Eagles-Bengals Preview: What To Watch For in Preseason Opener
After months and months of waiting, the Philadelphia Eagles will finally play a football game on Thursday night. The Eagles will host the Cincinnati Bengals for their preseason opener at Lincoln Financial Field. Following an offseason with several notable changes on defense, there is plenty to watch for during Philadelphia’s first preseason game.
Which starters will play in the preseason opener?
The Bengals reportedly plan to play their starters in Thursday night’s game, yet that likely won’t be the case for the Eagles. Since Nick Sirianni’s arrival as head coach in 2021, Philadelphia has often rested their offensive starters during the preseason. Although we could see plenty of defensive starters on Thursday night.
In 2024, there were 14 players that made Philadelphia’s initial 53-man roster that didn’t play a single snap for the Eagles during the preseason. Here they are:
Jalen Hurts
Saquon Barkley
A.J. Brown
DeVonta Smith
Jahan Dotson
Dallas Goedert
Jordan Mailata
Landon Dickerson
Cam Jurgens
Lane Johnson
Brandon Graham
Josh Sweat
Darius Slay
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
While those key starters didn’t play during the preseason in 2024, there were several notable players that did suit up. During Philadelphia’s preseason opener last season, 35 of the 50 non-specialist players (70%) that made the team’s initial 53-man roster played in the first preseason game.
That group included notable players such as Mekhi Becton, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Zack Baun, Nakobe Dean and Quinyon Mitchell.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio recently mentioned that his players need games to practice tackling and finishing plays on the QB, since they are unable to do so during practice. Therefore, I’d expect to see a majority of Philadelphia’s starting defense play the opening series on Thursday night, at the very least.
On the offensive side of the ball, there are only two starters that I could see playing against the Bengals. Both Jahan Dotson and Tyler Steen lined up with other second-team players during a walkthrough drill during Tuesday’s practice. Could that have possibly been a tease of what we’ll see against the Bengals?
Can Elijah Cooks and Darius Cooper build on their momentum?
Entering training camp, it didn’t seem like anyone thought Elijah Cooks or Darius Cooper would push for spots on Philadelphia’s final roster. Yet two weeks into training camp, they are consistently mentioned by reporters as two of the most impressive players thus far.
While Cooks and Cooper have shown flashes during practice, they’ll have to continue their strong performances in preseason games. Considering the rather uninspiring performances of Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith during their rookie seasons, the Eagles could certainly use more depth at WR.
It will be interesting to see if Cooks and Cooper can continue to put pressure on Philadelphia’s pair of draft picks from the 2024 NFL Draft. While Wilson and Smith could have an edge because of their special teams value and draft status, Cooks and Cooper have outperformed them in training camp.
How will the new-look defense perform in-game?
While the Eagles will have just one new starter on offense compared to last year’s Super Bowl winning roster, Philadelphia’s defense will look significantly different. The Eagles are projected to have five new starters, all of whom will be full-time starters for the first time in their NFL careers.
Fangio’s defense eventually got the better of Joe Burrow last season, but it’ll be interesting to see how they hold up in the preseason opener. Moro Ojomo, Jalyx Hunt, Jihaad Campbell, Kelee Ringo and Sydney Brown have all shown flashes during training camp.
Yet they are about to be tested by one of the best offenses in the NFL on Thursday night. It will also be interesting to see how players such as Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Smael Mondon Jr., Ty Robinson and Gabe Hall also perform against Cincinnati’s offense.
Who will separate themselves from the rest of the pack at CB?
After losing Darius Slay and Isaiah Rodgers in the offseason, Philadelphia’s cornerback group remains unsettled. Quinyon Mitchell is set to lockdown one side of the field, while Cooper DeJean will defend the slot. Yet the second outside CB spot remains open.
While Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson are competing for the job, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman recently added more competition. Roseman traded for Jakorian Bennett, who could see his first action with the Eagles on Thursday night.
There appears to be no clear leader for the job between Ringo and Jackson thus far, and now Bennett will likely enter the mix as well. It will be interesting to see how Fangio and Eagles defensive backs coach Christian Parker rotate their group of cornerbacks against the Bengals.
Can the Eagles find a return specialist?
After moving on from Britain Covey, Kenneth Gainwell and Isaiah Rodgers, Philadelphia has lost several reliable returners from last season. While the Eagles relied on Cooper DeJean to handle punt return duty in 2024, they likely don’t want to expose him to those hits again given his importance to Philadelphia’s defense.
The Eagles signed return specialist Avery Williams in free agency, yet he hasn’t handled many returns during training camp and isn’t guaranteed a roster spot. Therefore, it’ll be interesting to see if any other players can standout during the preseason and earn the job.
Will Shipley and Ainias Smith each logged at least one kick return attempt last season. They have return experience and could push for the job in 2025. But there are a few new intriguing names to watch for as well.
Keilan Robinson, ShunDerrick Powell, Giles Jackson and Taylor Morin all have return experience. It will be interesting to see how Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay divides the return opportunities on Thursday night.