Eagles whose stock is rising following their preseason test versus Ravens

We're off! Seemingly as quickly as it began, the first game of the Philadelphia Eagles preseason is in the books. Another comes in less than seven days on Thursday. That one doubles as a home date with the Cleveland Browns.

Joint practices precede that one, a pair of sessions that head coach Nick Sirianni states will be treated as games. Expect all eyes to be on the NovaCare Complex. Meanwhile, our fingers are crossed that Shaun Bradley is okay. He left M&T Bank Stadium's playing surface on a cart.

Nick Sirianni said Britain Covey and Quez Watkins suffered hamstring injuries during Thursday's practice. That's why we didn't see them. Hopefully, they'll be back sooner rather than later.

Seven days after Philly's game versus Cleveland, they host the Indianapolis Colts. Then, we put a bow on the preseason and watch the Birds trim the 90-man training camp roster to 53 men. Pay attention as things will move quickly. Here's a look at a few guys that made splash plays or improved their stock (or both).

There's no need to hand out game balls for preseason contests, but if we did these Eagles would earn one.

It's sometimes hard to discuss the rising stock of one player without also mentioning the falling stock of another. Hey, it was one game. We're keeping things positive here.

1. Jalen Carter, defensive tackle

One snap was all it took. Jalen Carter disposed of a Ravens offensive lineman, Ben Cleveland. Then, he introduced himself to Josh Johnson on a hurry, forced an incompletion, and hung out with his buddies on the sideline.

Sleep well Eagles fans. This guy was worth the ninth overall selection. He will be good for a long time.

2. Tanner McKee, quarterback

Okay, if no one else wants to say it, we will. There's a lot of football left to be played during the preseason. When the smoke clears and the dust settles, Marcus Mariota will be the Eagles' backup quarterback, but Tanner McKee is outplaying him.

We saw both. Mariota has some inaccuracy issues but can make things happen with his legs. McKee can't run, but he has the better arm. Ask yourself this. Who do you trust to win a game, right now?

Had Tanner played the entire game, the Eagles may have won this one.

3. Greg Ward, wide receiver

Anyone who knows football knows Greg Ward is much better than some try to lead us to believe he is. Anyone who watches Eagles football knows, for some reason, the organization has never trusted him as much as they probably should.

As those of us who know him have come to expect, G Ward showed competency as both a receiver and punt returner on Saturday (he caught all five of his targets). He always seems to have an uphill climb to make the roster but trust us. There's some talent here.

4. Sydney Brown & K'Von Wallace

Sydney Brown and K'Von Wallace didn't make any spalsh plays, but they were among the team's top tacklers. Brown notched six. Wallace and linebacker Ben VanSumeren tied with five apiece. Both should be proud of the night they had.

5. Eli Ricks, cornerback

We have two words for you... pick six. Come on. Let's be honest. Did you think there was any way that we'd leave Eli Ricks off of our list? He played like a starting corner for most of the evening showing experience beyond his years.

That pick six is worth another look.

Be careful young fella! That's a nice play, but don't draw a flag. Refs in the NFL love throwing them sometimes.

Very honorable mentions: Mekhi Garner & Rick Lovato

Rookie roster hopeful Mekhi Garner has impressed all summer. On Saturday, he made a play on special teams. His forced fumble knocked out of James Proche's hands with a little over five minutes remaining in the third quarter should raise a few eyebrows. Credit Rick Lovato, the long snapper, for showing some hustle and getting downfield to recover the fumble.

The Eagles running backs get a pat on the back here... well... most of them.

How about that decisive running by Rashaad Penny? How about Trey Sermon's nose for the end zone? Did you see that juke by D'Andre Swift and that burst?

Let this one sink in for a few ticks.

Swift finished with 24 yards rushing on two carries. Penny's nine totes resulted in 34 yards. Mariota tacked on 29 yards thanks to four carries, and while Trey Sermon didn't do anything overly impressive in terms of big plays, he showed decisiveness with the ball in his hands and made a nice catch and run as a receiver. That resulted in a nine-yard gain.

Here are a few final thoughts on Eagles versus Ravens before we move on to Week 2 of the preseason.

All in all, we saw much of what we expected. Some guys are ready for primetime. Others appear to need more playing time. Others still need better showings and seemed to vanish under the lights.

We'll let you argue among yourselves about who belongs in each category. Joint practices with the Cleveland Browns come on Monday and Tuesday. We'll talk a lot about the starters as we watch both sessions. Philly's next preseason game comes on Thursday, August 17th at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Tyrie Cleveland & Joseph Ngata (Honorable mention?)

Tyrie Cleveland had some nice grabs. So did Joseph Ngata. It wasn't a perfect showing by either guy, but they have given us some talking points.

Cleveland and Ward tied for the team lead in receptions, but Tyrie was also targeted six more times. Ngata had that offensive pass interference penalty and missed an opportunity to haul in a TD reception on 4th and 2 late in the third quarter. That would have been a nice feather in his cap, but both guys did decent jobs in their first outing.

Currently, we wouldn't put either in the 'stock up' category, at least not now, but keep an eye on them. If their summers don't end with them earning jobs, you can best believe they won't go quietly.

Let's take a walk down Eagles memory lane.