 1. [Read more 🡒]