When someone says they are embarrassed by riches, they usually lie. It’s usually a flex made by someone or a team trying to cover up deficiencies or bluff their way through a situation.
The Eagles are not bluffing. They may have the best NFL roster, and only the Baltimore Ravens rival them in pure talent and team building on both sides of the ball.
General manager Howie Roseman has built out the trenches, shrewdly dealt for A.J. Brown, who the Tennessee Titans shockingly traded, backed up a Brinks truck for running back Saquon Barkley in a day and age when paying running backs is frowned upon, and scored quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second round.
Will Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni Play His Starters Against the Browns?
Don’t count on it.
The Eagles have no reason to put their best players on the field in a preseason game unless Nick Sirianni wants to go the Pete Carroll or Andy Reid route and get them acclimated to game speed. Instead, he seems to fall into the Sean McVay camp, where starters don’t even dress for the preseason.
The Eagles have battles for various backup positions. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed five of eight passes with no touchdowns or interceptions against the Bengals. He’s in a duel with Tanner McKee, who played significantly more snaps and completed 20 of 25 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns.
Undrafted free agent wide receiver Darius Cooper is competing with Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith for a roster spot. He was locked in against the Bengals and caught six passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Anyone who backs up Barkley shouldn’t expect to get many touches, but running back ShunDerrick Powell carried six times for 32 yards and a touchdown. He’s fighting for a roster spot and is buried deep on the Eagles’ depth chart. He’ll need another nice performance in a game to make a name for himself.
On defense, cornerback Jakorian Bennett was acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders to bolster their defensive backfield, but he had a rough practice this week. After breaking up a pass, he was flagged for pass interference and gave up a bunch of completions and a touchdown. He will have to have the memory of a goldfish and focus on performing on Saturday.
The Browns and Eagles face off on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
