The Philadelphia Eagles are playing their second preseason game on Saturday against the Cleveland Browns. There are still many players fighting for roster spots, playing time, and starting roles. Here are the players with the most at stake to keep an eye on during this game.
Eagles With the Most to Gain (or Lose) Against the Browns Saturday
Jakorian Bennett/Kelee Ringo/Adoree Jackson
All three of these players are being lumped together, as they are all competing for the same thing. The outside starting cornerback role is still up for grabs. Neither Ringo nor Jackson looked very impressive against the Bengals, so it will be interesting to see if they can bounce back. Bennett will be seeing his first game action since being acquired by the Eagles.
A strong performance could make a case for him to be the one to earn that starting role on the Eagles’ defense.
Darius Cooper
Cooper has been the star of Eagles training camp so far. After very strong showings in training camp practices, Cooper followed it up with a great performance against the Bengals. He finished the game with six catches on seven targets for 82 yards and a touchdown. Cooper’s chances of making the Week 1 roster seem to be growing by the day, and another impressive preseason performance could solidify the undrafted free agent’s chances even further.
Sydney Brown
Brown is another player looking to lock up a starting role in the Eagles’ secondary. At the beginning of training camp, Brown and rookie safety Andrew Mukuba looked poised to battle for the starting safety role. Mukuba has since missed a lot of time due to injury, opening a path for Brown to seize control of the battle. Brown hasn’t stood out much, in a positive or negative way.
If the Eagles’ safety can turn in a mistake-free performance, it may be enough to win the starting role by default. If not, the Eagles could look back to Mukuba or around the league at potential trade and free agency options to fill the void at safety.
Jihaad Campbell/Smael Mondon Jr./Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
Zack Baun is obviously one of the Eagles’ two starting linebackers. It feels like it is only a matter of time until Campbell is the other one. Will that happen in Week 1, though? Mondon and Trotter were the starting linebackers against the Bengals, with Campbell entering the game later. None of the three linebackers massively stood out in that game, in a positive or negative way. The team has clearly invested the most in Campbell, given his first-round draft status.
On the other hand, Mondon and Trotter starting the first game is an indication that they are more ready for game action at this time. Maybe Campbell just needs to get up to speed with Vic Fangio’s defense. He has had fewer practice reps than the other two due to being a limited participant while working back from injury. The most likely scenario feels like Trotter starting Week 1, with Campbell eventually replacing him. Until then, Eagles preseason action will be our best look at these players and questions regarding the linebacker position.
Main Image: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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