Clayton Thorson headlines Eagles rookie performances for all the wrong reasons

Eagles football is back, baby!

Kinda.

Well, football did happen last night and the Eagles were most certainly on the field. In the team’s first preseason game, very few locked-in starters saw playing time. The points of intrigue, as it should be in any preseason game, were the team’s rookies looking to make an impression.

Most notably, Andre Dillard seemed to belong. While the team sat all five of their starting offensive linemen, Philadelphia’s first round pick got a lot of reps to show his stuff against Tennessee’s second team defense. Dillard showed off the movement and length that enticed the team to draft him. If Thursday is any indication of his development, the team is in good hands with Dillard as the long-term replacement for Jason Peters.

The team’s 2019 second round picks, Miles Sanders and JJ Arcega-Whiteside, were relatively quiet last night. Sanders, as with the rest of the run game, never really got started and had a measly three yards on three carries. Arcega-Whiteside caught two passes on three targets, which certainly isn’t bad, but he’ll have to wait a bit longer before showing off his big play ability.

Among Eagles draft picks, it was Shareef Miller who stood out to me the most last night. After some injuries among the defensive linemen, we got a healthy dose of the Philly native. Miller looked quick off the snap and played with a high motor, logging a sack midway through the game. Miller has a good shot at making the team and more performances like this will keep him on the roster.

Unfortunately, the Eagles’ last pick in 2019 had the most notable rookie performance for all the wrong reasons. Clayton Thorson probably saw the field more than expected last night after Nate Sudfeld went down with a wrist injury. Thorson used this opportunity to look totally lost every snap he took. Thorson completed just two passes on nine attempts for a measly seven yards and threw a BRUTAL pick. He might as well have been playing a different sport altogether. Thorson, somehow, has a path to an opening day roster spot if Sudfeld’s injury keeps him out for two long. The fifth-round pick was chosen for developmental purposes so it’s no surprise this is where he’s at right now. However he’ll need to show a lot more next week or the Eagles should be looking around for another backup quarterback.