What To Expect From The Eagles First Preseason Game
Offseason checklist: Big-play receiver, check. Power runner in the red zone, check. A clean Lane Johnson, so far, so good.
Cornerback? Who are the Eagles’ playmaking corners? We all know second year franchise quarterback Carson Wentz got an All-Pro wide out in Alshon Jeffrey this offseason, added LaGarette Blount to the backfield, but what about the one position where the Eagles will have to line players up against Odell Beckham, Jr., Dez Bryant, and Terrelle Pryor twice a year? It seems every day we turn on the television or sports radio to get our Eagles news and updates and we hear one thing; Are the cornerbacks good enough to stop the NFL’s best receivers?
However, we will not see Green Bay Packers All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers and probably not a lot of action from the other Packers playmakers, if at all. I would have loved to see this be the third preseason game where the starters play most of the first half giving the Eagles defense a challenging warm-up game before the opener against Washington.
Carson Wentz will more than likely play a series or two and then give way to backup Nick Foles who the Eagles signed this offseason. Yes, that is the 27 touchdowns and 2 interceptions guy from 2013 NFC East Champion Eagles.
We are still unsure about Jeffrey’s status for Thursday night, but we will be looking at one receiver who has been under the microscope since the NFL Draft in 2014, first-rounder Nelson Agholor. He is having a very good training camp, but I don’t think a lot of us will be too sold until we see Agholor catch the ball like he did during his USC days.
It is, however, only the first preseason game. So, what can we expect? How about those cornerbacks? With Aaron Rodgers along with the rest of his crew most likely sitting out, we won’t see that first test quite yet for the Eagles’ corners.
The front seven and pass rush will be what carries this defense and we should see a good portion of Derek Barnett, the Eagles’ first-round pick from Tennessee.
On offense after the starters play their series or two, one player I’m eager to see is rookie runningback Donnell Pumphrey, who was an outstanding back at Tennessee. Many consider him a Darren Sproles-type back because of his 5’8 stature, and his ability to catch out of the backfield.
Maybe this is more appropriately what not to expect than what to expect. Meaning we really want to see certain positions or that one position (I dare say what that position is), but the first preseason game is usually a game where the starters go out and play a few drives in full pads for the first time since the last season ended and then help coach the backups.
In the upcoming preseason games against the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, we can use better judgment on what this team will look like as a complete unit.
But hey, it’s still the beginning of a new campaign so what we can definitely expect on Thursday Night is a lot of excitement to a 2017 Philadelphia Eagles season. I expect a season from the Birds’ that I believe will surprise a lot of football fans and media.
