Philadelphia Eagles v. Baltimore Ravens Preseason Week 3: 15 Winners, Losers, and I Dunnos

Winners

JJ Arcega-Whiteside

OH HECK YEAH BROTHER.

It’s been a long time coming for Arcega-Whiteside, the Eagles’ second-round rookie who couldn’t get much going in the first couple preseason games as he fielded arm punts from Cody Kessler and Clayton Thorson. Enter Josh McCown, veteran QB who was willing to find him and trust him across the middle of the field and in the red zone.

AND JJ ARCEGA-WHITESIDE DELIVERED BABY

This is exactly what the Eagles should have hoped for out of Arcega-Whiteside (with an actual QB): smart, physical play and strong hands. He’s gonna be Carson Wentz’s best friend across the middle.

L.J. Fort

This was the best game Fort played as an Eagle, and it came at a great time: Paul Worrilow was cut, both Kamu Grugier-Hill and Nigel Bradham are out with injury, and Nate Gerry’s arrow is pointing down. There is a huge vacuum on the linebacker depth chart right now for the primary backup at each position (SAM: Zach Brown; MIKE: Nigel Bradham; WILL: Kamu Grugier-Hill), and Fort is the best candidate at all three spots.

I’m worried the coaching staff will continue to view him exclusively as a special-teamer without much depth upside beyond emergency play, but Fort is worth of snaps in the event of any starter being unavailable for Week 1. Dude plays fast.

Rodney McLeod

THAT LEG LOOKS LIKE IT’S WORKING FOLKS

Josh McCown

Josh McCown is a revelation! (That we’ve seen for the past 18 years, but whatever.)

McCown’s mechanics aren’t pretty and he doesn’t much want to hang/move in the pocket, but the game is so much slower for him as compared to Kessler/Thorton, and he’s willing to test man coverage in a way that only veteran QBs can. McCown took a few drives to knock the rust off, but had the offense humming in the third quarter, and clearly has enough juice to serve as Carson Wentz’s backup for the season, or at least as long as Nate Sudfeld’s out. Check that box.

Donnel Pumphrey

He didn’t do anything but I gotta get him on this list so

Greg Ward Jr.

Greg Ward continues to make strong catches and be active with the ball in his hands. I don’t think he’s a roster guy just yet, but he’s clearly WR6 if they want to keep that player.

Kevin Wilkins/Hassan Ridgeway/Treyvon Hester

It’s the whole team!

The Eagles’ defensive tackle depth chart is out of this world kookoo-bananas. They traded Bruce Hector, an easily rosterable player, because he’s been outplayed by Hassan Ridgeway (my DT4), Treyvon Hester (my DT5), and Kevin Wilkins (my DT6). Wilkins has particularly strung together a good series of weeks here, and is a strong practice squad candidate.

T.J. Edwards

Against third-stringers, Edwards impressed — he may sneak onto the roster given the LB issues I’ve detailed above. He’s not fast, but he’s quick to key and a force at contact. You don’t want him getting significant playing time for your team, because he’ll be attacked in pass coverage — but between the tackles he’s sound.

Us

Because they decided to call the game, THANK GOD.

Losers

Nate Gerry

He’s still struggling, guys.

Josh Hawkins/Jeremiah McKinnon

The Eagles have been cycling bodies at the bottom of their CB depth chart for the past two seasons now, just kicking the tires on every big and long body they can find. Hawkins and McKinnon have showed barely any promise over the last few weeks, with McKinnon especially sticking out as lacking in ball skills and instincts. Let’s see what Sojourn Shelton has, shall we?

Josh Adams

Goal line drop on a walk-in touchdown? Man. They want him to become a pass catcher so badly, and it just isn’t there.

Eagles RB depth chart should be — and likely will be — Howard, Sanders, Clement, Sproles.

The Eagles

AGAIN! 1-2 IN THE PRESEASON! PANIC TIME! TEAM IS GONNA BE BAD!

I Dunnos

Josh Perkins

I keep waiting for Josh Perkins — who is a good practicer, by my eyes and a few other reports — to have a really strong preseason outing and it just isn’t happening. Meanwhile, Alex Ellis got some important red zone reps, as Ross Tucker outlined on the broadcast, and looks comfortable in his route tree. The Eagles are gonna carry four tight ends (Rodgers injury), and Perkins will be TE4, but it’d be nice to see him translate some good practice reps into the game.

Boston Scott

...does not seem to be very effective returning kicks, which was supposed to be the shtick here. With Darren Sproles back and Corey Clement back and DeSean Jackson available, Scott’s inability to grab a foothold in that role makes his long shot to find a roster spot even longer.