PHILADELPHIA − The Eagles' preseason finale meant little to quarterback Jalen Hurts and the starters.
They were on the sidelines in warm-up clothes watching those fighting for the few remaining roster spots go against the Vikings.
That will change going forward as the Eagles, like every NFL team, will trim their roster from 90 to 53 by the deadline Tuesday afternoon. Then they'll transition into regular-season mode, with their opener against Green Bay looming on Sept. 6 in Brazil.
So there was little to glean from the Eagles' 26-3 loss to the Vikings on Saturday other than one thing that could ruin the Eagles in the regular season: There doesn't appear to be much depth behind key starters like Hurts, the offensive line and the entire defense.
After all, the backup quarterbacks in Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee weren't impressive. The defense gave up two scoring drives of more than 7 minutes each. The Eagles turned the ball over three times (an interception and two lost fumbles).
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And the one time they did take the ball away, it was negated by an illegal contact penalty.
"We didn’t really play to our detail that is our standard here," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "It’s just a good example of you can have all the talent in the world, all the best plays in the world, but if you don’t play with good fundamentals − I don’t care what level you are − it’s going to affect whether you win or lose the football game."
Then again, on the bright side, by not playing, none of the starters got hurt.
Kenny Pickett ineffective in 1st half; Tanner McKee even worse
We can start with Hurts' backups at quarterback.
Pickett was ineffective in the first half, completing 6 of 9 passes for 58 yards, and McKee was even worse. He was sacked and fumbled on his first play. And he threw an interception on what should have been a touchdown. At least it would have been if he was throwing to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
But McKee was throwing to Joseph Ngata, who deflected the ball into the air where Vikings Jay Ward intercepted the ball. In all, McKee was 13 of 21 for 115 yards before he was replaced midway through the fourth quarter by Will Grier.
Both Pickett and McKee showed there's a big dropoff behind Hurts.
"I wish we protected the ball a little better, kind of sustain those drives (better)," Pickett said about his first half. "(The Vikings) did a good job protecting the ball for a really long time. I feel like we didn’t have as many opportunities as we usually would in a first half like that.
"But overall I thought it was a good game."
Pickett didn't throw the ball on the Eagles' first possession as Tyrion Davis-Price carried the ball five straight times before fumbling the ball away on the sixth.
On the second drive, Pickett drove the Eagles down to the Vikings' 18. Facing a third-and-7, Ngata dropped Pickett's pass. The Eagles settled for a field goal.
Pickett got one more chance with 3:09 left in the first half. But the drive stalled at midfield as Lew Nichols couldn't pick up the first down on both third-and-1 and fourth-and-1.
In three games, Pickett led only one touchdown drive. While he completed a high percentage of passes, going 31-for-44 (70.5%), those passes covered just 218 yards. McKee had slightly better results than Pickett as he went 34-for-56 for 294 yards.
Bottom line: Stay healthy, Jalen Hurts.
Cooper DeJean plays well in NFL debut
Still, the game was significant because rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean made his NFL debut after missing the first two games to recover from a hamstring injury.
DeJean, who played exclusively at nickel, had a pass breakup when he pushed Lucky Jackson out of bounds before he could get his second foot down. Later, DeJean was coming on a corner blitz as Vikings QB Jaren Hall handed the ball off to Myles Gaskin. DeJean dove and made the tackle.
DeJean made a similar play on Jackson near the end of the first half, again pushing him out of the end zone.
But DeJean was also called for an illegal contact penalty that negated Tristin McCollum's interception. DeJean finished with four tackles.
"I feel like I executed the calls, and that I knew what I was doing out there," DeJean said. "I just gotta be in better position on a few of those plays, and be able to make a better play on those. It was good to be out there. It’d be a good learning experience once I watch the tape."
Super Bowl for roster bubble players
For many players, this is their Super Bowl with the NFL roster cutdown day looming Tuesday. So even if their performance in the preseason finale is not good enough for the Eagles, maybe another team will sign them in the days following roster cuts.
"Everything will be in consideration," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "I don't want to say a percentage of this or that, but they've been going through a competition through the entire training camp and offseason."
So for linebacker Oren Burks, who was injured for most of camp, this was his last chance to make an impression. And the veteran signed as a free agent this spring played that way. He had six tackles and almost had an interception.
James Bradberry sitting out; did he make the team?
The Eagles dressed most of their deep reserves and those on the bubble of making the 53-man roster. Converted safety James Bradberry was not dressed. So does that mean he has a roster spot secured? Or were the Eagles holding him out as a veteran who did everything asked of him, and that the Eagles could still waive or trade him before cutdown day.
Among those who played were edge rusher Nolan Smith, the Eagles' first-round pick in 2023, and DeJean. It was understandable that DeJean would play considering that he sat out the first two preseason games recovering from a hamstring injury.
Philadelphia Eagles 2024 schedule
Preseason
- Aug. 9, Eagles 16, Ravens 13
- Aug. 15, Eagles 14, Patriots 13
- Aug. 24, Vikings 26, Eagles 3
Regular season
- Sept. 6, vs. Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 8:15 p.m., Peaco*ck
- Sep. 16, vs. Falcons, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Sept. 22, at Saints, 1 p.m., FOX
- Sept. 29, at Buccaneers, 1 p.m. FOX
- Oct. 6, BYE
- Oct. 13, vs Browns, 1 p.m., FOX
- Oct. 20, at NY Giants, 1 p.m., FOX
- Oct. 27, at Bengals, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Nov. 3, vs. Jaguars, 8:20 p.m., NBC
- Nov. 10, at Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Nov. 14, vs. Commanders, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Nov. 24, at Rams, 8:20 p.m.,
- Dec. 1, at Ravens, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Dec. 8, vs. Panthers, 1 p.m., FOX
- Dec. 15, vs. Steelers, 4:25 p.m., FOX
- Dec. 22, at Commanders, 1 p.m., FOX
- Dec. 29, vs. Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., FOX
- Jan 5 or 6, vs. NY Giants, TBD, TBD
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.
