Roob’s Snapshot Observations: Rookies shine as Eagles defeat Ravens on wild last-second finish originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
Well, this was a lot of drama for a preseason game.
Jake Elliott, who missed a 50-yard field goal with 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter, had another chance moments later after edge rusher Patrick Johnson forced a fumble, and this time Elliott connected on a 49-yard throw to give the Eagles a 16-13 victory over the Ravens in the preseason opener at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
The Eagles’ various defensive units limited the Ravens to 164 total yards, 11 first downs and 2-of-12 on third down. In the second half, the Ravens managed just 55 yards.
Very good stuff!
Here is our first edition of the 10 Snapshot Observations of the Year:
1. The Eagles will rely heavily on their rookie draft class this year, and Friday night’s preseason opener was an auspicious debut for many of them. First-round pick Quinyon Mitchell nearly had an interception, 3thirdRound pick Jalyx Hunt looked quick and engaged in his first NFL game, 4theRound pick Will Shipley scored the Eagles’ first touchdown and made some tough runs and blocks, 5theRound pick Jeremiah Trotter Jr. was very active and 6theRound pick Johnny Wilson appeared as both a receiver and blocker and 6theRound pick Dylan McMahon showed good athleticism pulling in a 13-yard run from Tyrion Davis-Price (which was negated by a penalty). It’s too early to draw any final conclusions about this class project, but this group looks very promising. And that’s without 2andRound pick Cooper DeJean, who has been out for a few weeks with a hamstring injury.
2. It only took a few plays before we saw what the Eagles love about Mitchell. In a start of 3third-and 10 from the Eagles’ 29-yard line, Ravens QB Josh Johnson threw over the middle to Malik Cunningham, the former Louisville quarterback converting to wide receiver. Mitchell played perfectly and threw himself in front of Cunningham to knock down the ball. The newbie 1stThe pick of the round probably should have had an interception on the play, but a sweet pass deflection on his fifth NFL snap isn’t bad. Mitchell didn’t play much, but that play was impressive. As far as corners go, Kelee Ringo looked great, notably breaking up what could have been a touchdown pass from Johnson to Temple’s Keith Kirkwood in the second quarter and then making a big knockdown on a very good pass from Johnson to Rutgers freshman Isaiah Washington in the final seconds of the first half. Ringo is so talented. Isaiah Rodgers was a little loose in coverage, giving up a 19-yarder to Kirkwood early on that drive, but considering it was his first game in 592 days, he was allowed to.
3A. Kenny Pickett got the first half and a second half series, and didn’t do anything dazzling – his longest completion was just 10 yards to John Ross (on a 3third-e-17) – but considering he didn’t have AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley or Dallas Goedert and was working behind backup offensive linemen – and the Eagles were going as vanilla as possible – I thought he looked good. He spread the ball around and got rid of it a little quicker than in training. This is still a new offense for Pickett, and he talked about how difficult it is to unlearn an old system while learning a new one. But after a slow start to camp, he’s gradually gotten sharper and more comfortable this summer, and on the backup quarterback ladder he’s ranked above Marcus Mariota and below Jeff Garcia. The former Steeler finished 14 of 22 for 89 yards with a seven-yard TD pass to Will Shipley late in the first quarter. As the deeper backup offensive linemen and receivers arrived, he stuttered a bit. But overall he showed command of the offense, found the open man, moved very well in the pocket and avoided mistakes by executing a bunch of bleh plays. That’s all you’re looking for right now.
3B. Tanner McKee led a 17-play touchdown drive once he entered the game early in the third quarter, but overall he didn’t look particularly sharp. McKee has been really good in training camp, and considering he was there with some pretty deep backups and was the victim of some drops, it’s kind of hard to evaluate him. He made some beautiful shots – a 3third-and-5 on first down to Ainias Smith with 4 1/2 minutes left was huge – and he wasn’t terrible. But you’d like to see a little more consistency and accuracy, especially on those outs.
4. Shipley is a fun player and will have a role on this team. After Kenny Gainwell got the first series – and ran four times for 23 yards – the rookie 4theThe round pick had eight touches on the Eagles’ second drive and ran 23 yards before catching Pickett’s touchdown. I don’t think Shipley will get many carries, but you saw in TD his knack for getting open in the backfield and the soft hands that make him such a consistent receiver. In Moore’s offense, all receivers, tight ends and backs will be eligible.
