Five things to watch in the Eagles-Browns preseason game

The Philadelphia Eagles will play their second preseason game Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia against the Cleveland Browns. The most important starters on both sides of the ball will almost certainly not play after the two teams had two days of joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday. Still, there are interesting sub-plots to keep an eye on in this matchup.

1) Are the Eagles ‘showcasing’ Tanner McKee?

Oh, hey look, some of the national folks are beginning to catch up to what has been known locally here for a while — that Tanner McKee is a good player.

Yahoo’s Nate Tice suggested that teams like the Rams — who employ a 37-year-old Matthew Stafford, who has not yet practiced this summer because of a back injury — or the Browns — who have a weird collection of quarterbacks — could be willing to pony up a first-round pick for McKee. (That feels unlikely to me, but it’s interesting that McKee is getting more notice.)

In the first preseason game, the Eagles scored 10 points with McKee under center against the Bengals’ starters, and he looked every bit like an NFL starter. I figured that would be the end of his day. Nope. McKee stayed in for the entirety of the first half, and then also a drive in the second half. He finished with 25 pass attempts, completing 20 of them for 252 yards and 2 TDs.

So, maybe the Eagles were indeed showcasing him?

If that’s the case, it is unlikely that they were showcasing him for a trade prior to the start of the 2025 season, and were instead playing the long game. The Eagles arguably still have the best roster in the NFL, and are favorites to once again represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. They have also needed their QB2 to start games in three of the four seasons that Jalen Hurts has been the QB1. They like McKee, and more importantly they may need him. 

But also, McKee’s value could rise even more if he has an opportunity to play in regular season games once again in 2025, and he plays well. There’s no need to rush into a trade now. Keep your really good QB2 in a season you will likely need him at some point, and then if you’re blown away by an offer you can’t turn down next spring, then let McKee spread his wings as a starter elsewhere.

Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see how much the Eagles play McKee, and if he is able to dice up yet another defense.

2) The Eagles have another quarterback to showcase

That would be Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who the Eagles acquired when they traded Kenny Pickett to the Browns. “DTR” has outplayed sixth-round rookie Kyle McCord throughout the summer, but McCord is more likely to make the roster as the QB3 because he is a rookie with more theoretical upside than DTR, a third-year pro. 

The Eagles could make the rare decision to keep four quarterbacks, with DTR serving as the QB3 and McCord as the developmental QB4, but then they’d have two inactive quarterbacks on gameday (with one serving as the “emergency QB”).

The decision on what to do at the QB3 spot would be much easier on Howie Roseman and the Eagles’ staff if some team in need of better QB depth offered some kind of late round pick or a depth player at another position for DTR.

So, you know, the Eagles might be wise to get DTR his fair share of reps to either show what he can do (thus maybe attracting an offer) or can’t do (in which case it’d be easier to just cut him).

3) Can the cornerbacks bounce back?

Through the first 15 practices and one preseason game this summer, none of the cornerbacks competing for a starting CB2 job opposite Quinyon Mitchell has been able to separate from the rest of the pack. I imagine that Kelee Ringo, Adoree’ Jackson, Jakorian Bennett, and Mac McWilliams will all be given ample opportunity to finally show something. A starting job is just sitting there, guys. Who wants it?

4) Can Sydney Brown close?

One starting spot that I believe is close to being locked down is at safety, by Brown. He has had a solid camp, and his primary competition for the job, rookie Andrew Mukuba, has probably missed juuuust enough time that it’ll be difficult for him to pass Brown at this point.

If Brown doesn’t play in this game, consider that battle won. If he does, it means he still has some work to do, and he’ll be looking to knock someone out.

5) The lesser battles in this camp

The second preseason game could go a long way toward deciding who makes the roster at certain spots. Here are a handful of positional groups that I’ll be keeping an eye on:

1. The wide receivers after A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jahan Dotson.
2. The third tight end behind Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra.
3. Offensive line depth.
4. Ty Robinson, Gabe Hall, and Byron Young could all make the team, but who will actually get notable playing time along the interior of the D-line during the regular season? Those guys will be competing for snaps in real games.
5. The edge rushers after Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt.

Oh, and just FYI, it’s a day game. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. EST.

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