Eagles stock rises, stock falls after preseason game against Vikings originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The next time the Eagles play a football game, it will count.
But the Birds closed out their 2024 preseason on Saturday afternoon at the Linc with a 26-3 loss to the Vikings. They finished this preseason 2-1.
The final roster must be submitted by 4 p.m. Tuesday and the season opener against the Packers is on September 6.
Here is a course overview of the third practice match:
Replenish stock
WR Great Britain Covey: The Eagles acquired Jahan Dotson in a trade, but Covey clearly made the team, missing the third and final preseason game against the Vikings.
OT Fred Johnson: There probably shouldn’t have been any doubt about Johnson’s status, but he also got a day off. With Mekhi Becton becoming the starting right guard, Johnson’s job as a backup offensive tackle became much more important.
WR Ainias Smith: After a terrible start to his rookie training camp, Smith began to turn a corner in the last few days and had a solid third preseason game. The fifth-round pick had six catches for 36 yards and might have done enough to earn a spot on the roster.
OLB Julian Okwara: The veteran edge rusher had a sack around the rim on third down early in the second quarter to force a Vikings field goal and had a big QB hit later. Okwara is an outside pick for the Eagles’ roster, but he could end up elsewhere.
S Tristin McCollum: James Bradberry didn’t play in this game, which can be interpreted in a few different ways. But McCollum played and played well, just like he did all summer. He flew all over the field. He played the whole game, which is not usually a good sign in the last pre-season game, but McCollum made the most of it.
LB Ben VanSumeren: The second-year linebacker is just showing up for the preseason. He made some really nice plays on Saturday, including a sack on a blitz. He has a great chance to make the team as a special teamer, but is showing good signs of development as a linebacker.
LB Oren Burks: In the second quarter, Burks had a nice blitz for a sack and was able to pull off a block to stop a screen pass earlier in the half. He also nearly had an interception on a tipped ball.
LeSean McCoy: The Eagles announced during halftime that Shady will be inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame on Nov. 3. McCoy earns the honor as the Eagles’ all-time leading rusher with 6,792 yards. He was a three-time Pro Bowler with the Eagles before being traded to Buffalo.
Stock down
WR Parris Campbell: No one was hurt more by the Jahan Dotson trade than Campbell. Although Covey sat out Saturday, the veteran Campbell was forced to play deep into the third preseason game.
WR Jacob Harris: It was unfortunate to see the 27-year-old suffer a concussion on the opening kickoff. Harris has shown some promise during camp, but missed a valuable game to get solid tape.
CB Zech McPhearson: The fourth-year cornerback was penalized for defensive pass interference while playing outside cornerback against Lucky Jackson on a touchdown drive in the second quarter. He also threw up a pass for 20 yards and missed a tackle at the end of the play.
OLB player Nolan Smith: Sure, the Eagles don’t have a ton of edge rushers on their roster, but Smith played pretty deep in the third preseason game. Smith is a first-round pick from last year and he’s been playing a lot this preseason.
WR Joseph Ngata: Ngata had a chance to catch a pass on 4th-and-4 in the red zone, but the pass bounced off his hands and into the hands of a Vikings defensive back. He also had another drop earlier in the game. After a great second preseason game in New England, Ngata was unable to repeat that feat.
DB Cooper DeJean: Take this with a grain of salt. DeJean hasn’t played in a game since November and missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury. It was a shaky NFL debut for DeJean, who took a bad illegal contact penalty on third down to help the Vikings move the sticks. DeJean also got beat in coverage a few times, but was lucky that Lucky Jackson couldn’t keep both feet in bounds. But at least DeJean was able to get his feet moving and make a few tackles.
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