August 21, 2022
The Philadelphia Eagles were impressive in many ways in their second preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, and shaky in others. The starters didn't play, and the Birds won 21-20. Win, lose, or tie, as always, we hand out 10 awards.
The Eagles' second-team offensive line looked like this:
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Andre Dillard | Jack Anderson | Cam Jurgens | Sua Opeta | Jack Driscoll |
That group is better than a handful of other first-team offensive lines around the NFL, and they showed why on Sunday afternoon.
Cam Jurgens and Andre Dillard were the two main stars on the day. Jurgens picked up where he left off in the first preseason game, when he had several highlight reel blocks, while Dillard moved defenders in the run game and protected well in the passing game.
The Eagles' first two offensive drives went like so, mostly on the backs of the O-line:
There isn't a team in the NFL that has better offensive line depth than the Eagles.
Scott got an absurd 11 touches on the opening drive. He carried 10 times for 33 yards and a TD, adding one catch for 11 yards. Gainwell had 11 carries for 46 yards and a TD. Nick Sirianni gave his backup running backs a chance to show what they could do, and both delivered. Gainwell in particular played well, showing some juice as a runner, and powering through contact near the goal line.
(To be clear, the Eagles still should pursue Kareem Hunt, who would help their chances of competing for a Super Bowl, but whatever.)
If you aren't familiar with the yearly "Na Brown Award," it is the title awarded to the Eagles player who comes out of almost nowhere to cause a stir in camp and/or the preseason games, raising expectations to an unreasonably high level in the process.
Cain had 5 catches on 7 targets for 66 yards, which included a pair of nice back shoulder grabs, one of which was an impressive contested catch.
Deon Cain with 4 catches for 59 yards in the first half
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 21, 2022
Making a push to make the team
pic.twitter.com/55bTCSZDdg
If the Eagles want to keep at least five receivers and they trade Jalen Reagor, Cain could earn his way onto the roster.
A bunch of players expected to get significant playing time this season played in this game, and they were mostly neutralized by the Browns' second-team offensive line.
Jobe had two really nice plays in this game. The first was on a reverse in which Jobe did a good job forcing the play back inside and then making the tackle. At the end of the first half, he also had a pass breakup while locked up one-on-one on an island.
A nice pass breakup by Josh Jobe pic.twitter.com/GyZw7CUeh4
— DIE-HARD 🦅 Fans (@Eaglesfans9) August 21, 2022
This was the second straight game that Jobe has played on the second-team defense. Expect him to make the team.
In case you missed it:
.@ReidSinnett → @DevonAllen13
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 21, 2022
SPEED KILLS 💨
📺:#PHIvsCLE on @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/rjsuj9KRIN
He then had a sweet hurdle celebration:
Devon Allen with the hurdle celly!
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 21, 2022
pic.twitter.com/B8Ihue3NSx
Allen didn't do much early in camp, which is to be expected of a guy who hasn't played football in over a half decade, but he has come on of late. Allen is absolutely worth further development on the practice squad.
In the above Devon Allen highlight, I'm sure you also noticed the dime throw from Sinnett.
The QB3 on any roster has such a wide range of importance. He can either be the most obvious guy to keep inactive on game day, or he can be the most important player on the team if the top two guys go down. Reid Sinnett can sling it. There's talent there. The Eagles have to keep him, in my opinion.
In a clock killing situation, Strong entered the game and got to hand off a bunch of times, and he even got a pass attempt! Boom.
As noted already, the starters didn't play, and aside from a play in which Josiah Scott stayed down for a bit but walked off the field under his on power, there weren't any noteworthy injuries. And that's sort of what matters most in these games.
The Birds will head to Miami on Tuesday, and will have a pair of hot, sticky practices on Wednesday and Thursday before finishing out the preseason in their third and final preseason game on Saturday. And then we're onto the real stuff.
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