PHILADELPHIA − The best thing you can say about the Eagles preseason is that it’s over, and no one of major significance got hurt.
But there were things the Eagles could take out of the three preseason games, even in the finale Thursday night, as the Eagles lost 27-13 to the Indianapolis Colts.
The Eagles sat all of their starters plus some key players like rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter. But the Colts, breaking in a rookie quarterback in Anthony Richardson, did not. Indianapolis played its starters for the entire first half.
And this gave Tanner McKee, the Eagles rookie quarterback, a true test, compared to the first two games when he went against the opponents’ deep reserves.
McKee continued to show poise as he replaced Marcus Mariota after the first series and played into the fourth quarter. But McKee didn’t lead any touchdown drives, and that seemingly quieted any talk about him possibly unseating Mariota as Jalen Hurts’ backup.
McKee said he learned so much this summer after going 19-for-34 for 158 yards Thursday.
“In a nutshell, I would say the little details matter,” McKee said. “Maybe the footwork is a little off, or taking a baby hitch, or having your eyes in the wrong spot for half a second, I think it’s detrimental to a play and can be to a drive. I’d say homing in on the little details. As a quarterback, you have to know what everybody’s doing.”
For the Eagles, the game was mainly for the players fighting to make the 53-man roster. The Eagles, like every NFL team, have to trim their roster from 90 to 53 by Tuesday.
So the game was huge for someone like cornerback Eli Ricks, who had an interception return for a touchdown in the first game against the Ravens, then played most of the game against the Colts. Or linebacker Ben VanSumeren, an undrafted free agent who had a game-high 17 tackles.
“I’ve done all I could to prove why I should be on this 53 (man roster), so I won’t have any regrets whatever the decision is,” Ricks said. “As an undrafted guy, you have to do a little extra to stand out and show you belong.”
Or Olympic hurdler Devon Allen, who returned the opening kickoff 73 yards, setting up the Eagles’ only touchdown. Allen actually dropped the kick at the goal line, then picked it up, broke a tackle and headed to the right sideline before he was caught.
Getting caught is the part that will gnaw at Allen.
“A little bit of nerves,” Allen said about dropping the kick at first. “It’s my first kickoff return in probably seven or eight years. I’m not going to hear the end of it from some of my track friends, you know, getting caught. But that’s OK. Adrenaline’s crazy. My legs felt super heavy at the end of that run. I feel like I couldn’t move.”
Still, the Eagles trailed just 17-13 at halftime against the Colts starters. Jake Elliott hit two long field goals, the first from 59 yards and the second from 52.
But this game will quickly fade into the background as the Eagles will turn their attention to trimming the roster, then the opener against the New England Patriots on Sept. 10.
“We are going to have a bunch of tough (decisions),” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “The guys that are going to end up getting cut, they made it hard on us.”
Here are some more observations:
Did Colts end Eagles backup QB controversy?
It was an easy storyline through the first two preseason games when McKee, the Eagles’ sixth-round pick, outperformed Mariota while Hurts sat out.
It even led to questions to Sirianni about whether McKee has a chance to supplant Mariota as Hurts’ backup. Sirianni quickly shot that down last week, and it became clear why Thursday.
McKee threw for 295 yards through the first two games and had a passer rating of 87.3. Mariota, meanwhile, had a passer rating of 56.3. McKee’s rating was 68.0 on Thursday.
Mariota was 1-for-2 for 21 yards in his cameo, leading the Eagles to an opening-drive touchdown. Of course, Mariota benefitted from Allen’s kickoff return.
Still, McKee was at his best late in the first half. He completed six straight passes. His sixth was a 15-yard pass to Joseph Ngata, but Ngata fumbled the ball away.
McKee was better than Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the draft. Richardson went 6-for-17 for 78 yards. He ran for 38 more.
McKee knows his role once the season starts.
“I think it’s going to be a huge learning experience for me, learning kind of what these guys do and how they prepare for games,” McKee said. “And then for me, my rule is going to be prepared in case anything happens obviously. Hopefully, nothing happens to (Hurts), and I hope he plays every single snap.
“Getting ready like you’re the starter when you know your chances of playing are probably pretty slim. It’s definitely a challenge.”
Eagles linebacker shines, and new signee has INT
Linebacker Ben VanSumeren, an undrafted free agent, has a game-high 17 tackles. VanSumeren is making a case for a spot on the 53-man roster. But the defensive play of the night for the Eagles goes to Tyreek Maddox-Williams, who intercepted Sam Ehlinger’s pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 42 yards.
Maddox-Williams was signed earlier in the week. The Eagles didn’t score, however.
As for the running backs, only Trey Sermon and Kennedy Brooks played, and neither did very well. Sermon had 30 yards on 16 carries, while Brooks had just 5 yards on 2 carries.
Minshew Mania strikes for Indy
While Richardson was already named the Colts’ starter, Gardner Minshew continued to play well. Minshew was the Eagles’ backup quarterback past season and a half, going 1-3 in place of Hurts.
Minshew played the third quarter, going 9-for-11 for 102 yards and an 8-yard touchdown pass to Kenyan Drake. In the three preseason games, Minshew went 28-for-32 for 281 yards.
Eagles Jalen Carter, many other key players sitting out
As for other players, rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter didn’t play Thursday. His preseason consisted of just 9 snaps in the previous two games. Nolan Smith, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams didn’t play either. At linebacker, Nakobe Dean and Zach Cunningham didn’t play, but Christian Elliss and Nicholas Morrow did.
The starting cornerbacks were rookie Kelee Ringo and Mekhi Garner with Ricks getting plenty of action. Veterans Terrell Edmunds and Justin Evans started at safety.
Eagles sign OL to 2-year deal
The Eagles announced that they have signed tackle Fred Johnson to a two-year contract Thursday, an indication that the fifth-year player will survive final cuts. Johnson played in five games last season for Tampa Bay. He spent the previous three seasons with Tampa Bay.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.
