The Eagles and Ravens held their second and final joint practice ahead of Thursday’s preseason clash. Here are five things we learned!
#CB1
It looks as though the race for CB1 honors may be coming to a close. Ronald Darby participated in 11-on-11 action against the Ravens offense and held his own. There was little debate as to whether or not Darby should automatically resume his starting cornerback duties once healthy, but the main takeaway here is he’s looking like he’ll be raring to go by the time week one rolls around.
The real question now becomes, who will start alongside Darby? It’s interesting that Jones has been pushed outside today with Avonte Maddox moving into the nickel. Will Jones finally step up as an outside corner as he enters his third year in the NFL? The former second-round pick will be beginning to feel the weight of expectation if not. As for Maddox, we can presume he’s going to ball out from wherever he lines up.
Pick City
The Eagles defense looked really, really good by all accounts. Interceptions were a common theme in the Eagles secondary, as expected, but also the defensive line…you read that correctly.
Tre Sullivan and recently signed Ajene Harris also grabbed themselves a slice of the pie, while Rasul Douglas, T.J Edwards, and Malcolm Jenkins all dropped said cake on the floor. Either way, considering the Eagles defense struggled to generate turnovers last year, this is a promising update from a scrimmage situation.
Stock drop
After a tough preseason appearance against the Jags where he wasn’t really utilized in a position that will display his strengths, ‘backpack Mack’ has endured a couple of tough days against the Ravens defense.
Hollins faces stiff competition for the fifth WR spot on the roster, as documented below. The pressure is on for the former fifth-round pick who will need to show more than special teams prowess to keep his role.
Tight End development
The heat may have been a factor again today, this time impacting TE Josh Perkins, who has actually started to emerge as a receiving option for the twos and threes in the absence of Dallas Goedert. Perkins walked inside and later returned to practice, but before he went, recently signed Alex Ellis made a statement.
With Will Tye also involved, expect this trio to feature heavily on Thursday night, with the Eagles likely taking one of the three into the regular season. That number may increase to two if Richard Rodgers does miss significant time.
Clement’s back
It’s been a long road back for the former undrafted free agent, but Corey Clement looks like he’s back to his best after a down year that was hampered with injury setbacks.
Clement should still be in good shape to make the roster providing he can stay on the field, but he’ll still likely need to get some preseason action under his belt after missing the first two games.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
