Alliance... » Who are you most excited to see?

Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesBleeding Green Nation homepageHorizontal - WhiteBleeding Green Nationa Philadelphia Eagles communityFollow Bleeding Green Nation online:Follow Bleeding Green Nation on TwitterFollow Bleeding Green Nation on FacebookLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchBleeding Green Nation main menuFanpostsFanshotsEaglesOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Eagles StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Eagles NewsYahoo Eagles Team PageYahoo Eagles ReportYahoo Eagles Depth ChartYahoo Eagles TransactionsYahoo Eagles PhotosOdds About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕15 players especially worth watching during the Eagles’ first preseason gameNew Jason Kelce Jerseys Stitched ,54commentsWho are you most excited to see?EDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:15 players especially worth watching during the Eagles’ first preseason gameTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe Eagles will play a meaningless football game against the Tennesse Titans on Thursday evening. The final score won’t matter, no, but it’ll still be interesting to see how certain players perform. There are some roster spots and position battles to be won/lost this summer. Here are the most interesting Eagles players to watch in the Titans game. Keep in mind the starters will probably only play for a series or two (at most). For your convenience, I’ve listed jersey numbers next to the names.1 - Miles Sanders - #26Easily the most intriguing player to watch. The Eagles’ second-round pick has been generating buzz for having a good camp. He’s clearly looked like the team’s most talented rusher. Now it’s time to see how he handles real game action. We know Sanders is a dynamic runner but can he earn the coaching staff’s trust when it comes to receiving, pass protection, and ball security? Durability is also worth mentioning given that Sanders was banged up in the spring and had an injury scare in camp. Now’s the time for Sanders to prove himself. It’d be great for the Eagles if he looks like he’s ready to be a major contributor. 2 - Nate Sudfeld - #7Big summer for Studfeld as he steps up into the No. 2 quarterback role. Sudfeld’s been plagued by some inconsistency this offseason but he’s recently stacked some good practices heading into Thursday’s night game. Sudfeld can inspire confidence in his role as Carson Wentz’s backups if he can turn in a quality preseason performance. 3 - Sidney Jones- #22Jones has been having a great camp. The 23-year-old is looking like a breakout candidate as he enters his second full season in the league. We’ll be watching to see if Jones can continue to show up in live game action. If he continues to shine, the Eagles will be forced to make him a starting cornerback. Rasul Douglas and Avonte Maddox will also be competing hard to make their cases for starting roles. It’ll be interesting to see how much they all play given that they’re currently working with the first team but the eventual return of Ronald Darby and/or Jalen Mills could impact things. 4 - Josh Sweat - #94The hype train arrived early in camp but one can only glean so much about pass rushers when they’re not actually allowed to truly rush passers in practice settings. It’s time to see what Sweaty J can do now that he can really go after the quarterback. A strong summer from Sweat will do much to assuage concerns about the team’s defensive end depth. 5 - Andre Dillard - #77The Eagles’ heir apparent at left tackle has looked good in camp. Now he’ll get a good dosage of actual NFL action since a 37-year-old Jason Peters shouldn’t be playing much, if at all. The Eagles are hoping that Dillard won’t have to play in the 2019 regular season but Peters’ injury history could force the team’s rookie first-round pick onto the field sooner than expected.6 - Halapoulivaati Vaitai - #72We already know what to expect from Big V playing tackle but Thursday will mark his first NFL game lining up as a guard. Can the Eagles count on Vaitai to be solid or will he be a liability? It might not matter a ton because Brandon Brooks is expected to be ready to play pretty early in the season. Still, it’ll be worth gauging how Big V fares at guard.7 - JJ Arcega-Whiteside - #19JJ’s had a quieter camp after previously standing out in spring practices. A rookie receiver taking time to adjust to the NFL is certainly not unheard of. It’d still be for JJ to flash in the preseason, especially when it comes to the red zone. We need to see at least one of his signature jump ball catches this summer. 8 - Clayton Thorson - #8There’s no sugarcoating it: Thorson has looked pretty bad throughout the offseason. If you’re looking for a silver linining Youth Jalen Mills Jerseys , well, it’s that the rookie quarterback had his best practice directly ahead of the team’s first preseason game. Maybe he can carry some of that positive momentum into Thursday night? I have my doubts. I’ll also be curious to see how much playing time he gets considering the Eagles have been splitting third team reps between Thorson and Cody Kessler.9 - Jordan Mailata - #68Mailata was fascinating to watch last summer because the 6-8, 346 pound behemoth had never played an American football game until August 2018. At the time, Mailata drew rave reviews despite his lack of experience. Now we’ll get to see what Mailata looks like after spending a full year in an NFL environment. Mailata has certainly struggled in camp but he’s also been playing at right tackle after only learning the left side last year. Does the 22-year-old Mailata show enough promise to justify a roster spot? Or does the team decide he’s not worth keeping around? There’s pressure on the Aussie to perform.10 - Matt Pryor - #69Pryor was getting some buzz in camp last year prior to struggling in the preseason games. The team’s 2018 sixth-round pick then didn’t play a single snap as a rookie. This offseason, Pryor has been taking reps at both tackle and guard. With Peters, Vaitai, and Wis likely not back with Philly in 2020, Pryor could be a valuable depth piece for the future. Kind of like the team’s next Allen Barbre. 