The Philadelphia Eagles opened their 2025 preseason campaign with a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, and while the score doesn’t matter, the performances certainly do.
Injury report
The Eagles did suffer a few significant knocks in the game against Cincy. Sydney Brown took a hit to his shoulder and headed to the sideline, which is bad news for a position already light on depth. Rookie Andrew Mukuba missed the preseason opener with a setback, meaning the Eagles might need to get creative if injuries don’t subside. Someone put the bat signal out for Justin Simmons!
WR Elijah Cooks was also carted off the field after suffering an injury. We haven’t received any updates yet, but this really hurt to see. Cooks has been flying through Training Camp and making a big impact. He was absolutely a contender to sneak onto the WR depth chart. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious.
Cornerback competition cools down
Things started off as expected in Philadelphia. The Bengals trotted out with a full starting lineup featuring the likes of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. It didn’t take long for Cincy to find the endzone, and perhaps the most notable part of those opening two drives were Kelee Ringo‘s reps against the Bengals’ eclectic wideout. To say he struggled would be fair, and while Ringo is vying for a CB2 role, this does act as another grading scale.
However, it’s not like Adoree Jackson faired much better. Today’s game highlighted why the Eagles made the recent move to acquire Jakorian Bennett. Eli Ricks probably had the best game of any Eagles CB, but it is worth noting that the Bengals left their starters out for the first quarter, so Ringo was always going to have a tough battle against Ja’Marr Chase. However, both corners could’ve done with a big day here.
Waving the Tanner banner
On offense, Tanner McKee looked fantastic, and even flexed his muscles with a tush-push TD to bring the Eagles back level 7-7 before the Bengals distanced themselves once more. To have that in the locker is certainly a perk that could serve him well in this QB2 battle.
He burst onto the scene as a rookie in preseason by showing confidence in his own arm and those of his receivers. That remains unchanged, with the young signal-caller more than happy to sling it, and toss it up to allow his receivers to make tough grabs, just as he did against the Giants at the end of last season.
It was an excellent outing for McKee, who went 20/25 for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns. In fact, this whole article could be about McKee. He connected regularly with Darius Cooper, including on an aggressive 4th down, before finding Kylen Granson on the next play to push the Eagles inside the red zone on a floated out-route. This, predictably, ended in another score (field goal) for the Birds.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson didn’t look anywhere near as comfortable as McKee, who was out for blood. DTR will need a much stronger outing next time around.
The 2024 draft class makes a mark
Will Shipley looked really solid in the early goings too. The running back picture behind Saquon Barkley is still a little murky, but Shipley looks to have sustained the growth we saw from him across the 2024 campaign, which should put him in good stead to become Saquon’s primary backup.
Johnny Wilson was another player who flashed early and then continued to do so as the game continued. The bond with Tanner McKee has clearly evolved over the last 12 months, and the big-bodied wideout simply dominated the catch-point (STATS)
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. also appears to have taken a big step forward in diagnosing plays. His only real weakness coming out of college (to me) was how long he took to identify the play. Once his target was set, he’s a homing missile. Trotter Jr. looks to have really surged in that area which bodes very well for his future.
A rookie burst
Ty Robinson got his first preseason sack in the second quarter. He worked well to charge into Jake Browning on the twist and make his presence known. He should see plenty of action as a rotational defensive tackle.
Another rookie who almost stole the show was Jihaad Campbell just one play later. A tipped ball by Williams fell into the Alabama product’s hands, only for him to drop it as he hit the turf. Still, a promising sign nonetheless on a drive dominated by two Eagles rookies.
Eagles Underdogs to watch
Ainias Smith was able to find the endzone for a score and produced a pretty sizable kick return. Given the injuries to Elijah Cooks and Terrace Marshall, this kind of performance was absolutely needed.
Darius Cooper led the team in receiving though, with 82 yards and a score. He’s another player who has thrived this Summer and that outing may just earn him a roster spot.
On defense, Gabe Hall and Smael Mondon Jr. both stood out at times, while former Eagles draft pick Patrick Johnson marked his return to the team with a big interception.
The Eagles will be back at practice after a well-earned day off before all eyes turn towards a clash with the Browns and two joint-practices with the Cleveland team.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
