Eagles CBs: Ronald Darby, Sidney Jones, Avonte Maddox, Rasul Douglas, Cre’von LeBlanc
Yes, I did not list Jalen Mills. He will be there. He is starting the season on the PUP list. Any uncertainty about Mills not being on the Philadelphia Eagles roster is silly. If at all, he will be predominately in red-zone packages. However, not a lot will change for the locks to make the roster for the cornerback position. Orlando Scandrick may be held on to, but I don’t expect him to be active the complete season.
What killed me last night was just how passive Orlando Scandrick, Josh Hawkins, and Jeremiah McKinnon looked at some points with Trace McSorely at quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens. Consider this play, which was McSorely’s rushing touchdown:
Following a play where Josh Hawkins was one of three players who failed to take down Mark Andrews on a twenty-five-yard reception, Trace McSorely scored on a rushing touchdown. The last five to seven yards before McSorely even gets to the goal line, he was across the line of scrimmage. Hawkins and Orlando Scandrick needed to be proactive there while Jonathan Cyprien had the only outlet receiver covered in the endzone.
Trace McSorely picked on Jeremiah McKinnon as well on his two passing touchdowns. The first was to Michael Floyd, which didn’t surprise me. McKinnon couldn’t get it done in one on one coverage against the veteran receiver. However, it was the second touchdown pass from McSorely to Jaleel Scott that I focus on:
While Jeremiah McKinnon is nearby the receiver and Trace McSorely does a good job of throwing the ball towards the sideline where only Jaleel Scott can make the catch, McKinnon needs to make that a fifty-fifty ball. Get a hand up there and obstruct the vision of the receiver. Not a good look to be dunked on for the second time in one on one coverage. However, of the three depth cornerbacks I spoke about, McKinnon did seem to be more physical this week. He may be a special teamer or practice squad player on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Looking Forward
Last night made things tough on being able to get a feel for depth players because the most starters played against the Baltimore Ravens than any other preseason game. That is traditionally how it goes in the NFL, but I think that the starters will be ready for week one against the Washington Redskins. The Philadelphia Eagles offensive line is getting deeper. The skill positions are getting sharper. It’ll be interesting to see how other fringe players perform against the New York Jets because this is the last call to make the Eagles and also an ongoing evaluation to make it on another roster in the league.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
