PHILADELPHIA — There was nothing magical Saturday about the Eagles’ 26-3 preseason loss to the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field.
For starters, there was hardly anyone on the field with enough experience to know how to create magic on an NFL field, especially in the defensive backfield for an Eagle team that in 2023 ranked second-worst in passing yards allowed per game (252.7) and third from bottom in points allowed per game (25.2).
Doesn’t mean a thing for this team in the long run, of course. Nevertheless, this wasn’t the kind of practice season finale you like to see if you’re the guy overseeing what’s to come next.
“We didn’t play to our detail that is our standard here,” Nick Sirianni said. “So, it’s a good example of that, if you don’t play with good fundamentals. We missed some tackles, we fumbled the football, we didn’t take the football away. We had a takeaway that had a penalty. We had some penalties. We had some drops in some critical areas that would have led to points and all those things led to points.
“That’s what you hope doesn’t happen, but that happened today.”
What also happened before a half-full Linc was clear evidence that it’s quite possible the defense that these die-hard fans suffered with last season may not be much better. Of course, none of the starters played. That’s not allowed in the preseason these days.
But with a few positions up for grabs and a few players desperately seeking a positive nod from the coaching staff prior to Tuesday’s cut-down from 90 players to 53, this last chance came off a lot on the ugly side.
“You can have all the talent in the world, have all the best plays in the world. But if you don’t play with good fundamentals, I don’t care what level you are, it’s going to affect if you win or lose the football game,” Sirianni concluded.
Not that he was going to take the result too seriously, though his deep backups (and some forever hopefuls) in the secondary were hit for 20 points in the first half by Vikings backup quarterback Jaren Hall (17-for-25, 189 yards, 2 TDs), who made good with a receiver named Lucky Jackson and one named Jeshaun Jones (four catches each).
However, along the way, there were some positive Eagles defensive performances, primarily from Cooper DeJean, the second-round pick from the April draft who only returned from an offseason hamstring injury on Aug. 13. He racked up four tackles, three of them solo.
Not that he was ready to grade himself at anything higher than an incomplete.
“It was all right,” said DeJean, who missed the end part of his final season at Iowa last year with a fibula fracture. “But there’s still lot of things to learn.”
One thing he learned in playing his first (sort of) actual game in nine months was that he still liked to throw his body around in the nickel position.
“I executed the calls, I knew what I was doing out there,” DeJean said. “I’ve just got to be in better position sometimes, on a few of those plays. I’ll be able to make a better play on those. But it’s good to get back out there … it’ll be a good learning experience once I get to watch this tape.”
He’ll see himself stand out in the field, especially when he went a little too far with that hunger for hitting and was whistled for illegal contact on a would-be interception by Tristin McCollum.
“I just made contact too far down the field,” DeJean said.
He didn’t allow that to deter him, though, not after building up all that energy while rehabbing.
“I wouldn’t say it was nerves; it was more excitement,” he added. “There was a lot of adrenaline running through me. I was almost too excited going out there on that first drive. A lot of heavy breathing.
“But it’s good to get out there and hit people.”
While Hall was finding open spots in the defensive backfield, McCollum, a safety hopeful who was elevated from the practice squad for three games last season, is still trying to find a permanent role on the team.
For this audition, he fared well, leading the Eagles with nine tackles, five of them of them solo.
“When you have less of an opportunity to get reps, you have to take full advantage of it,” McCollum said. “Getting a full game of reps, having to make adjustments, being able to see what an offense is doing on one particular drive, then seeing them come back and doing the same thing out of different formations, it’s very, very good for experience.
“It’s one thing to watch it on film, but when you’re out there actually playing, the emotions are going, the speed of the game is going, and that’s very, very valuable.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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