Gameday! Eagles
Edition #198
💥 Good morning.
We have something special today, we actually have a game to talk about. A real game. Plus a signing. Talk about a Friday treat!
Some will argue that no pre-season game should be considered a real game, but these games really matter for a long of guys working their butts off to make the roster.
Below we dig into the game a little bit, but first, let’s get to those quick throws.
PFF outlined one riser and one faller from each team over the initial part of training camp. For the Jets they had Tyler Conklin as the riser and Mekhi Becton as the faller, it’s hard to argue with either of those.
The Jets waived Hamilcar Rashed to make some offensive line additions and the defensive end was snapped up on waivers by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Carl Lawson has been speaking about how he had to take a different approach this year: "Some times this offseason I couldn't train as hard as I wanted to. So maybe I had to take a day off and I didn't want to take a day off. But you've got to do what you've got to do to go forward," he explained. "You have to grow, you have to adapt in any field. If I'm going to get the most production out of having a rest day, as stubborn as I am, I've got to have a rest day. At certain times I've pushed myself and I might've overdone it just to figure something out. And that's not always the best course of action."
I missed this earlier in the week, but ESPN ranked every NFL team based on their U-25 talent alone. In 2020 the Jets were ranked #14 in the league and after adding so much talent through the draft, they made a jump to #11 in 2021. Not only did they jump into the top 10 this year, but they also jumped into the top five (#3). “The Jets won the 2022 draft with their first- and second-round selections of cornerback Gardner, wide receiver Wilson, pass-rusher Jermaine Johnson, and running back Hall. Gardner and Johnson should immediately plug the biggest holes of a unit that finished 32nd in pass defense and overall defensive DVOA last season.”
With the news of Becton’s injury, Joe Douglas wasted little time in filling that gap. Adam Schefter reported that the Jets had agreed to a two-year $22 million deal with former Seattle tackle and 5-time pro-bowler Duane Brown.
Brown had options outside of New York but wanted to be part of the culture that Robert Saleh is building. It’s a key signing for the Jets who have a lot of faith in rookie Max Mitchell but envision him starting down the road. It was never the plan for Max to start in his rookie year, despite Saleh expressing extreme confidence in him.
Brown has never taken a snap at right tackle but has over 13,000 snaps of experience on the left side. The Jets named Fant their starting left tackle earlier this off-season and it’ll be interesting to see if he stays on the left or is asked to move over to the right. My personal preference is to keep Fant on the left side with Brown moving to the right, but I understand the logic of keeping Brown at a position he’s played his entire career, so I’d be happy either way.
Brown has historically been one of the better pass-blocking tackles in football over the years with him achieving an 80+ grade from PFF in 8 consecutive years between 2011-2018. He achieved an 84 pass block grade again in 2020 but saw that drop to 69.9 last season as the entire Seattle offense struggled at times. He allowed 8 sacks and 33 pressures last season and it’s certainly worth noting that he’s set to turn 37 this year.
Even with those concerns about his dip in form last year and his fixed position on the left side, this was a move that Joe Douglas had to make. It was the best option for the Jets and Zach Wilson. It doesn’t matter what the coaching staff says, they’ll back their players every single time, the Jets were not comfortable rolling with Edoga, McDermott, and Mitchell as backups. Even had Becton not gone down, the Jets were in the market for a veteran tackle as evidenced by Brown’s visit over the green and white scrimmage, it’s just easier to sell the team to someone like Brown when he has a chance to start.
Robert Saleh has confirmed that the Jets starters will play around a quarter, but don’t be surprised to see the offense get pulled after one series if they manage a sustained drive. The only way I see them staying in for multiple drives is if they have a couple of three and outs, but we’re confident on TJW so we know that won’t happen.
Playing your starters in the first pre-season game is a debatable subject. Some believe that players should play and some believe that the risk outweighs the reward. Mac Jones sitting out for New England, Josh Allen sitting out for the Bills and Tua rumored to be sitting out for the Dolphins gives you an indication of the approach of our division rivals.
Game Information
❓ Who: New York Jets @ Philadelphia Eagles
🤔 Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
🗓️ When: 7:30 EST - Friday 12th August
📺 TV: WCBS (New York), NFL Game Pass (International)
📻 Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM (New York)
😎 Weather:
🤒 Jets Injury Report
If all the starters come through without injury then we’ll see it as perfect preparation, if someone gets injured then the logic of playing starters will come into question.