5. How about that #54? Jeremiah Trotter Jr. had a promising training camp and was able to transfer the style of play he recently showed at the NovaCare Complex into his first professional game. First, on punt coverage, Trotter made a nice solo stop on Damarion Williams, limiting him to a seven-yard gain. And moments later, in a 3third-and-2, he stopped Ravens QB Josh Johnson for no gain – officially a sack – forcing a Ravens punt. It would be easy to say that Trott’s role will be exclusively on special teams — and he will be very good there — but considering the state of the Eagles’ linebacker position, don’t be surprised if Vic Fangio finds a role for him. It won’t be a big problem, but the kid is smart, fast, athletic, active and instinctive, and he’s been showing off a lot lately. Speaking of linebackers, it was good to see Nakobe Dean running around and making some plays. He appears buried behind Zach Baun on the depth chart, but he wasn’t hurt last night.
6. Britain Covey and Johnny Wilson did some good things while battling for wide receiver reps behind AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. Covey caught four passes for 25 yards in limited playing time and I continue to believe the kid can be a decent receiver in the NFL. He knows how to open up, takes everything and is quick with the ball in his hands. Kellen Moore will find a role for himself on offense. Wilson also had a catch in his first NFL game, but what will really impress coaches is the way he blocked. He’s not just a willing blocker, he’s a very effective blocker. He had a big block on Covey’s second reception and another on Shipley’s touchdown. Interesting player. He went from a 6the-round shot a month ago for a guy who has a guaranteed roster spot. As for Covey, he also had one of his patented punt returns where he gets pummeled three times but keeps his balance, doesn’t fall over, and somehow gets 26 yards.
7. Overall, I liked what I saw from the non-starters on defense. In addition to Trotter, guys like defenders Moro Ojomo and Marlon Tuipulotu, 2andOne-year undrafted linebacker Ben VanSumeren, rookie Jalyx Hunt and safety Tristin McCollum made plays and looked fast and physical. The Ravens managed 29 yards on the first two plays, then managed just 82 yards on the next 30 plays by the end of the third quarter. At one point, they had six straight drives without a first down, scoring just 26 yards on those six attempts. We know Fangio likes to find roles for everyone who dresses up, so some of these guys are going to be acting this year. I thought overall the defense looked fast and physical, given mostly against the Ravens’ backups.
8. Do you know who keeps jumping on me? Darian Kinnard, a free agent combo guard who began his career as a 5theThe Chiefs’ 2022 round pick. The Eagles brought in a ton of backup offensive linemen this offseason — Matt Hennessy, Max Scharping, Nick Gates — but the one who has been most impressive is Kinnard, who I think has made the team. He’s strong, physical, 6-foot-3, 325 pounds and already has two Super Bowl rings to his name. He has worked with the second line at both tackles and right guard. Jeff Stoutland seems to think the world of children, and that’s good enough for me.
9. Another thing we saw on Friday night was that the Eagles have very good depth at running back. In addition to Gainwell’s 4-of-23 and Shipley’s 7-of-23, Davis-Price ran six times for 34 yards, Lew Nichols was 7-of-21 and undrafted Georgia rookie Kendall Milton caught the ball in the final drive and ran hard, gaining 39 yards on nine carries against a stacked box. So with five different guys working, none of them named Saquon Barkley, the Eagles’ back rushed for 140 yards. One of those guys – Davis-Price, Nichols or Milton – will make the roster and another will likely be on the practice squad. Good competition. It’s a very solid room.
10. We probably don’t talk about Patrick Johnson enough, but he’s now in his fourth year with the Eagles and there’s probably a spot for him on the roster, and in the final seconds of the game we saw why. He’s mostly a special player — and a very good one — but that play at the end showed what he’s capable of as an upside and why he continues to find ways to get into the lineup every September. On the Ravens’ first snap after Elliott missed from the 50-yarder, Johnson sacked Ravens QB Emory Jones and recovered the ball at the Ravens’ 32, setting up Elliott’s game-winner. The Eagles have a lot of question marks on the edge – Bryce Huff just had one great year, Josh Sweat finished last year with eight consecutive sackless games, Brandon Graham is 36, nobody knows what to expect from Nolan Smith – so it’s good to have a guy like Johnson, who works hard, knows how to play and can make a big play when given the opportunity.
