The Eagles’ preseason opener delivered one clear message: the offense had a rough night, and the quarterback competition behind the starter didn’t exactly help its case. In a 17-0 shutout loss, Philadelphia’s first-team offense sat out, the playbook stayed as plain as it gets, and the unit still never found any rhythm.
Andy Dalton got the first crack at the QB2 job, and the opening quarter was a slog. Philadelphia failed to move the chains on any of his three series, needing nine plays to gain just 12 yards. Dalton finished 3-of-6 for 20 yards, with 8 yards on 1-of-3 passing on third down.
Tanner McKee followed and didn’t change the feel of the game much. The Eagles did manage two first downs with him at quarterback, but the offense still crawled along, running 20 plays for 40 yards.
McKee went 6-of-10 for 35 yards and was 0-for-3 on third down. By the time the night was over, neither quarterback had done enough to separate from the other.
The offense finally showed a pulse only when Cole Payton entered in the fourth quarter. He was the lone quarterback who gave the Eagles any spark, even if the results came with plenty of rough edges. Payton completed 4 of 9 passes for 37 yards and a touchdown, the score coming on an improvised throw to Erik Ezukamna.
Payton also leaned on the part of his game that made him stand out in college. He picked up a first down on fourth-and-3 from the Eagles’ 48-yard line and finished with three carries for 45 yards.
His 17-yard run included 28 yards after contact, a strong reminder of the power he brings as a runner. All told, he accounted for 82 total yards in his two series.
The one scoring drive belonged to Payton, but the overall picture was still mixed: some encouraging running, some shaky passing, and enough to make him worth watching again.
On the other side of the ball, the night was more promising for some of Philadelphia’s younger defenders. Weru, who had been trending up in recent training camp practices, backed up that momentum in his NFL debut.
He was active right away, posting two pressures on his first series and later logging a quarterback hit on third-and-8 at the Ravens’ 24-yard line. That play forced Baltimore off the field and ended with a field goal.
Weru finished with a tackle and played 26 snaps, showing the athletic traits that stood out in his International Program Pathway tape. Vic Fangio has said he still has work to do, but the debut made it easy to see why the Eagles may want to protect him on the 53-man roster.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. continued his strong summer with another sharp outing. Starting the preseason opener, he recorded a sack in the first quarter and finished with five tackles, including two solo stops, across 35 snaps. He was around the ball, blitzed effectively, and consistently looked like he understood where the play was headed.
The receiver group had its own frustrating moments, and Cooper was right in the middle of one of them. Targeted a team-high five times, he came away with just two catches for 21 yards.
The biggest miss came late in the first quarter on third-and-5 with 1:53 left, when Dalton hit him on a hitch route and Cooper dropped the ball, killing the drive. It was the kind of play an NFL receiver has to secure, no matter where he sits on the roster bubble.
Still, Cooper’s training camp gives him some cushion, and this game won’t wipe out what he’s built so far. It just wasn’t the kind of start he wanted.
There was also a late-arriving addition who found a way to contribute immediately. George was brought in Friday and agreed to a deal to being in the 2025 undrafted free agent to Philadelphia. He had spent his rookie season with the Chiefs on injured reserve and was released in May.
He was officially signed Saturday afternoon and still got into the game. George played on kickoff coverage and finished with six tackles in the fourth quarter. For a player who hadn’t even taken part in a practice with the Eagles - not even Friday’s walkthrough - it was an eye-catching showing.
Philadelphia clearly needs linebacker depth, and George’s athleticism stood out on tape and in the game itself. He made plays right away and gave the Eagles something to think about on special teams.
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Howie Roseman Just Sent A Clear Message About The Eagles Secondary
The Eagles made a quick roster tweak after their preseason opener, bringing in cornerback Isaiah Bolden while moving on from offensive lineman Hollin Pierce. Bolden, a 2024 seventh-round pick by the New England Patriots, arrives as a depth add on the back end, while Pierce, an undrafted free agent from last year, was cut after a quiet summer that never seemed to gain much traction.
It also reads like a small but telling nod to where Philadelphia thinks it needs help most. The secondary had its issues in the preseason loss to the Ravens, and with camp still offering limited time for evaluation, the Eagles are giving themselves another body to sort through in the defensive backfield as the roster picture keeps taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Face Tough Call On Two Rookie Defenders Fans Love
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What makes this decision worth watching is how little separation there seems to be in the public view, even as the projections point in different directions. The Eagles still have to weigh upside against roster math, and that is where the tension lives for two rookies who have already given fans reason to pay attention. For now, the picture remains fluid, and the final call figures to say as much about the teams long-term planning as it does about either players immediate future. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Bubble Players Just Made These Roster Decisions Much Harder
The preseason opener against Baltimore gave the Eagles a fresh look at the bottom of the roster, and a few players took real advantage of the stage. Defensive tackle Robinson flashed with pressures and a sack, Weru showed enough as a pass rusher to get noticed, Shipley helped the offense, and offensive linemen Ojukwu and Lampkin both held up in their roles while trying to separate themselves in a crowded competition.
Ringo also added a key interception, even with a penalty attached to the play, which is the kind of mixed rsum that can still make life difficult for the front office. When a game like this produces multiple players who can point to useful reps, it turns August into a sorting exercise, and the Eagles now have some tougher calls ahead as they try to piece together both the 53-man roster and the practice squad. [Read more 🡒]