10 Eagles to watch in preseason game vs. Browns

After two joint practices against the Browns this week, the Eagles will host the Browns in a preseason game at the Linc on Thursday night at 7:30 on NBC10.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has already said his starters won’t play in this game and it’s extremely unlikely Nick Sirianni plays his starters either. The real game happened in joint practices Monday and Tuesday.

But even with the starters standing on the sidelines, there are still plenty of Eagles to watch in this game:

QB Tanner McKee

The sixth-rounder from Stanford had an impressive preseason debut several days ago down in Baltimore. His numbers weren’t amazing — 10/20 for 148 yards — but McKee got aggressive throwing vertically and threw some beautiful passes, especially to the back shoulder. He showed sides of his game we haven’t really seen during practice. Curious to see if he can have a repeat performance. While Marcus Mariota is obviously the backup in 2023, McKee could be the future No. 2.

RB Kenny Gainwell

In the first preseason game, D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny played and did the things the Eagles expected them to do. In that first game, Gainwell and Boston Scott were not in uniform, but they’re expected to play in this one. The battle for roles and playing time in the backfield is ongoing. Practice obviously weighs heavily into the evaluation process but running back is a position where it really helps to see game reps.

WR Tyrie Cleveland

Entering the preseason game on Saturday, the leader to be the Training Camp Darling of 2023 was UDFA receiver Joseph Ngata, but Cleveland has now passed him. The 25-year-old former Broncos seventh-round pick had a great showing against the Ravens (5 catches, 68 yards) and kept it going this week in joint practices. Cleveland had a leaping grab over a defensive back late in Tuesday’s practice and his teammates went crazy celebrating. Cleveland is an interesting roster candidate because he’s not a rookie and has some NFL experience. And it should be noted that he played a lot on special teams during his three seasons in Denver; any depth receiver must contribute in that area.

WR Devon Allen

The Eagles’ resident Olympic sprinter began training camp on the Non-Football Injury list after hurting his calf at nationals this offseason. He’s been back at practice since Aug. 8 but was limited the first two days before the Ravens game so he didn’t play. He was a full participant against the Browns in joint practices and should be good to go in this game. Even in the practices he’s been back, it’s been quiet for Allen. He’s 28 years old and buried on the depth chart. Makes you wonder how long he’s going to keep trying to make it in the NFL. But Allen’s biggest NFL highlight — a 55-yard touchdown catch last preseason — came against the Browns. Maybe he can repeat it.

OL Tyler Steen

In the first preseason game, the Eagles’ third-round offensive lineman played 22 snaps at left tackle and 26 at right guard. It’s pretty impressive in itself that Steen is able to play both positions this early in his career and he actually looked solid. Any dream Steen had of winning the right guard spot is long gone; that job belongs to Cam Jurgens. But Steen is still a valuable member of this offensive line as a depth piece. And if he continues to look solid at left tackle, he might be their best option behind Jordan Mailata.

DT Marlon Tuipulotu

Tuipulotu might be the one guy who is really playing well this summer but still flying under the radar. Before Tuipulotu missed the second half of the 2022 season with a knee injury, he was playing an awful lot in the Eagles’ DL rotation. And this summer, he’s really been solidifying his role as a backup nose tackle. The Eagles need to fill that role behind Jordan Davis because Davis won’t play every snap at the nose. And Tuipulotu is clearly in the lead for that role.

LB Zach Cunningham

After Cunningham and Myles Jack signed on Aug. 6, the Eagles put Jack out there with the first team and it looked like he was ahead. But Cunningham tipped Deshaun Watson passes that led to Reed Blankenship interceptions in back-to-back practice days against the Browns. Those long arms really came in handy. The starting LB job next to Nakobe Dean is still very much up in the air and now Cunningham is more on my radar.

S Sydney Brown

The rookie third-round pick from Illinois had a very impressive preseason debut with nine solo tackles against the Ravens. But what really stood out was Brown’s electric play style. He was absolutely flying around the field with reckless abandon. Against the Browns in practice, Brown got more first-team reps and leveled a Browns player with a block that led to the biggest scuffle of the summer. While Brown hasn’t won the starting job yet, it’s very possible he’ll end up being one of the only Day 1 starters who plays in this game.

S K’Von Wallace

Like Brown, Wallace is still in the competition to win a starting safety spot and he had a very active couple of practices against the Browns. In the second day of joint practices, Wallace was especially physically and the Browns didn’t seem to like it. Wallace plays with an edge and things might continue from the practice setting into the game.

CB Eli Ricks

After a quiet summer, Ricks had a couple pass breakups and a pick-6 against the Ravens on Saturday night. There really doesn’t appear to be a roster spot open for Ricks but if he has a repeat performance it might actually hurt his chances of sticking with the Eagles on their practice squad. Another big game and the former Alabama and LSU cornerback might draw the eyes of other NFL teams.

Subscribe to Eagle Eye anywhere you get your podcasts: 
Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | RSS | Watch on YouTube