‘Twas the night before preseason, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except Liam, who was up writing about Eagles players he’s excited to watch in the game against the Ravens. Yep, I’m buzzing like an intoxicated Bumble Bee and it’s time to share that energy with you.
While the starters are likely going to be sidelined for the majority of preseason play, there are still plenty of players worth watching when the Eagles clash with the Ravens on Saturday. Here are the 5 I have circled in Red and will be using my Howie binoculars to scout.
Kelee Ringo
I was besotted with the Georgia Rookie coming out of College because he’s everything I look for in a cornerback. I don’t run a defense (shock) so sometimes the Eagles will draft corners suited to their scheme rather than my imagination, which is rude. Anyway, Ringo is tall at 6’2, thrives at the catch-point, and has an abundance of speed at his disposal.
I genuinely think he and Sydney Brown are candidates to take on a STAR role in this defense. I’ve written 3 articles about it now and with the depth chart the way it is, the Birds would be wise to utilize the versatile and explosive nature of both players under Sean Desai. We’ll get our first taste of that on Saturday, and the potential to see Ringo lined up both on the boundary and playing over the middle is just too exciting to ignore.
Christian Elliss
Elliss was the star of Eagles OTA’s and had a great start to his Summer. Unfortunately, Howie Roseman deemed the position a little light on depth so bought in Zach Cunningham and Myles Jack to bolster the LB room. They may not play the same position, but depth will be tight.
Elliss needs to prove his worth on Saturday as he looks to unseat former Bears LB Nicholas Morrow, who is of course reuniting with his old coach Sean Desai. The former UDFA has done well so far, but a big night at the office will do wonders for his place in the linebacking hierarchy.
Tanner McKee
I don’t know why, but I seem to have an affinity for lame Stanford quarterbacks. First, it was Kevin Hogan, and now it’s Tanner McKee. I was trying not to go all-in on the whole ‘Eagles QB Factory’ angle, but then our writer Mike Greger waltzed down to the NovaCare Complex to report on a Training Camp practice (Hey, we did the thing!!! Not just a Mom’s basement blog anymore), and gushed to me about how good McKee looked.
The way Mike was describing Tanner’s arm-strength and size was like the way I first described my Girlfriend to the boys. He sounded in love, and my heart did a little backflip and I immediately knew that for the next 3 weeks I would be a sicko. A sicko analyzing QB3 play in preseason in hopes that McKee doesn’t shatter my heart in the way Dane Evans did once before.
Only time will tell.
Olamide Zaccheaus
Of all the signings the Eagles made this offseason, It’s Olamide Zaccheaus I was most excited about.
He broke out in 2022, putting up 533 yards and 3 touchdowns while showcasing the same ability to take the top off a defense as he did in each of his previous seasons. In fact, he’s had a 45-yard reception in every NFL season he’s played in so far.
He felt like a prime candidate to go toe-to-toe with Quez Watkins for the starting ‘Y’ receiver role. Interestingly, the Eagles listed him as the backup ‘Z’ receiver behind DeVonta Smith on their opening depth chart.
Zaccheaus will be fun to watch for 3 reasons.
- He’s very fast.
- He’s got great chemistry with Marcus Mariota from their days in Atlanta. That connection should thrive on Saturday.
- We may even get to see him work outside. If he’s successful, it will ease some minor concerns about the lack of depth behind the top two wideouts.
Jalen Carter
How can you not be excited about Jalen Carter? Already likely playing with a chip on his shoulder, the former Georgia Bulldog has been playing like a Rottweiler chewing a Wasp this Summer. If he’s been impressive against the Eagles’ starting offensive line, can you imagine him against Ravens backups?
Salivating.
AP Photo/Chris Szagola
