Eagles vs. Jets preseason game: 16 winners, 6 losers, and 10 IDKs
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the New York Jets in their preseason finale on Friday night.
The game went down to the wire with the Birds getting a fourth down stop to be able to run out the clock.
Final score, which doesnāt matter, but weāre logging it here anyway: 19 to 17.
The Eaglesā final preseason record, which also doesnāt matter, is 2-1.
Time to hand out some winners, losers, and I donāt knows ahead of the team making roster cuts from 90 players down to 53 before 4:00 PM Eastern on Tuesday, August 27.
WINNERS
A.J. BROWN
Brown obviously didnāt play in this game. But he did seem to be moving well during a pregame workout. Encouraging to see. Barring any setbacks, he should be ready to play in Week 1.
JIHAAD CAMPBELL
We previously noted that Campbell took first-team reps next to Zack Baun for the first time this summer during the Eaglesā final training camp practice on Wednesday. The rookie first-round pick did not suit up on Friday night while Jeremiah Trotter Jr. did. More confirmation that Campbell is a Week 1 starter at off-ball linebacker.
ADOREEā JACKSON
Jackson did not suit up on Friday night. Seems like he won the starting cornerback job despite not having a great summer.
SYDNEY BROWN
Brown did not suit up on Friday night. Seems like he won the starting safety job despite the fact that Andrew Mukuba looked to be in position to win it prior to a hamstring injury.
MATT PRYOR
Pryor did not suit up on Friday night. Heās on the team. Pryorās been better at guard than tackle this offseason, though the Eagles might be counting on him as their top tackle backup.
AJ DILLON
Dillon did not suit up on Friday night. Maybe the Eagles donāt keep him on the initial 53-man roster because heās a vested veteran and thus not subject to waivers. But maybe they just like him as their RB3 and donāt want to overthink it.
BYRON YOUNG
Young made a tackle to limit a Jets run to a short gain in the first half. He also read a Jets screen play and chased down the ball carrier for a TFL. The 2023 third-round pick might make the roster with the Eagles keeping six defensive tackles.
MAC MCWILLIAMS
Good click and close to contest a third down target that a Jets wide receiver ended up not being able to catch. McWilliams also wrapped up a Jets ball carrierās legs for a TFL. McWilliams did miss an open field tackle later on.
KYLEN GRANSON
Granson was wide open for a 19-yard gain due to the Jets simply not covering him. To his credit, he did make a defender miss on the run after the catch. He looked better than fellow TE3 contender E.J. Jenkins.
MONTRELL JOHNSON JR.
Johnson Jr. showed some promise early in camp before suffering a hamstring injury that sidelined him for about a weekās worth of practices and the Eaglesā first preseason game. Now seemingly healthy, Johnson Jr. looked good against the Jets. He ran with juice, finishing with 15 carries for 57 yards (3.8 average) and a touchdown. His score came on a nice cutback against the defense. He also ran over a Jets safety at one point and almost made a downfield sideline catch.
The Eagles will probably hope that makes it through waivers unclaimed to join their practice squad.
MYLES HINTON
The rookie left tackle had a nice pulling block to spring a Keilan Robinson run. He crushed the defender. Hinton did allow a sack, though McCord didnāt do Hinton any favors by holding the ball and drifting backwards. Jeff Stotuland seems to like Hinton, so, I believe he sticks on the roster.
BEN VANSUMEREN
The Eaglesā fullback had a reception go for 11 yards. BVS hasnāt looked unnatural as a ball-carrier or pass-catcher despite making the transition from previously playing on defense.
SMAEL MONDON JR.
Mondon Jr. had a TFL and a nice open field tackle where he read what was happening on offense to limit the Jets to a short gain. Mondon Jr. did get banged up but it didnāt seem to be a serious injury.
PATRICK JOHNSON
All Patrick Johnson does is make plays in the preseason. He got to Jets quarterback Brady Cook for a sack.
ANTWAUN POWELL-RYLAND JR.
APR has been pretty invisible this summer but the Eaglesā final pick of their 2025 NFL Draft class finally made a splash on Friday night with a strip-sack. APR was really good at racking up forced fumbles in college with nine in his final three years at Virginia Tech. Itād be surprising to see him make the roster but heās now done enough to warrant a practice squad spot.
JAKE ELLIOTT
Drilled a 51-yard field goal. Then drilled a 53-yard field goal. Good to see after he struggled from distance last season.
Elliott finished 4/4 on field goals and made his sole extra point attempt to account for 13 of the Eaglesā 19 total points on Friday night.
LOSERS
KYLE MCCORD
The numbers: 15/35 (42.9% completion), 136 yards (3.9 average), 0 TD, 1 INT, 42.1 passer rating.
Not pretty.
In fairness to McCord, he did deal at least five drops by his teammates.
Then again, he also benefited from a dropped pick by the Jets at one point.
