Eagles vs. Ravens: 5 Eagles to Watch in Week 1 of the NFL Preseason

The Philadelphia Eagles open the 2011 preseason against the Baltimore Ravens this Thursday, and in a lockout-shortened offseason preseason performance will mean more than ever before for who makes the final cut and who gets their walking papers.

Unlike past seasons, there are not a ton of battles for starting spots.

There is said to be a battle at center between Jamaal Jackson and rookie Jason Kelce, but I don’t see that. Just because the kid is getting some starting reps does not mean the job still isn’t Jackson’s to lose. Other than that, there could be battles between Antonio Dixon and Cullen Jenkins, as well as Juqua Parker and Jason Babin, but the free agency acquisitions are not going to be playing second-fiddle.

I don’t think I’m giving away any state secrets, it’s just not going to happen.

There’s also the right tackle spot, but that battle does not truly begin until Winston Justice is healthy. Should he not be able to start the season, the job belongs to Ryan Harris. So technically, I’m not calling that a battle.

Between the battles for backup spots and the new faces — either coming via free agency of the draft — there are a handful of guys worth your extra attention.

Dion Lewis, RB

LeSean McCoy and Ronnie Brown and the No. 1 and No. 2 (respectively) running backs on this team. That is not up for debate at the moment and I certainly do not see that changing barring injury.

However, there are four guys competing for the final running back spot: Eldra Buckley, Lewis, and two undrafted rookie free agents.

Honestly, the undrafted rookies really do not have a shot. Buckley has proven to be a great special teams guy, which is really the key for the third running back on this team, and Lewis was a fifth-round draft choice who has that scat-back ability Andy Reid loves so much in his offense.

I love a good story as much as the next guy, but the undrafted kids are showcasing for the other 31 teams and that’s really it — maybe the practice squad if they really show something.

Lewis will likely see time on every special teams unit, and he will have to be impressive. He almost certainly beats out Buckley in terms of what he can do with the ball in his hands, but he’s not going to see the ball a ton anyway, so special teams will make or break whether he earns a roster spot.

The fact that the team invested a fifth-round selection for him gives him a leg up, but Reid has shown a willingness to cut draft picks before and Lewis had better not think the axe can’t get him.

Sinorice Moss, WR/PR

There has been some early buzz about Moss, and he’s become the hot sleeper to make the roster.

Like Lewis, Moss will have to prove his worth on special teams, but will also have to show he’s a better play-maker than Chad Hall, who flashed some potential last season.

Moss is something of a very poor man’s DeSean Jackson in that he has the same skill-set but is very unrefined and left the New York Giants with the label of a poor worker. If he has turned that around, dedicated himself, and can show in the preseason what he’s shown in training camp while Jackson held out and Jeremy Maclin has been sick, he could very well find himself on the roster.

Jackson is set to get a big contract here shortly, and it’s not likely the team will want him returning punts if they have a choice. If Moss shows an explosion and is a big-play threat on punt returns, that would certainly increase his value exponentially.

Vince Young, QB

Young has struggled in training camp. He’s been inaccurate and at times has simply looked lost.

That, however, is to be expected. Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg are trying to break him down and reconfigure him in a short time. They are showing him to drop back and how to throw the ball all over again, in addition to teaching him Reid’s bastardized version of the west coast offense.

But Young has always been a play-maker who shines brightest when the lights are on, so it will be very interesting to see what he can do surrounded by backups. Part of what Young does is make plays with his legs, and that doesn’t really come through in training camp since the quarterbacks are off limits.

It will be very interesting to watch Young read and react with an aggressive Ravens defense coming at him. The Ravens will also have their second-string on the field, but it’s going to be a hungry bunch hell-bent on making the roster, and nothing shows up better on field than laying a lick on the quarterback or picking him off.

Young is also fighting for that No. 2 spot behind Michael Vick. If he doesn’t show the team he’s comfortable in the system, second-year man Mike Kafka could make the leap to No. 2 as he already has a year in the system under his belt.

Casey Matthews, MLB

Experimenting with a rookie who did not play in the middle even in college is a bit odd for a team claiming to be “all in” this season, but it appears to be happening whether we like it or not.

Matthews is going to get every opportunity to prove he can run the defense and, if bloodlines has as much to do with NFL success as some seem to think, it could go very, very well. But if Matthews is like most rookies and finds his head spinning a bit once the lights are on, that could be very bad — especially considering he plays the most important position on the defense.

If he cannot grasp the defense perfectly, make the calls, and get everyone into position, it would not matter if the Eagles had Rod Woodson and Deion Sanders playing corner with Reggie White and Deacon Jones rushing the pasher. The defense will go as Matthews allows them to go, and that could prove too much for the fourth-round draft pick.

The preseason won’t tell us everything we need to know about Matthews, but it will be pretty easy to tell early on if he’s got enough of the defense down or if he’s struggling to make the calls. He will also have to show his new bulk did not come at sacrificing any of his already-questionable speed.

Philip Hunt, DE

Hunt, like Moss, has had something of a buzz about him in camp, and even before that as the Eagles are trying to find their own Cameron Wake and signed him away from the CFL. He has a quick first-step and a decent first-move that has resulted in some pressure, but he still has a lot to show and will have to do that in the preseason.

As it stands, the Eagles have Babin, Parker, Trent Cole, and Darryl Tapp as locks at defensive end. Brandon Graham will also be thrown onto that list, but it’s likely he’ll spend at least the few weeks of the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, freeing up a roster spot.

The Eagles usually keep six defensive ends, so that leaves two spots open for now. Right now the only ends on the roster are Hunt, last year’s third-round pick Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, and the recently-signed Chris Wilson from the Washington Redskins who is likely nothing more than a camp body.

But just because the competition looks limited doesn’t mean there isn’t competition elsewhere. The team signed defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove, who they say can also play end, and really like him. Jenkins is also said to be able to kick out and play defensive end.

With Graham returning early in the season anyway, the Eagles could opt to go into the season with the four guys I mentioned above as locks and keep Te’o-Nesheim, figuring they’ll wait out the return of Graham by keeping a hybrid guy like Hargrove and going five-deep at tackle rather than keeping four as they would usually do.

Hunt is small for a defensive end (6’1, 245) but seems to have NFL ability. He will have to show that early and often if he wants to stick around and not lose out in a numbers game.