Eagles vs. Titans: 12 Winners, Losers, and I Dunnos

Winners

Dallas Goedert

MY BABY BIRD looked like the 4th-best TE in the NFL (not really but let me dream) against the Titans, going for 3 catches and 50 yards in the first half. Goedert was the best offensive weapon on the field for either team in the first few possessions, and as new preseason color commentator Ross Tucker noted, he looked a bit uncoverable by Tennessee’s starting linebackers.

Daeshon Hall

After losing Joe Ostman to injury in the open LFF practice last week, Eagles fans did not have to wait long for their next crush off the edge. Daeshon Hall, the 2017 3rd-round selection of the Carolina Panthers known most famously for being the dude opposite Myles Garrett, looks like a strong candidate for EDGE4. He was regularly disruptive off the edge, winning with both hand usage and power. He’s clearly above Shareef Miller right now.

Hall also left with an injury, but it seemed precautionary, and he was back in quarter four.

Andrew Sendejo

People want a fourth-round pick more than they want Sendejo — and I’m one of them — but he’s the best SAF3 the Eagles have had in years, and that matters when one of your safeties (Malcolm Jenkins) basically plays linebacker. Sendejo is effective playing into the line of scrimmage both from deep and from shallow alignments, and looks disruptive in coverage.

Marken Michel

YO

That’s against Adoree’ Jackson, who is decidedly not slow AND quite good! Michel will struggle to break into such a thick WR corps, but that was a good route, good catch, and good speed. Homerun hitting will always be valuable in the NFL, and that was an electric play.

Andre Dillard

He still doesn’t look fully comfortable in his sets, but against the second-team rushers of the Titans, Dillard was a stone wall out there. On an island, Dillard’s quickness and length leave him in a strong spot against two-way goes, and he generated displacement power when on the move. As a first-round pick, he delivered what you’d expect.

Losers

Matt Pryor

As the second-team LG and third-team LT, Pryor grabbed three flags over the first three quarters — not ideal. On a night in which both Vaitai and Dillard looked good, Pryor’s struggles to block without holding leave him floating somewhere low in the G/T depth chart.

Nate Gerry

Nate Gerry hasn’t been able to play the linebacker position well for a while now, which is bad news. He’s gotten bigger, he’s been schooled at the position for multiple NFL years, and he still doesn’t see things quick or bring the coverage acumen you’d expect of an ex-DB. With a huge opportunity tonight, he was outshined by L.J. Fort and Zach Brown.

Clayton Thorson

Ooooooh baby he looks as bad as advertised. The fifth-round rookie won’t be asked to do much in his first season, and that’s okay — but man, I have no idea what he offers to this team in 2019. Thank goodness for...Cody Kessler?

Josh Adams

It’s not even decided that the Eagles will carry four backs, but if they will, Josh Adams did not help himself tonight. A fumble in the two minute drill is a criminal offense, and he proved to be as anemic of a pass-catcher as he was last season. There’s no reason to keep him rostered.

I Dunnos

Hassan Ridgeway

I know that Hassan Ridgeway was playing well early. On the second-team defense, he was regularly resetting the line of scrimmage as a run defender and had a few flashes pushing pocket depth as well. But I don’t know where his health is right now, after he got hit on a cut block and was getting evaluated for a head injury. If he can get back to health, he’s certainly rosterable — but you have to stay healthy in August.

Deiondre Hall

Amazing flop in the fourth quarter, but also still bad at football.

Josh Sweat

I liked a lot of what Josh Sweat did in this game, but I’m gonna keep him here in the dunnos, to stave off the hecklers who think I’m showing favoritism in this critical column. Sweat struggled to generate much pass rush juice against Taylor Lewan — of course, one of the best left tackles in the game. But he was active in pursuit, powerful on the bull rush, and beat the drums off the second-teamers. I still think he’s a better project than Hall, but it’s a good problem to have.