The Eagles came away from their first preseason game against the Bengals with a win. More importantly, their young guys got a ton of snaps across offense and defense. Here’s how the rookies looked in their first NFL action.
Jihaad Campbell didn’t make much noise, but he also didn’t make many mistakes outside of dropping a diving interception. Linebackers, more than anything, need to be reliable and consistent before they have to be playmakers. Campbell looked in place, and that’s a great start.
The rookie safety did not play.
While Robinson’s athleticism flashed and he got a sack, he mostly looked overmatched against NFL offensive linemen. He needs to play a lot stronger to get on the field.
Mac McWilliams recently missed some practice time due to injury but he looked solid in his first NFL action. He didn’t give up any big plays and played with a ton of effort.
Not a great first showing for Smael Mondon. He looked overmatched as a tackler and out of position in coverage. The talent is there, but he will need to play more confidently going forward.
Antwuan Powell-Ryland: C+
Antwuan Powell-Ryland didn’t make a huge impact in his first NFL game but he did have one nice pass rush attempt that displayed his speed. He’ll need to keep winning with speed and showing the staff he can be a viable pass rush specialist.
On a tiny sample size, Kyle McCord struggled. He threw a pick despite only dropping back five times. Hopefully he can get more comfortable as preseason goes along if he wants a shot at the QB3 position.
Uh oh … Howie might’ve done it again. But seriously, Drew Kendall was excellent at center in his first NFL snaps. Playing for a majority of the game, Kendall looked strong, athletic, and played consistently well on pass and running plays. The Eagles might have another quality developmental lineman sitting behind Cam Jurgens.
Hinton had some bright moments but ultimately gets bad marks for giving up two sacks during the evening. Notable how many snaps (60) he played, though.
Only saw 16 snaps but played solid, yet unspectacular football at tackle.
Caught two passes but only played a few snaps.
No player used their opportunity to shine on Thursday night more than Darius Cooper. The rookie receiver out of Tarleton State looked polished running routes, picked up yards after the catch and made a tough catch for a touchdown. The wide receiver position after A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jahan Dotson is wide open, meaning Cooper could play himself into a roster spot.
ShunDerrick Powell had six carries for 32 yards, including a touchdown and a 19 yard breakaway run. Powell created yards after contact and showed some legit wiggle. It was a good game for the rookie back, who could be competing for the RB3 spot this summer.
Caught one pass on five snaps.
The rookie nickel cornerback looked really good. He was barely targeted when on the field and generally played very confidently.
Dixon looked solid at linebacker on limited snaps. The Eagles all of a sudden have a very young, deep linebacker group.
While he did not make much of an impact in coverage, Maxen Hook was impressive coming up to stop the run. I wouldn’t be surprised if he pushed for a special teams role this season.