Eagles stock up, stock down after preseason game at Patriots
Aug 22, 2026
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Just one preseason game left to go.
After two intense joint practices during the week against the Patriots, the Eagles ended up losing to them in the preseason 24-21. But it was a pretty exciting game.
The Eagles didn’t play their starters in this game because their sta
rters got all their work during the week in those joint practices. While the starters watched on Saturday night, plenty of backups either helped themselves or hurt themselves.
Here’s the latest stock watch after Saturday’s game:
Stock up
LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr.: You’ve heard this all summer, but Trotter can play. He started this game at linebacker and made his presence felt. He perfectly timed a blitz to sack Tommy DeVito and also chased him down to minimize the damage on a scramble a bit earlier. He has been balling all summer. The Eagles are set with Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell but Trotter has starter potential in this league. Trotter had 5 tackles and a sack.
DT Ty Robinson: Vic Fangio said during the week that Ty Robinson came to life in the first preseason game. He kept that going against the Patriots with a run stuff and a QB hit in the first quarter and then a couple of violent sacks in the second quarter. He looks like a completely different player from the start of this training camp.
OT Markel Bell: The massive rookie tackle was tossing defensive linemen around in this game. He started the game at right tackle and stood out for all the right reasons. He has looked dominant at times this summer and there were moments of dominance again on Saturday night. Bell did take a trip to the blue medical tent and did not return, but he said after the game that he was fine.
OL Drew Kendall and Willie Lampkin: We singed out Bell, but the other guys deserve shoutouts too. The backup OL looked very good on Saturday night. Drew Kendall and Willie Lampkin had great blocks to get Shipley into the end zone early in the second quarter and were then pulled early. That’s a good sign that both have the team made or are at least very, very close. Kudos to OL coach Chris Kuper getting his backups ready to play.
RB Will Shipley: The third-year running back from Clemson was running with great power and vision on Saturday night. He was finding holes and then kept his legs churning to pick up extra yards. Shipley finished with 56 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown. He has looked good in this preseason, but is locked behind Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby on the depth chart.
WR Darius Cooper: After an uncharacteristic drop last week in the preseason, Cooper was the best receiver on the field in this game. His 25-yard catch-and-run was one of the biggest plays of the first half. He made a linebacker miss and got up the field. Cooper had 3 catches for 44 yards.
RB Carson Steele: Not to be outdone, Steele picked up the slack when Shipley was out of the game. He even hurdled a Patriots CB Brandon Crossley and then had another hurdle later into the end zone. Steele showed ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He also had a nice blitz pickup on a big fourth-quarter completion.
QB Tanner McKee: While Andy Dalton struggled again, McKee looked way better than he did last week. He simply looks like the better quarterback right now. He was able to get into a rhythm in this new offense a couple times at the end of the first half and early in the second half. He was quick and decisive and was way more accurate than we saw in Week 1 of the preseason. McKee didn’t finish the game as strong, but I’d really like to see him start with the second-stringers next week.
OLB Joshua Weru: The Kenyan outside backer picked up a sack in the third quarter on a great rush. This is his second-ever football game and he keeps flashing. He beat sixth-round pick Dametrious Crownover on that rep. Weru faked spiking in like it was a stunt and then beat Crownover to the edge.
DT Uar Bernard: After failing to get on the stat sheet in his first-ever football game, Bernard had a couple tackle in the fourth quarter. Huge steps from him and Weru.
CB Shaun Wade: The former UFL cornerback had his second straight game with a forced fumble. He popped a ball loose in the fourth quarter.
WR Hollywood Brown: The veteran did not suit up for this game after playing in the preseason opener. Brown got off to a slow start in training camp but had some better practices in New England this week. On top of his performance, Brown’s one-year contract includes $5 million in guaranteed money.
OC Sean Mannion: Mannion called this game from the booth and seemed to find a better rhythm as a play-caller. It’s unclear if this will be what he chooses going forward, but it seemed to help on Saturday night.
Stock down
QB Andy Dalton: I just don’t see it. There were some really ugly throws from Dalton in another rough outing. His longest completion came on a catch-and-run from Darius Cooper. The Eagles’ offense looked good for a while but on the strength of the run game. Dalton’s final stat line tonight: 3/10, 44 yards, passer rating of 45.4. He nearly threw a pick too, but it was negated by a roughing the passer call.
CB Ambry Thomas: The Eagles’ cornerback gave up a 69-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Williams down the right sideline a play after missing a tackle. It was a rough series for the depth cornerback.
WR Quez Watkins: While Watkins has had a decent training camp, he had one really rough series in this game. Andy Dalton threw the ball his way on three straight passes — three straight incompletions that led to a punt in the second quarter.
TE Eli Stowers: We’re still waiting to see some flashes from the Eagles’ second-round pick. He was targeted twice in this game and didn’t have a catch. He was out of uniform for the second half, which means he might have gotten banged up.
CB Mac McWilliams: McWilliams started this game and had a few tackles before leaving with an apparent injury. McWilliams is firmly on the roster bubble and hasn’t been doing much to make the team.
CB Kelee Ringo: Another game, another penalty for Ringo, who was called for an illegal contact in the second quarter. But after this penalty, he didn’t get an interception like he did last week. In fact, Ringo did have a PBU but it should have been an interception.
OG Michael Jordan: The Eagles brought in Jordan as some veteran guard depth but he’s not likely to make the team. Jordan gave up a pressure that led to the fourth-down incompletion in the third quarter and is clearly behind plenty of other players on the depth chart.
WR Johnny Wilson: The former sixth-round pick suffered ankle and knee injuries last training camp that kept him out for his entire second season. Wilson returned to the field this summer with a real chance to make the roster as a bigger-bodied receiver but recently landed on the injury list and was waived with an injury designation on Friday and has since reverted to Injured Reserve. It’s a shame that injuries have derailed his career for now.
OLB Keyshawn James-Newby: The seventh-round edge rusher returned to practice recently but has been a limited participant as he recovers from an ankle injury. He was unable to play in this game and his chances at earning a roster spot — through no fault of his own — are slipping away.
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