The Philadelphia Eagles kicked off their journey towards another Lombardi Trophy at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night in the teams preseason debut against the Tennessee Titans. Most of the starters sat out and the team looked uneven at times in the 27-10 loss that saw backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld, suffer a broken left wrist that could cause him to miss significant time.
With the Eagles now contemplating signing a veteran quarterback, here are 4 takeaways from the Eagles’ first preseason game:
1. Protect Wentz at all cost
The Eagles quarterback situation isn’t necessarily muddled, but with Carson Wentz being the face of the franchise and no true backup, the anxiety level’s are definitely up in the NovaCare Complex. With Sudfeld’s broken wrist, the Eagles must decide if Cody Kessler is a capable backup quarterback, or if they need to bring in another veteran.
2. Josh Sweat looks ready to have a big year
Sweat made plays all night and provide consistent pressure off the edge, something the Eagles have been hopeful for all summer long. Sweat is athletic and looks like a free safety at times coming off the edge. Sweat was active all night, breaking up a screen pass on the Titans initial drive of the game. Philadelphia will more than formidable if Sweat can provide consistent pressure off the edge.
3. Wide Receiver could be Eagles deepest position
The Eagles wide receiver corp is deep, talented and versatile on every level. Nelson Agholor, DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery didn’t suit up Thursday and the Birds still displayed some impressive offensive firepower on the outside anyway. JJ Arcega-Whiteside didn’t have a huge game, but he showed speed, power, size and the versatility that’ll make him a matchup nightmare on certain weeks. Marken Michel is our darkhorse candidate to make the roster at receiver and his 75 yard hookup with Nate Sudfeld left no doubt that he can play on this level.
4. Eagles depth at linebacker leaves more to be desired
Nate Gerry has been the talk of Eagles camp in recent weeks, but he struggled in coverage on Thursday night and didn’t look like the guy that could take the next step at linebacker this season. L.J. Fort struggled at times and Zach Brown was quiet and didn’t make any plays in the running game. It’s expected that they’ll be some drop off with Fletcher Cox, Malik Jackson and the other starters up front out, but this group must improve for the Eagles to take the next step.
