Philadelphia Eagles: 5 players to watch against the Cleveland Browns

Elijah Qualls, DT

These next two weeks mean different things for different players. For starters, this week’s game against the Browns is the rehearsal for the regular season. For the benchwarmers, this game and next week’s game could be their last in an Eagles uniform. While we can point the finger at numerous prospects who will obviously be released, there will also be a few surprising cuts that will develop as well.

Label former sixth-round pick Elijah Qualls as a potential surprise release. The 23-year-old defensive tackle was drafted in 2017, in hopes to learn some great moves from some of the best defensive tackles in football. Unfortunately, Qualls has not translated what he may have learned from his respective teammates onto the game field this preseason.

So far, Qualls has been recognized for making mistakes on top of mistakes. Just a season ago, Qualls was labeled as the most productive pass rusher in the preseason, according to Pro Football Focus. This season, Qualls had struggled to make plays when we were counting on him the most.

It’s no secret that the Eagles are quite thin at defensive tackle right now, and the struggles from the second-year tackle is not a good look. This week, the kid needs redemption. If he can’t get it, he just might find himself released before the season opener in a few weeks.