The Eagles defeated the Ravens 16-13 in their first week of preseason action. There was a lot to like and plenty of room for development but all in all, the team looked good. You have to love what Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio have done to revamp their units. We may have not been able to see the starters yet but there were plenty of winners and losers to go over.
Eagles Winners
Will Shipley
The Eagles now have an RB group filled with incredible talent. From Saquon Barkley to Kenny Gainwell and now Will Shipley. Everything that Shipley does well fits what Kellen Moore wants in a running back. He also showed good promise in pass blocking. Enough promise to question what Kenny Gainwell brings that is better than what Shipley does.
Quinyon Mitchell
What a sight for sore eyes. The Eagles have been in need of a promising CB1 for the last decade or so. Mitchell is everything you could ever ask for in a franchise cornerstone piece. He showed that what he did in Toledo was no fluke. In addition to his great showing last night, Mitchell has been working hard on being a versatile piece in camp. He seems destined to get on the field during his rookie campaign, it’s just a matter of where.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr
Another bright spot for the Eagles’ defense was seeing the promise of another rookie in Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Trotter showed flashes of good pursuit and great IQ throughout the night against the Ravens. It was just a small sample size but he finished the night with 1 sack and 5 tackles. Don’t be surprised if they implement him into the rotation with Devin White and Zack Baun throughout this season.
Mekhi Becton
Becton is looking more and more like the starting right guard for the 2024 season. I didn’t see any issues with how he played in the first series and it seems like he’s gained an edge against Tyler Steen. It was once Steens’ position to lose but it may have converted into Becton’s spot to lose. He’s had a great camp and a good start to his career as an Eagle.
Kelee Ringo
Ringo has made a significant jump from last season to this year. He’s been battling with Isaiah Rodgers for the starting role opposite of Darius Slay throughout Training Camp. The Georgia product looked especially well last night even with some veteran moves of some jersey tugging at times. He was very sticky against the Ravens’ receivers but I’m curious to see how he would look against an opposing team’s starter. He looked good at times last year with small moments of mistakes but it looks like Ringo could end up being a big steal for the Eagles.
Eagles Losers
Tyler Steen
Steen was penciled in as the starting right guard for the Eagles from the moment he was drafted. Unfortunately, he is going up against a very sizeable threat in Mekhi Becton. Steen seems to be a step behind the former first-round pick of the Jets. But one way or another, the Eagles’ offensive line depth is very underrated.
Ainias Smith
Well, we know that AInias Smith has the talent but he looks to be either overthinking his every move or maybe is still too raw. One way or another, much can’t be expected out of the Eagles rookie just yet. It always takes most rookies time to get acclimated to the game speed in the NFL. I’m concerned about how he first looks but I’m not writing him off just yet.
Tanner McKee
The only reason that I would put McKee on this list is because he didn’t seize the opportunity in front of him. Pickett struggled quite a bit until he got comfortable but McKee looked like he took a bit of a step back. After an impressive showing in last year’s preseason, Tanner McKee showed that there’s still a lot of room left in his development and that he’s not ready to be the team’s QB2.
John Ross
Yes, John Ross had three catches for 28 yards but we didn’t get to see much out of him. Pickett’s struggle made it that much harder for anyone to see what the Eagles have in this version of John Ross. We may see more in the next preseason showing but the jury is still out. Ross didn’t do much to separate himself from Campbell, Covey, and Wilson.
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