The interception that counted was a curious decision to throw to Darius Cooper, who was bracketed by a cornerback and safety.
McCord hasnāt played well enough to definitely be the Eaglesā third quarterback. The team should be scouring other QB3 options. If they canāt find one they like than McCord, maybe they keep him. Or maybe they only go with just two quarterbacks on the 53? But probably not if McKee is banged up?
Regardless, McCord is not ready to play meaningful snaps for the Eagles in 2025.
AINIAS SMITH
Smith got lit up as the punt returner on the Jetsā first punt. He shouldāve called a fair catch. Smith later dropped a pass. And then another drop where the ball went right through his hands. He didnāt hold up as a lead blocker on a tight end screen to E.J. Jenkins.
Smith remained in the game after Darius Cooper and John Metchie III had already exited. The Eagles might keep him ā¦ but itās hard to argue that they should.
ELIJAH COOKS
Cooks dropped a pass on an out route and couldnāt keep either of his two feet along the sideline for a potential touchdown grab. Cooks had a nice stretch earlier in training camp but between missing time due to injury and struggling on Friday night, he could be looking for a new NFL home.
KENDALL LAMM
The veteran hasnāt been good in camp and he gave up pressures against the Jetsā backups on Friday night. I think the Eagles might cut him to temporarily save a roster spot (since heās a vested veteran) and then re-sign him. If they bring him back after Week 1, his 2025 salary wonāt be guaranteed.
TREVOR KEEGAN
Keegan stood out for getting beat. The 2024 draft pick probably hasnāt done enough to earn a roster spot entering Year 2.
ELI RICKS
He didnāt play well and he also got kicked in the dick. Ouch.
I DONāT KNOWS
JOHN METCHIE III
JM3 ran a crisp route to get open and catch a pass thrown behind him on the Eaglesā first play from scrimmage for a 14-yard gain.
Metchie also dropped a first down reception that wouldnāt have counted due to a holding penalty. Still, bad.
PARRY NICKERSON
Nickerson made a really nice read to jump a route for a leaping pick where he managed to catch the bobbled ball as he went to the ground.
Nickerson did have a rough missed tackle on a Jets rushing touchdown.
I donāt think the 30-year-old journeyman is going to make the team. Heās a vested veteran, so the Eagles donāt have to worry about waivers. Would be a good depth player to have on the practice squad again this year.
CAMERON LATU
Latu was credited with four tackles (one solo). Thatās pretty good for a special contributor. Latu didnāt show much potential on offense this offseason but he looks like a good ST guy. If he doesnāt make the Eaglesā practice squad, another team should sign him to theirs.
AZEEZ OJULARI
Ojulari played in this game, which isnāt the best sign for him. But he didnāt play much, which is a good sign for him. Probably the fourth edge rusher behind Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and Joshua Uche (who didnāt play but he missed the final training camp practice due to a groin injury).
BRETT TOTH
Toth had a good block to spring a Montrell Johnson Jr. run. He got called for holding but he had good pass protection on the snap and McCord holding onto the ball and bailing the pocket led to the penalty.
Still donāt have a great feel if Tothās actually going to make the roster this time ā¦ and maybe be the Week 1 starter if Landon Dickerson canāt play. I think he might?
JAKORIAN BENNETT
Jakorian Bennett was credited with a pass breakup on a play where he hit the Jets receiver a little early on a short target but no flag was thrown. After that, Bennett gave up three receptions where he played tight coverage but couldnāt ultimately prevent the catches.
Bennett might start at some point this season but it wonāt be Week 1.
OGBO OKORONKWO
Ogbo logged a quarterback hit on a play where he pressured the Jetsā quarterback into a short checkdown to the flat. Ogbo also had a TFL on a play where the Jetsā tight end failed to pick him up.
Good stuff but also the kind of performance you should be seeing from a 30-year-old veteran with starting experience going up against players who wonāt even make NFL rosters.
Ogbo is on the bubble.
DALLAS GANT
Gant dropped a pick right thrown to him, not good.
Gant stopped a Jets run JUST shy of the goal line on a two-point conversion try to prevent New York from tying the game at 19 to 19 with 3:07 left in the fourth quarter.
LEWIS CINE
Jets quarterback Adrian Martinez inexplicably threw a ball towards the Eagles safety with no wide receiver in the area. To Cineās credit, he made the diving catch for the interception. Second notable play heās made all summer with the first one being a pass breakup in practice one day. Probably too little, too late.
Also, Cine got banged up again. Hasnāt been able to stay healthy.
TANNER MCKEE
Astute observation here from ZBerm. Wonder how serious McKeeās finger injury is. Will he be ready for Week 1?
If not, the Eagles need to address backup QB, because it simply canāt be McCord or Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Perhaps Kenny Pickett returns to Philly if the Cleveland Browns cut him?
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