The Philadelphia Eagles play their third and final preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday afternoon. It’s highly unlikely that any of their regulars will play. Here are our five things to watch for.
1) Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee, again
In the first preseason game against the Ravens, neither Pickett nor McKee could really separate themselves from the other. In the second preseason game, Pickett held the ball for ages and threw short, often off-target passes, while McKee was a star. If you missed McKee’s night, here’s a good recap:
McKee is the better quarterback and should be the No. 2 behind Jalen Hurts. However, Pickett has continued to get the lion’s share of the second team’s practices even after McKee’s big night.
The Eagles don’t have to decide on Hurts’ replacement until the first regular-season game in Brazil, when the No. 2 player will be active and the No. 3 player will be the emergency quarterback.
This final preseason game will be one last opportunity for Pickett to show he was worth the money the Eagles paid for him and for McKee to prove he is better than Pickett.
2) Bubble Player
In the last warm-up game, the boys can fight for the last four or five spots in the squad and show why they belong there. The 10 players to keep an eye on:
- EDGE Patrick Johnson
- DT Thomas Booker
- WR Ainias Smith
- iOL Brett Toth
- TE EJ Jenkins
- CB Josh Jobe
- LB Brandon Smith
- OL Darrian Kinnard
- CB Eli Ricks
- TE Albert Okwuegbunam
I’m especially interested in seeing Ainias Smith, Brandon Smith, Thomas Booker and EJ Jenkins.
3) The Eagles rookies in the later rounds
Five of the Eagles’ rookie draft picks — Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Jalyx Hunt, Will Shipley and Jeremiah Trotter — will play roles on the Eagles in 2024, some more importantly than others. The Eagles’ other four picks — Ainias Smith, Trevor Keegan, Johnny Wilson and Dylan McMahon — probably won’t, unless they get injured. That’s not to say they all played poorly in training camp or anything. They’ll just be lost in the rankings at first.
So this might be your last chance to see these guys for a while.
4) Trade bait
This final preseason game could be an opportunity for the Eagles to showcase players they may be looking to trade. My top four trade candidates (no inside information, just logic):
- CB Eli Ricks: Ricks is a young, roster-worthy NFL player that the Eagles likely cannot add to their roster.
- S. James Bradberry: The Eagles would be happy if they could get rid of some of his guaranteed money. Other teams are unlikely to be interested in that.
- OL Tyler Steen: Is he a guard? Should he just be a tackle like he was in college? What we do know is that he is not the Eagles’ starting RG after they lost that camp battle to Mekhi Becton. The Eagles don’t seem to believe in Steen, or they wouldn’t have switched to Becton so quickly or, you know, let Sua Opeta play ahead of him last season.
- Quarterback Kenny Pickett: If the Eagles think McKee is a capable No. 2 and better than Pickett, they could just keep Will Grier as their No. 3 and try to get rid of Pickett.
It’s unlikely the Eagles will sign any of these guys, but hey, it’s hard to come up with five storylines for the last preseason game, so keep your distance.
5) Can the Eagles stay undefeated? Should they?
The 2008 Detroit Lions and the 2017 Cleveland Browns are the only teams in NFL history to finish 0-16 in the regular season. Both teams were undefeated in the previous season.
If the Eagles win on Saturday afternoon, they will remain undefeated in the preseason. Does that mean they will remain winless in the regular season? They should probably just lose the game rather than tempt fate. #Analysis.
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