The Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens had two highly intense joint practices this week, so the narrative for the third preseason game of the summer could change somewhat. The third preseason game is usually just a dress rehearsal for the regular season and several Eagles starters could sit this one out.
With the 53 man cut down looming for players and coaches, this dress rehearsal will definitely be serious business for several Eagles players looking to lockup a spot or lift themselves off the roster bubble.
With the Birds set for kickoff in a few short hours, here are 10 Philadelphia Eagles to watch tonight.
Matt Pryor
With the addition of Brett Toth to the roster, Pryor has to have a big game against the Ravens talented defense. The Eagles currently have at least eight players considered locks to make the team: Jason Peters, Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, and Andre Dillard. Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Jordan Mailata are safe after strong training camps.
With 8 players and the addition of Toth, that leaves Pryor fighting for a spot with Stefen Wisniewski, undrafted rookies Nate Herbig and Sua Opeta.
Nate Gerry
Gerry has seen his reps increase with the injury to Grugier-Hill and they could increase even more if Nigel Bradham isn’t available for week 1. Gerry has been a staple at outside linebacker this summer opposite Zach Brown and will be tested by the Ravens tight end group and Lamar Jackson putting pressure on the Eagles via his scrambling.
Alex Ellis
The young tight end is a Delaware native and a talented pass-catcher who was on the receiving end of a touchdown pass in practice recently. Ellis spent most of the 2018 season on Kansas City’s injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, although he appears to be healthy now. The Eagles’ top three tight ends were Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, and Richard Rodgers. Rodgers is now on the mend with a foot injury and leaves Ellis to fight for a spot with Will Tye and Josh Perkins among others. He’ll need to stand out on special teams.
Johnathan Cyprien
Cyprien was signed to the Eagles during the second week of training camp. Cyprien initially was a longshot to make the roster, but because of his size and ability to play linebacker, a Thursday night full of big plays and stat-stuffing would go a long way towards securing the fourth safety spot.
Mack Hollins
Hollins missed all of the 2018 season with the Philadelphia Eagles and he now finds himself fighting for a roster spot with Marken Michel and Greg Ward. Hollins is listed as healthy and made several nice catches during the Eagles practice sessions against the Ravens this week. Hollins has a chance to lock in his place with the Eagles as a key player on both offense and special teams.
Greg Ward
Ward is again attempting to make the Eagles roster and showed his playmaking prowess against the Jaguars last week, scoring his first touchdown of the preseason on a nice, athletic play. Ward has a much better understanding of the Eagles offense this preseason and has outplayed Mack Hollins at times, allowing him to be more consistent.
Josh Perkins
Richard Rodgers was the leader for the third tight end spot, but he’ll miss multiple weeks with a foot injury suffered on Monday. That has allowed Perkins a shot at the No. 3 spot and the talented tight end is athletic enough to get the job done.
Corey Clement
Clement is back and looks explosive and ready to show that he’s the same running back that helped carry the Eagles to a Super Bowl. Clement will play on Thursday night, and it’ll be interesting to see that signature burst that could turn the Eagles running back competition into a three-man race.
Josh McCown
McCown went from starting his analyst career on ESPN to jumping at the chance to win a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles. The lure of a deep playoff run and the possibility of playing time when it counts brought McCown out of retirement. Can he play? We’ll find out over the next two weeks, starting on Thursday night against a rugged Ravens defense.
T.J. Edwards
Edwards and Alex Singleton are both fighting for the final linebacker spot, with the former Wisconsin star looking like the more instinctive player on 1st and 2nd downs. Edwards will get a chance to impress against the run-heavy and physical Baltimore Ravens, who’ll look to run directly at him.
