admin
Eagles’ Kelee Ringo has a rough time covering Ja’Marr Chase
The Eagles cornerback on what he has to do better against a top receiver like the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase
- Undrafted rookie wide receiver Darius Cooper impressed in the Eagles’ preseason opener with 6 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown.
- Competition for receiver roster spots is fierce, with other standouts including draft picks Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith.
PHILADELPHIA − The preseason games can provide an extended picture of what has been happening in practice.
That certainly appears to be the case with wide receiver Darius Cooper. The undrafted free agent out of Tarleton State, an FCS program in Texas, might be unknown to many fans, but he has certainly caught the eyes of the Eagles both during training camp and in spring practices.
Cooper showed that with 6 catches for 82 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown reception, in the Eagles’ 34-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the preseason opener on Aug. 7.
Buy Philadelphia Eagles tickets
None of it came late in the game, when third- and fourth-stringers and roster longshots are playing. Rather, Cooper caught his first pass late in the first quarter, when the Bengals’ starters were playing.
He caught his TD pass with 35 seconds left in the first half, when quarterback Tanner McKee hit him on a “go” route, something McKee saw in the Bengals’ defense at the line of scrimmage.
“Tanner McKee, he made a great call,” Cooper said. “He just told me to run a go ball. He put it in the perfect spot.”
Cooper has certainly put himself in the running for two or three roster spots behind the top three receivers in A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson.
Cooper’s competition includes incumbents in 2024 draft picks Ainias Smith (fifth round) and Johnny Wilson (sixth round), who also played well against the Bengals. Wilson had 3 catches for 73 yards and Smith had 2 for 11, including a 6-yard TD catch. Smith also had a 46-yard punt returner.
In addition, Elijah Cooks was playing well in camp before leaving the game on a cart with an apparent leg injury. The severity is not yet known. And Terrace Marshall, a 2021 second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers, had a strong spring before injuries set him back in camp.
Marshall should be back at practice beginning Aug. 9, and into next week when the Eagles will have practice sessions with the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 13 and 14 before their game on Aug. 16.
“Super talented. Super humble,” Wilson said about Cooper. “He’s gonna make a lot of plays. If he keeps doing what he’s doing, he can last a long time in this league.”
Here, then, is a 53-man roster projection and depth chart after the first preseason game.
Quarterback (3)
Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee, Kyle McCord
Comment: McKee, who threw for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Bengals, proved that he’s good enough to start for a bunch of teams. That makes him an ideal backup for Hurts. If McCord, who went 1-for-5 for 8 yards, is going to beat out Dorian Thompson-Robinson for the No. 3 job, he needs to step it up this week.
Running back (3)
Saquon Barkley, A.J. Dillon, Will Shipley
Comment: Dillon, in his first NFL game since the 2023 season, took hits, ran over people and showed that he’s recovered from the neck injury that cost him the entire 2024 season. Shipley, meanwhile, had a 38-yard run in the first quarter. ShunDerrick Powell had a nice 19-yard run on his first carry, but he fumbled later (the Eagles recovered), and that’s a no-no for an undrafted free agent. Montrell Johnson, another undrafted player, has been out with an injury.
Tight end (4)
Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, Harrison Bryant, Kylen Granson
Comment: After a slow start, Granson has come on strong over the past few days. He also had 3 catches for 28 yards against the Bengals. Bryant keeps a spot because of his blocking ability.
Wide receiver (6)
A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson, Ainias Smith, Darius Cooper
Comment: A week ago, Cooks and Marshall were making a push for a roster spot. But Wilson and Ainias Smith have played well lately, and Cooper has made the most of his opportunity. The battle for the final 2 or 3 spots is far from over.
Offensive line (10)
Starters (from left): Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, Lane Johnson
Reserves: Kendall Lamm, Darian Kinnard, Drew Kendall, Matt Pryor, Myles Hinton
Comment: The battle for the starting right guard job hasn’t materialized as Steen has taken every first-team rep. Kenyon Green, the Texans’ first-round pick, was supposed to challenge him, but he was relegated to the third unit at left guard. That’s a sign that he won’t make the team. Trevor Keegan, a sixth-round pick in 2024, is trying to switch from guard to center, but that hasn’t been going well. Kinnard and Pryor can play both tackle and guard.
Edge rusher (5)
Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Joshua Uche, Azeez Ojulari, Antwaun Powell-Ryland
Comment: Ochaun Mathis is pushing hard for Powell-Ryland’s spot. But as a sixth-round draft pick, Powell-Ryland has the edge for now. Uche has had a strong camp, and Ojulari is starting to play better.
Defensive tackle (5)
Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, Ty Robinson, Gabe Hall
Comment: The Eagles have liked Hall ever since they signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2024. After a year on the practice squad, the Eagles made room for Hall by trading Thomas Booker to the Raiders for cornerback Jakorian Bennett. Keep an eye on Jacob Sykes, who had 2 tackles against the Bengals.
Linebacker (4)
Zack Baun, Jihaad Campbell, Smael Mondon, Jeremiah Trotter
Comment: This is assuming Nakobe Dean stays on the PUP list and thus has to miss at least the first four games. Campbell and Mondon are proving that they’re NFL caliber, while Trotter is much improved over last season. The Eagles are deep and talented here.
Celebrate the Eagles’ Super Bowl win with our new book
Cornerback (6)
Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Jakorian Bennett, Kelee Ringo, Mac McWilliams, Eli Ricks
Comment: DeJean is listed at corner instead of safety because he’ll play the vast majority of his snaps at nickel. The acquisition of Bennett makes Adoree Jackson expendable. That’s because Ringo and Ricks are younger, and McWilliams, the fifth-round pick, is having a nice camp at nickel.
Safety (4)
Reed Blankenship, Sydney Brown, Drew Mukuba, Tristin McCollum
Comment: DeJean is the safety next to Blankenship in base defense, while Brown has so far won the job when DeJean moves to nickel. But Brown hasn’t stood out, providing an opening for Mukuba, who’s just returning from a shoulder injury.
Specialists (3)
Jake Elliott-kicker, Bradon Mann-punter, Charley Hughlett-long snapper
Comment: Ainias Smith showed the Eagles they can trust him as a punt returner with his 46-yard return vs. the Bengals. That means he should get the roster spot over Avery Williams.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a new hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
#Big #NFL #preseason #Week
