Eagles Stock Up/Stock Down: Tanner McKee, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., and Tyrion Davis-Price Showcase Potential in Preseason Opener

After many reports suggested the Philadelphia Eagles would let the team’s starters play on Friday night, that wasn’t the case.

While many of Philadelphia’s defensive players started against the Baltimore Ravens, nearly the entire starting offense sat out the team’s preseason opener.

Despite several key offensive starters being inactive, there were plenty of lessons to take away from Friday night’s action. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has stressed the importance of his players seeing the field during the preseason, which is exactly what happened against the Ravens, with several defensive starters playing multiple drives.

The Eagles managed to steal a victory away from the Ravens in a 16-13 win, but several players hurt their stock on Friday night. Let’s take a look at which players impacted their stock the most in Philadelphia’s preseason opener.

Eagles Stock Up/Stock Down: Which Players Surprised in Preseason Week 1?

Stock Up | Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Although Devin White and Zack Baun are clearly the top two inside linebackers in Philadelphia, rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr. made a bunch of plays against the Ravens.

Trotter immediately made his presence known early in the game, thanks to a tackle on special teams, followed by a sack.

While Trotter may not start ahead of White or Baun just yet, he seems to be surging ahead of third-year linebacker Nakobe Dean. If Trotter continues to play at this level, he’ll surely carve out a role in Fangio’s defense as a rookie. He finished his NFL preseason debut with six total tackles and one sack.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr since coming in has a sack, 4 total tackles including one on punt return
Sound familiar? #54
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— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 10, 2024

Stock Down | Kenny Pickett

Despite his starting experience with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kenny Pickett failed to impress on Friday night. He struggled to push the ball down the field and consistently dumped it down to his checkdown target. It was quite an underwhelming debut for Pickett.

While many were quick to hand Pickett the QB2 job in Philadelphia, he certainly left the door open for Tanner McKee to make things interesting, which is exactly what happened in Baltimore during the team’s preseason opener.

Stock Up | Tanner McKee

If you look at the box score, it might seem puzzling to place Tanner McKee in the “stock up” category. Yet the offense looked noticeably better once McKee was in the game as he was far more decisive with the ball and was willing to take chances down the field.

Unfortunately, McKee was hamstrung by the supporting cast around him in the second half. He was mostly surrounded by players who won’t even make Philadelphia’s roster.

McKee should be given a chance to work with the team’s second-string offense moving forward.

Stock Down | Nakobe Dean

While Trotter shined in his NFL preseason debut, Dean failed to make many standout plays against the Ravens — though he did have a strong pass breakup when closing in on a running back in coverage. Outside of that one play, Dean mostly had a forgettable performance in Baltimore.

Given that White and Baun have cemented themselves atop Philadelphia’s linebacker depth chart, Dean is now battling with Trotter for that third spot at the position. But it seems like Dean is beginning to trail behind the rookie as he finished with just one tackle against the Ravens.

Stock Up | Will Shipley

Many of Philadelphia’s rookies showcased their potential on Friday night, yet only one managed to reach the end zone. Eagles rookie running back Will Shipley showcased his versatility as he rushed seven times for 23 yards and hauled in one reception for a seven-yard touchdown.

One of the biggest questions about Shipley at the next level was his ability to block in pass protection. While several reports mentioned Shipley’s struggles in that area during training camp, he did a great job picking up a blitz in pass protection against the Ravens.

It was a strong start for Shipley as he pushes for the RB2 job in Philadelphia.

Stock Down | Ainias Smith

Eagles rookie wide receiver Ainias Smith continued an underwhelming start to his NFL career against the Ravens. Smith has failed to impress reporters during training camp, and he did little to stand out on Friday night as well.

Smith hauled in just one reception for seven yards. He also returned three punts for just 13 yards and fumbled the ball out of bounds during one of his return opportunities.

Although the Eagles drafted Smith in the fifth round, he hasn’t done enough to earn a spot on the final roster just yet.

Stock Up | Tyrion Davis-Price

Many expect the Eagles to keep just three running backs on the final roster: Saquon Barkley, Kenneth Gainwell, and Shipley. Yet Tyrion Davis-Price could make that decision a bit more difficult in Philadelphia if he continues to run like he did on Friday night.

The Eagles signed the former third-round pick in February, and he made the most of his opportunities against the Ravens as “TDP” had six carries for 34 rushing yards, ranking second on the team with an average of 5.7 yards per carry.

Stock Down | Tyler Steen

This might seem unfair as Tyler Steen played well on Friday night against the Ravens. Yet his stock is down given that he has seemingly lost the starting job at right guard.

While four of Philadelphia’s starting offensive linemen were inactive for the team’s preseason opener, Steen and Mekhi Becton suited up.

Becton started the game at right guard and played just a handful of snaps. Meanwhile, Steen started the game at left guard and only moved back to right guard once Becton’s night was over.

Steen is also still battling his ankle injury. He appeared hobbled throughout the preseason opener.

Stock Up | Mekhi Becton

Becton appears to have won the starting right guard job in Philadelphia.

Although he suited up — unlike Philadelphia’s other starting offensive linemen — Becton didn’t exactly play for very long. He made the start at right guard against the Ravens and exited the game rather quickly. It seemed like Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland wanted to get Becton a few live, in-game reps at his new position.

It’s clear that Becton has shown enough in practice that Stoutland is comfortable moving forward with Becton as Philadelphia’s starting right guard.

Stock Down | Tyler Hall

I personally predicted that Tyler Hall would make Philadelphia’s final roster as a backup slot cornerback. Yet Quinyon Mitchell’s ascension at the position, Avonte Maddox’s presence, and the eventual return of Cooper DeJean could make that difficult.

Hall played late into Friday night’s game and failed to stand out much in the secondary. In fact, Hall whiffed on a tackling opportunity towards the sideline.

If he wants to stick around in Philadelphia, Hall will have to put together a better performance moving forward.