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Philadelphia Eagles: 10 observations from week one of the preseason

By Justin Grasso

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 09: Nate Sudfeld #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles throws a pass in the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 9, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 09: Nate Sudfeld #7 of the Philadelphia Eagles throws a pass in the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 9, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 09: Chris Long #56, Fletcher Cox #91, and Michael Bennett #77 of the Philadelphia Eagles react in the first quarter of the preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field on August 9, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Steelers defeated the Eagles 31-14. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 09: Chris Long #56, Fletcher Cox #91, and Michael Bennett #77 of the Philadelphia Eagles react in the first quarter of the preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field on August 9, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Steelers defeated the Eagles 31-14. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

4. The Eagles pass rush is still dominant.

There are no surprises here. The Steelers first-team struggled early on as Fletcher Cox wasted no time getting to the quarterback during the first series by registering a sack right off the bat. Not to mention,  safety Malcolm Jenkins got in on the pass rushing action by grabbing half-a-sack along with Nigel Bradham. One thing is for sure, that pass rush is not getting any more comfortable for the Eagles opponents in the future.

5. Rasul Douglas is not winning a starting spot anytime soon.

A lot of fans wondered why Rasul Douglas isn’t getting any attention over Ronald Darby who was known to struggle at times last season. Well, we saw on Thursday that Douglas has his fair share of struggles as well. In fact, Douglas was responsible for letting up not one, but two deep passes that happened to be touchdowns. Clearly, there’s still plenty of room for improvement for the second-year corner.

6. Sidney Jones’ injuries are going to be frustrating.

Last season, Sidney Jones entered onto the Eagles roster with an injury pass for having a torn Achilles from the spring. Fortunately, he was able to debut during the final week of the regular season in 2017. While he played well, his time was limited as he left the field with a hamstring injury.

Assuming he would be fully-healthy for camp, we quickly found out that Jones would be dealing with yet, another lower body injury. And what do you know? He leaves the field limping once again in week one of the preseason. It’s too early to write him off, but it is evident that Jones’ battle with injuries is going to get frustrating over time.

7. Donnel Pumphrey earns his first strike.

Second-year running back Donnel Pumphrey was set to take the field after having what we would call a “red-shirt” season. A disappointing first preseason and training camp led the Eagles to believe that Pumphrey simply wasn’t ready. So, Pumphrey would have his chance to prove his coaching staff and fan base wrong during the 2018 preseason. But there’s one problem, Pumphrey cannot stay healthy as well. The young back knows his days are limited, and missing out on his first chance to make a comeback is far from a good look.

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