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The Eagles kicked off their 2019 season with an exciting comeback win against Washington. Their rookie class, which had an outstanding preseason, was relatively quiet in the Eagles’ opener. Unsurprisingly, the Eagles are a veteran team with a deep roster so even highly drafted rookies have to wait behind their seasoned, more proven teammates. However, in the bits we got to see the Eagles rookies, there were positive glimpses of things to come.
Andre Dillard: B+
The Eagles’ first round pick saw the field minimally as an extra tackle in heavy packages. The Eagles were largely successful running with six OL and Dillard’s athleticism was clearly helpful to push the line of scrimmage. This is likely Dillard’s role the whole season as long as the team stays healthy. His solid, if not unspectacular, performance should give the Eagles lots of hope to remain flexible in formations this year.
Poll
Grade Andre Dillard’s performance
This poll is closed
-
33%
A
(758 votes) -
59%
B
(1359 votes) -
6%
C
(143 votes) -
0%
D
(4 votes) -
0%
F
(9 votes)
Miles Sanders: C+
With 11 carries for 25 yards and only one catch, Sanders’ performance looked better on the field than it does on paper. Sanders had three runs that should get fans excited. One burst up the middle got the Eagles inside the 5-yard line. On another run, Sanders was able to cut to the outside for a nice gain. On a play that didn’t count, Sanders shot up the field for what would’ve been a touchdown if not for a JJ Arcega-Whiteside hold (questionable call) that wiped the play out.
Fantastic Debut for Miles Sanders
— Blue Route - TPL (@BlueRouteTPL) September 8, 2019
11 carries for 25 yards doesn't tell the whole story, Miles showed flashes in the running game and, most importantly, excelled in pass protection
Here are some of his best plays vs the Redskins
I @BoobieMilesXXIV I #FlyEaglesFly I #WASvsPHI I pic.twitter.com/mY1xROOkK9
Sanders’ bad runs looked typical for rookie. He second guessed openings and tried to do too much on other runs, leading to big losses including a near fumble. Overall I’d say this is an expected by hopeful performance from the second rounder. The splash plays showed he belongs on the field while the negative plays should go away as the game slows down for him.
Poll
Grade Miles Sanders’ performance
This poll is closed
-
11%
A
(330 votes) -
62%
B
(1873 votes) -
22%
C
(680 votes) -
2%
D
(86 votes) -
0%
F
(21 votes)
The rest
- The aforementioned JJ Arcega-Whiteside didn’t receive a target.
- T.J. Edwards was active but didn’t log a stat.
- Shareef Miller and Nate Herbig were healthy scratches.