Philadelphia Eagles: 9 Observations from Preseason Week One
6. Daeshon Hall stood out on the edge
The Eagles backup defensive line didn’t exactly have a great night. Whoever was in for the Titans had a solid amount of time to stand comfortably in the pocket. However, if I were to point out a pass rusher who stood out, it would be former Texas A&M defensive end, Daeshon Hall. The former third-round pick had a couple of pressures on the quarterback and did a good job of disrupting the pocket with six tackles and a sack.
7. Miles Sanders had a quiet night
Everybody was excited to see the second-rounder get to work. As Miles Sanders is the Eagles’ highest-drafted running back since LeSean McCoy, his debut was highly anticipated. The Eagles weren’t as eager to see how he would rush in a game situation though. With only three carries on the night, Sanders rushed for a whopping three yards. Maybe he will get more work next week.
8. Clayton Thorson is as bad as advertised
When the Eagles selected Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson in the fifth round, many were puzzled. We knew the Eagles planned to find a quarterback to groom as a third-stringer, but Thorson’s track record in college wasn’t very promising. During training camp, Thorson struggled so much that he got sent down to fourth string on the depth chart. When he came into the game on Thursday, he was just flat out bad. Thorson will be a longshot to make the roster for sure.
9. Josh Sweat has some work to do
The Eagles have been hyping up their second-year pass rusher, Josh Sweat for the entire offseason. As they lost Chris Long to retirement, and Michael Bennett to a trade, Josh Sweat was expected to step up in their absence. In camp, he’s looked good.
In the first game, he was barely visible. He finished the night off with three tackles. Similar to what we saw last preseason, the Eagles’ pass rusher struggled to get past his opponents in front of him. He’s got three weeks to turn his performance around, but so far he’s off to an underwhelming start.