Eagles vs Jets Preseason Preview
The third and final week of the preseason is set to kickoff Friday night, as the Eagles have their first road date in as many weeks against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. The Jets held joint practices against the Eagles on both Tuesday and Wednesday, and similar to last week, Philly looked like the more polished team. Let's take a look at what we saw from the birds in these scrimmages.
After an extremely quiet training camp on the field, and rumors surrounding his future off the field, Travis Fulgham had by far his best day of practice against the Jets on Tuesday. Early that morning, Fulgham made a beautiful one handed grab in 1v1 drills, then followed it up with a leaping sideline catch on a pass from Flacco. Fulgham had a quiet day on Wednesday, but the young wideout took big steps forward in ensuring his roster spot. Devonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, and Quez Watkins continued to impress, as the three first team wideouts made life difficult for the Jets inexperienced secondary over the course of the two practices. The Eagles' offensive line shut down the Jets pass rush, and on the other side of the ball, Javon Hargave and Josh Sweat continued their breakout performances in camp, giving Zach Wilson no time in the pocket.
With the success the first team offense had in practice this week, we are unlikely to see the starters for more than a few series. However, Hurts was absent from last week's game against the Patriots, so if all goes well, we could expect to see the starters on the offensive side of the ball for at the very least, one or two drives. Last week, the majority of the starters on the defensive side of the ball were not dressed, and that is highly unlikely to change this week. Some of the starters including linebackers Alex Singleton and Eric Wilson, along with defensive backs Anthony Harris and Steven Nelson, are expected to play but it would not be out of the realm of possibilities for them to be resting too.
Similar to last week, we expect the high profile players to not receive many reps, so let's take a look at a couple of under the radar guys.
Jack Stoll
The big tight end was not on many people's radar, but with the injuries to Tyree Jackson and Jason Croom, Jack Stoll had the perfect opportunity to climb the depth chart, and he did just that. Stoll led the Eagles in receiving against New England in Week 2, totaling 31 yards on 4 catches. Stoll followed that up with a solid week of camp against the Jets, leaving fans to question if he could carve out a roll in the offense.
Elijah Holyfield
While the son of legendary boxer Evander Holyfield was one of the most electric runners in college, Elijah Holyfield has failed to translate that same success into the NFL. After spending year and a half on the Eagles' practices squad, the young back got his shot last week in the preseason. Elijah ripped off 4 carries for 31 yards, along with 2 catches for 5 yards. It is unlikely that Holyfield becomes an impact player unless the Eagles backfield becomes depleted with injury, but the former Georgia Bulldog could certainly be the fifth back on the depth chart, and he could also lead the Eagles in rushing for the second straight game if his number gets called.
