What they're saying: Quinyon Mitchell, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. stand out in Eagles' first preseason game

The Eagles played football on Friday night.

It's the preseason, yeah, but it means the real thing isn't that far off now – just shy of a month.

And Friday night's exhibition at Baltimore – a 16-13 win – did end up giving us a decent bit to mull over in regards to the rookies and looming roster decisions.

Let's just get right into it. Here's what they're saying about the Birds...

Gotta catch those

It didn't take long for Quinyon Mitchell to stand out Friday night.

Excellent coverage, fantastic jump on the pass, and nine times out of 10, that's an interception.

It happens to every DB though. It's just the worst when it hits you as a rookie, and on your first series. '

"I told him he's dropping money," Darius Slay joked with NBC 10's John Clark postgame.

So there's Mitchell's "Welcome to the NFL" moment.

Still, it counts as a pass breakup, and the way he handled that play, getting everything right except the catch for the pick, is extremely promising for the future of the Eagles' defensive backfield.

'In his blood'

Olivia Reiner | The Philadelphia Inquirer

It didn't take long for Jeremiah Trotter Jr. to start making plays either.

That one in particular registered as a sack, though Trotter didn't realize it in the moment. He said afterward, via Olivia Reiner, that he saw Ravens QB Josh Johnson step up toward the line on a 3rd and 2 and shed his block to chase after him to make sure he didn't get the first down.

Johnson didn't, instead getting dragged down by Trotter just behind the line for no gain and a fourth-down situation, so count it.

Wrote Reiner of Trotter's poise in that moment:

Coming out of college, the 6-foot, 225-pounder was hailed for his sharp instincts, which were on display all night long. He was seemingly always around the ball, particularly in the run game, tying with Ben VanSumeren for the team high in tackles with five.
[Teammate Nakobe Dean] has become familiar with Trotter’s style of play in practice, which he described as smart and instinctive. The two have taken reps together throughout training camp, mostly with the second-team defense. The preseason opener provided Trotter with the opportunity to translate his performance in camp to a more intense, fast-paced setting, a challenge that the rookie met, according to the veteran.
“He’s a true linebacker, man,” Dean said. “He’s got it in his blood. True linebacker. And he’s only gonna continue to get better.” [The Inquirer]

Trotter is following the legacy his father left in Philadelphia, but where he goes as an Eagle is going to be a story all his own, and he only just started writing it.

A rush of fame

Tim McManus, Jeremy Fowler | ESPN

OK, on to the big report from earlier this week that detailed the riff that grew between Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni, the role it played in last season's implosion, Kellen Moore's hiring and who's going to be in charge of the offensive playbook, and ultimately, how Hurts and Sirianni have both been working to fix things for the better.

There's a lot in there from McManus and Fowler, and no shortage of takes on the story in the days since it was published – highly encourage you to read the whole thing through HERE.

There is a bit on Hurts down toward the very bottom of the story, however, that maybe didn't get as much attention as the rest:

The rush of fame and fortune following the Super Bowl run proved challenging for Hurts, who was 24 years old at the time, a source close to him said. The source added that Hurts is now in "redemption mode," with multiple sources describing a motivated player who has been focused on self-improvement this offseason.
The boom-bust potential of this season is massive. [Howie Roseman] has assembled arguably the best skill position group in team history led by Hurts, Brown, Smith and offseason splash signing Saquon Barkley. The Eagles invested in the defensive backfield, a major area of weakness in 2023, both in free agency and the draft. That, coupled with the hires of Moore and [Vic Fangio], could steer Philadelphia back to the top of the NFC. [ESPN]

In the short offseason following the Super Bowl, Hurts got the Jordan brand deal, the Hulu commercial spots, various other marketing endorsements, and of course, the big-time contract extension.

He was everywhere, but that coincided with a 2023 season where he and the Eagles were getting by, for a while, but the quality of play had noticeably dipped.

And if you've been following Philly sports for a long time, then this should sound a bit familiar.

Remember Cole Hamels after the Phillies won the World Series? His face felt like it was in every ad possible that winter, but that '09 season for him coming back for the title defense, it wasn't great, and it became obvious pretty fast that he stretched himself too thin.

The Phillies still made it back to the World Series, but Hamels was never right that year, which ultimately cost them when just two solid outings could've made the difference in beating the Yankees.

It took until the 2010 season for Cole Hamels to be Cole Hamels again.

Look, fame can be a tricky thing to deal with no matter who you are, and it very well might have gone to Hurts a bit last season.

So here's hoping he only had a case of '09 Hamels Syndrome' and that he's back to looking like the dual-threat, MVP-caliber QB he was in 2022, when everything he did all looked effortless.

The one and only

Reuben Frank | NBC Sports Philadelphia

Nick Foles made his retirement official earlier this week, and that was met with a flood of memories, reflections, and stories of that magical 2017 Super Bowl run and how uniquely incredible his 11-year career actually was.

We looked back on the moments that built Foles from an unknown into an undeniable Eagles legend HERE, and over at NBC Sports Philly, Reuben Frank gathered 10 stats that painted how bizarre and special Foles' run really was.

The last one is the real kicker:

Bill Belichick coached 44 playoff games with the Patriots, and Foles was the only quarterback to throw for 370 yards with three touchdowns in a postseason game against Belichick’s Patriots. Only 10 quarterbacks reached those milestones against the Patriots in 387 regular-season games against Belichick. [NBCSP]

That year, that run, that guy, and all in that moment...just unreal.

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