11 - T.J. Edwards - #57The entire linebacker situation is worth watching with Nigel Bradham still recovering and Kamu Grugier-Hill expected to miss time with a torn MCL. Nathan Gerry, Zach Brown, and L.J. Fort all deserve mention here. I’m specifically interested to see Edwards Mike Quick Jerseys Stitched , though, since he’s been quiet since flashing a little in OTAs. The Wisconsin alumnus could be a player who stands out in actual game action. Can Edwards make the team and maybe even have a role? Or will the veterans easily beat him out? 12 - Johnathan Cyprien - #41Cyppy Cuy will be playing in an Eagles preseason game less than one week after originally signing with team. The veteran has his work cut out for him but the 70-game starter should be able to make some plays against lesser competition. Maybe we can get a better idea of how the Eagles plan to use Cyprien. Or if he has a real chance to make the 53.13 - Hassan Ridgeway - #64The Eagles have Ridgeway ahead of playoff hero Treyvon Hester on their depth chart. Is that deserved? With Fletcher Cox recovering and the duo of Malik Jackson and Tim Jernigan not expected to play much, Ridgeway should get plenty of snaps to show what he’s got. The fourth defensive tackle is hardly one of the most important players on the team but under Jim Schwartz’s rotation philosophy he is a guy who will get playing time.14 - Carlton Agudosi - #14The 6-6, 220 pound Agudosi should be hard to miss whether you’re watching on TV or attending the game live. The Rutgers alumnus has made a number of flashy plays during offseason practices. Now’s his chance to prove he can do it in the games as well. It feels like Agudosi will be a preseason quarterback’s best friend because even if they’re not very good they can just chuck the ball up to him and hope he comes down with it. Agudosi is likely playing for a practice squad job.15 - Greg Ward - #6This is Ward’s third preseason with the Eagles. He didn’t do much in his last two with the team. We’ll see if this year is any different given that he’s made some plays in camp. He could potentially win a spot on the roster as a sixth receiver. ...HONORABLE MENTIONSCarson Wentz potentially playing for the first time since December has some significance. It’s just unclear if Doug Pederson will actually suit him up on Thursday. (If it was my call, Wentz would play no more than one series in each preseason game.)Corey Clement and Mack Hollins will be worth watching as they come off injury. Not sure if they’ll be suiting up on Thursday night, though. I’ll be a little interested to see who’s returning punts for the Eagles with Darren Sproles and DeSean Jackson (the team’s top two returners) likely not handling them. Boston Scott could be out as well. I think we’ll see DeAndre Thompkins break off a big return at some point this summer if he gets the chance. PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Eagles coach Doug Pederson reiterated Tuesday that Carson Wentz will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2019.Wentz missed the final three games of the regular season and two playoff games because of a back injury. Nick Foles led Philadelphia to four straight wins and was 27 yards away from taking the Eagles to the NFC championship game before his final pass bounced off Alshon Jeffery’s hands and was intercepted to seal a 20-14 victory for the New Orleans Saints.“Yes, Carson is the quarterback going forward,” Pederson said at the start of his season-ending news conference.Foles filled in when Wentz tore two knee ligaments in December 2017 and led Philadelphia to its first NFL title since 1960, earning Super Bowl MVP honors in a win over New England.Howie Roseman, the team’s executive vice president of football operations Youth Alshon Jeffery Jerseys , acknowledged it’s going to be a difficult decision.“We would love to keep Nick Foles,” Roseman said. “You talk about a guy who we drafted here and we’ve grown incredibly close with. I don’t know a team that wouldn’t want to have Nick Foles on their roster. Certainly, as we go into the substance of those discussions, we haven’t had them yet, but there is no question we love having Nick Foles as an Eagle in Philadelphia and we would love to keep him.”The Eagles must decide by mid-February if they want to exercise a $20 million option to keep Foles for 2019. But Foles could decline it and pay back $2 million to become a free agent. Philadelphia could put a franchise tag on Foles, though $23 million to $25 million is a hefty price for a backup. It’s possible the Eagles could use the franchise or transition tag to trade Foles rather than allow him to walk away for only a compensation pick.Foles said Monday having the option to become a free agent is “extremely important” to him.“It always has to be what’s best for our football team and the Philadelphia Eagles. We have to make decisions based on that,” Roseman said. “There is also a respect factor for guys that have done a lot for us and been part of it. We try to factor that in as well, but the bottom line is we have to do what’s best for our football team to help us win games going forward.”Wentz finished third in NFL MVP voting after leading the Eagles to an 11-2 record in 2017. He was 5-6 as a starter in 2018 but set career highs in passer rating and completion percentage.