The Philadelphia Eagles are just hours away from kicking off their preseason with a home game against the Tennessee Titans at Lincoln Financial Field. It’s still unknown whether Carson Wentz will play or sit, but even with several starters expected to rest, there are several Eagles who could use a big preseason opener and catapult it towards a roster spot or even more.
With the Eagles and Titans set for battle, here are five defensive players with the most to gain on Thursday night.
Sidney Jones
Jones has had an excellent training camp, and while only 23-years-old, the former Washington Huskies star could cement himself as the team’s cornerback of the future with Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby out. Jones looks ready to have a breakout year and a huge performance on Thursday night could go a long way towards easing the organization’s anxiety in regards to his development. Jones also faces the pressure of Rasul Douglas and Avonte Maddox also competing for starting jobs.
Josh Sweat
The Eagles young defensive end has had a hyped preseason, showing flashes of his Jadeveon Clowney’esque ability off the edge. The Eagles are looking for Sweat to be the fourth edge rusher in the rotation and he’ll really take a huge step if he can overtake Vinny Curry for the third defensive end role. With Eagles players not allowed to touch the quarterback, it’ll be imperative for Sweat to show his massive potential off the edge while in live-action.
Andrew Sendejo
The former Vikings safety has had a quiet training camp and could become a roster casualty because of compensatory pick politics. Philadelphia added safety Andrew Sendejo back in March for veteran depth at the position, giving up a potential compensatory pick in the process because they signed Sendejo prior to May 8. With Johnathan Cyprien added to the roster, Sendejo or Blake Countess could also be released. A good showing on Thursday would go a long way.
Zach Brown
The former Redskins linebacker has had a quiet training camp amid questions about his motor in practice and whether he’ll be the day 1 starter at linebacker. With Kamu Grugier-Hill out for several weeks, now would be a great time for Brown to show off that tackling prowess that had him highly rated by Pro Football Focus.
Hassan Ridgeway
The former Colts defensive tackle sits ahead of hero Treyvon Hester on their depth chart and a good showing on Thursday night will go a long way towards ensuring his place on the depth chart behind Fletcher Cox, who is still recovering and Malik Jackson.