Obviously, Mekhi Becton is done for the season so Max Mitchell should get an opportunity to stake his claim to the starting spot. Robert Saleh has recently said the team was pleasantly surprised by how far along he was in terms of being pro-ready.
George Fant is still working his way back so while I haven’t seen official confirmation one way or the other, I’d be surprised to see him on the field. This means Zach Wilson will be protected by Chuma Edoga and Max Mitchell. A reminder that Connor McDermott is also dealing with an injury and is unlikely to play.
DJ Reed has been experiencing some issues with his hamstring so he won’t play, and Vinny Curry is also likely to miss the game through injury, another hamstring issue. Jeremy Ruckert has only started practicing over the last week, so expect to see him on the sideline tonight as well.
🤒 Eagles Injury Report
For what it’s worth, Jeff McLane who is an Eagles beat reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer has reported that Nick Sirianni plans to play his starters for a series or two against the Jets. That’s somewhat surprising considering the Eagles already have 15 players on their injury report, including veteran center Jason Kelce who underwent elbow surgery recently as a “routine clean out”.
Hurts is expected to play but there are questions over DeVonta Smith, Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott, and tackles Jordan Mailata and Andre Dillard, all of whom have missed some time recently and may be held out as a precaution.
Grant Calcaterra the Eagles’ 6th-round pick is dealing with a hamstring issue, the former SMU tight end was having a good camp before injury slowed him down. It’s unlikely we see him or Greg Ward who’s dealing with a toe issue.
5 things to watch for the Jets
Injuries. This is the single most important point about any pre-season game. Come out of the game healthy and you’ve won, regardless of what the scoreboard states. Football is a contact sport and there are going to be injuries, that’s something we have to expect. But you want to escape the game with no major injuries to any of your key starters.
Offensive Line. This is tied to the above, the offensive line is likely going to be bookended by Chuma Edoga and Max Mitchell. That doesn’t fill me with confidence. However, it’s key to see what we have in these backup offensive tackles, even if they both play well we are going to need to sign a veteran, but if Mitchell really is further along than we all expect then that’s great news.
Rookies. Any time you have four first-rounders (I know Breece was a 2nd round pick, but he has first-round talent) making their debuts, it’s going to be exciting. Wilson, Sauce, and Breece will likely go the one or two series slated for the starters, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Johnson in there a little more. We’ll get a really good look at Micheal Clemons and it’ll be interesting to see where he lines up considering the Jets have said he’ll spend time inside and out.
Free Safety. The starting free safety right now is LaMarcus Joyner but that battle is wide open. If Joyner plays a series or two, that will give the likes of Davis, Pinnock, and Parks an opportunity to stake their claim. Parks is having the best camp of all three, but the Jets are very high on Pinnock and his potential to play that deep safety role. We haven’t heard anything about Ashtyn Davis this pre-season and I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, we’ll find out tonight.
Kickers. Coach Saleh has asked for Jets fans to remain patient tonight if the decision is made to kick an FG instead of go for it on 4th down, based on the fact the Jets need to see this kicking competition through and keep the best man. By my count, Greg Zuerlein is just in the lead ahead of Eddy Pineiro but there isn’t much to it. Having a reliable kicker is key in today’s game, and both players have shown an ability to hit from 55 yards, but how will they fare in the game?
Eagles Interest
Obviously, this isn’t an Eagles blog, but when we spent so much time on the draft it’s impossible to not be intrigued about some of the players you liked that ended up on other teams. Jordan Davis had a clip that went viral of him pushing Cam Jurgens out of Philadelphia, but he later came out to say he didn’t like that clip because it was an isolated rep and didn’t show Jurgens getting the better of him. I’m intrigued to see how Jordan Davis does tonight.
We also get to see Nakobe Dean, one of my favorite prospects through the entire draft and one of the most intelligent linebackers I’ve ever looked at.
Patriots RB James White has announced his retirement after eight seasons in the NFL. White retires with 381 receptions for 3,278 yards and 25 regular-season touchdowns. He also added 319 rushing attempts for 1,278 yards and 11 TDs in eight seasons with the Pats.
Bears WR N'Keal Harry undergoing tightrope surgery following a high ankle sprain, and he is expected to be out eight weeks.
Christian McCaffrey has missed 23 of the Carolina Panthers' past 33 games due to injury, but Matt Rhule isn’t concerned about that, “We are thinking about Christian in one way only -- and that's attack."