What to watch for in the preseason matchup with the Jaguars.
These Philadelphia Eagles exhibition games may be a drag for many fans, especially because of coach Doug Pederson’s plan not to expose any of his top players to injury risks.
But their second of four preseason games, which will be held Thursday night in Jacksonville (7 p.m., NBC10), will not be without value. It will give everyone a better glimpse of dozens of players the Eagles will need in 2019 and beyond.
So let’s get right to what we’ll be watching and why:
The backup QB
Now that Nate Sudfeld is out for more than a month with a broken wrist, Cody Kessler is being given a chance to win the backup job. Look for Kessler to start and play most of the game before rookie Clayton Thorson comes in to relieve him.
And look for starter Carson Wentz in a baseball cap on the sideline.
Though Pederson wouldn’t divulge his playing rotation plan for this game, it doesn’t appear likely that Wentz or any of their other major players will see any preseason action.
Many, like cornerbacks Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby and Cre’Von LeBlanc, tackle Lane Johnson, guard Brandon Brooks, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, defensive end Derek Barnett, linebackers Kamu Grugier-Hill and Nigel Bradham and safety Rodney McLeod are injured or not cleared for full contact anyway.
For his part, Kessler said there are no hard feelings heading back to Jacksonville, where he played last year and actually started four games.
“I was only there for a year and everyone treated me great,” he said. “Obviously we had a tough year and things didn’t go as planned. But I made a lot of great relationships there and a lot of really good friends. So I’m excited to see those guys.”
As for his goals in the game, Kessler said the top priority is to eliminate pre-snap penalties.
Who’s the 4th?
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz likes to work with a four-man rotation at defensive end on game days. Three of those spots seem already secured (by Derek Barnett, Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry). The fourth is still a question mark.
Is it Josh Sweat, Daeshon Hall, Shareef Miller or one of the newcomers, Eli Harold or Kasim Edebali?
Harold just arrived Saturday in a trade with the Buffalo Bills and is looking forward to putting one or two hands on the ground and just attacking the quarterback in the simplified Wide 9 played here. After playing outside linebacker for most of his pro career, which began in 2015, Harold is ecstatic to have landed in Philadelphia, even though the numbers aren’t in his favor.
“I love it, man,” he said. “That’s my natural position. No matter what, going forward is always better than dropping into coverage a lot.”
Redemption
Some of the players who would like a do-over of their first preseason game include safety Tre Sullivan, cornerbacks Josh Hawkins and Jeremiah McKinnon, offensive lineman Matt Pryor and Thorson.
Sullivan missed two noteworthy tackles, one of them while trying to go for the big hit instead of taking the sure thing.
“If I make one bad play, I consider it a bad game for me,” Sullivan said. “I graded myself as not having my best game. I know I can do better. Going into this game I’m looking forward to showing that I can be a consistent tackler. I want to show that my technique can be flawless.”
Separation at WR
There are still too many qualified receivers fighting for what might only be one legitimate opening. They include Greg Ward, Charles Johnson, Carlton Agudosi and last week’s hero, Marken Michel, who caught a 75-yard pass for the Eagles’ lone TD.
Might as well throw third-year player Mack Hollins in that group too.
Offensive line depth
We already know that right guard Brandon Brooks and right tackle Lane Johnson won’t play. Left tackle Jason Peters likely won’t either. In their places will be Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Jordan Mailata and Andre Dillard, respectively.
Pederson said Tuesday that missing some personnel up front, specifically Johnson, wouldn’t necessarily influence his decision on whether to play Wentz, who has been unable to finish each of the last two seasons because of injuries.
With all due respect, Pederson was fooling nobody with that one. Of course that’s going to factor into his thinking, which is why it’s a virtual lock that Wentz won’t see the light of day until they actually play under the light of day in their Sept. 8 season opener against Washington.
Just imagine the Twitter firestorm if somebody comes around the edge and beats Mailata, who never played football until the Eagles drafted him last year, for a sack that injures Wentz.
If that happened, at least Nick Foles will be available.
Oh, wait.
Morning Call reporter Nick Fierro can be reached at 610-7782243 or nfierro@mcall.com.