Handing out 10 awards from the Eagles-Vikings preseason game

The Philadelphia Eagles' and Minnesota Vikings' backups played a football game on Saturday afternoon. We'll all glad it's over. As always, win, lose, or tie, and whether the game matters or not, we hand out 10 awards.

1) The 'Welcome to the NFL (Preseason)' Award : Cooper DeJean

DeJean made his NFL debut after missing the first three weeks of training camp with a hamstring injury. He had a few shaky moments on the first drive of the game. The first was an illegal contact penalty that wiped out a Tristin McCollum INT.

The second was a slot fade to Vikings WR Lucky Jackson, who couldn't get two feet in. DeJean never found the ball, and was lucky that wasn't a TD.

DeJean will need some time to get his NFL sea legs after missing most of camp and the last half of his final college season. I don't think we'll see him starting Week 1. And actually, hot take alert 🔥🚨🔥... Maybe he's inactive Week 1?

2) The 'Not a Cool Kid' Award ❌😎: Nolan Smith

If you're an NFL player, you don't want to be playing in the final preseason game. It typically means you're fighting for a job, or the team just needs to see you play more, for whatever reason. The guys who still have something to prove play, while the "cool kids" get to hang out on the sideline and watch. And to be clear, it doesn't take much to be a "cool kid." Backup OT Fred Johnson didn't play, for example.

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The most notable player to play against the Vikings? Nolan Smith.

Against the Patriots a week ago, Smith played deep into the third quarter, with the third stringers. In the first two preseason games combined, he led the team's edge defenders with 47 snaps played, more than rookie Jalyx Hunt. On Saturday, he played in the regular defense for the entire first half, and even on the kick coverage team. 

He's a first-round pick in his second season and the team obviously feels like they need to see more. That's not a great look.

Smith finished with zero solo tackles. He did jump on top of Oren Burks while Burks was sacking the quarterback.

3) The 'Good Last Impression' Award 🪞: Tristin McCollum

McCollum had six tackles in the first half (nine total), and as noted above, he had an INT that was wiped out by a penalty. McCollum played in the Eagles' playoff loss to the Bucs last season, so the Eagles have some level of comfort with him. Could he crack the roster?

4) The 'Dink and Dunk' Award: Kenny Pickett

In the first two preseason games, Pickett held the ball for an eternity and rarely threw beyond the sticks. The ball came out a little quicker against the Vikings, but he was still extremely conservative with the football.

It's the preseason, man. Let it rip.

5) The Nick Foles Award For High Variance Performances 📈📉: Tanner McKee

One of the common comps for Tanner McKee coming out of college was Nick Foles, because their skill sets are similar. Interestingly, like Foles, McKee is very hot and cold. He looked like a starter against the Patriots, and like a QB3 against the Vikings, though in fairness he didn't get much help from the Eagles' third- and fourth-string receivers.

6) The 'Survivor' Award 😊: Ainias Smith

Looking back 20 years from now, nobody will reminisce about the time Ainias Smith had six catches for 36 yards in the final preseason game, but he probably did juuuuust enough to earn a roster spot over the last week after a brutal start to camp.

7) The 'Wait, Did We Overlook Him' Award: Oren Burks

Burks missed most of camp with a knee injury, and in his only preseason action he had a good game with six tackles and a sack. The Eagles signed Burks early in free agency. Might he be a player the fans and media have written off, but the team hasn't?

8) The 'Eagles Hall of Fame Award: Shady McCoy

The Eagles announced during halftime that McCoy will be inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame during the Eagles game against the Jaguars November 3. 

Shady is the Eagles' all-time leading rusher:

The Eagles traded him to Buffalo because Chip Kelly didn't like him.

9) The 'There Goes the Undefeated Preseason' Award 😭: The Eagles

I guess we should note that the Eagles lost the game? The final score was 26-3.

The Eagles last had an undefeated preseason in 2016. They had a chance to go undefeated with a win over the Vikings, but they blew it. Blow it up, in my opinion.

10) The 'Mission Accomplished' Award 🏁: Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman

In all seriousness, the Eagles will be healthy heading into Week 1, as they have been every season during the Nick Sirianni era.

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