Eagles vs. Bengals preseason game: 20 winners, 9 losers, 9 IDKs

The reigning Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in a preseason game last week. Sorry for the delay in me getting to this edition of W-L-IDK. But here it finally is!

Also check out my postgame appearance on The Ringer’s Philly Special podcast with Sheil Kapadia (and Ace Producer Cliff Augustin) for even more analysis.

WINNERS

TEAM HEALTH

So … this category hasn’t aged so well with Landon Dickerson going down in practice on Sunday night. But the concern regarding that injury should serve as a reminder how important it is to get through the summer unscathed. And the Eagles avoided major injuries against the Bengals, in part because they rested the vast majority of their starters.

TOUCHDOWN TANNER MCKEE

Put simply, McKee is very good at throwing the football. He’s accurate. He’s decisive. He’s smart. He gives his receivers chances to make plays.

His numbers from the game: 20/25, 252 yards (10.1 average), 2 TD, 0 INT, 135.3 passer rating.

And that was going up against the Bengals’ starting defense (which was admittedly bad last year and currently lacking top pass rusher Trey Hendrickson) for a portion of the game.

McKee looking good is no fluke. It was fully expected, as we wrote about prior to the game:

I’m only mildly interested in watching Touchdown Tanner because I expect him to be pretty good by this point. He’s previously looked good in the preseason, he looked good in limited regular season action last year, and he’s looked mostly good in practice this summer.

He’s a good player.

The Eagles shouldn’t trade him in 2025. They’re realistically competing for a Super Bowl this year and Jalen Hurts is averaging 1.5 missed games per season since he became a full-time starter. No football city knows the value of a high-level backup quarterback better than Philadelphia does.

After 2025? That’s a different story since McKee will be entering 2026 on the final year of his rookie contract and he could conceivably walk in free agency. But that’s something to figure out in the future, not now.

If I’m Howie Roseman and I’m getting trade offers for McKee, I’m definitely not moving him for a second-round pick. I’d consider a first-round pick depending on the outlook of that team … but 1) I don’t think teams are offering that and 2) I’m still prioritizing McKee’s value this season over future draft capital. The Eagles already have 13 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, by the way. And that includes five picks in the first three rounds and up to eight picks in the first four rounds.

DARIUS COOPER

For those who are new to Cooper, I’ll share this again in case you missed it from my August 3 training camp practice notes:

Speaking of Darius Cooper, he’s intriguing. Did you realize that he led all NCAA wide receivers at any level (Division I FBS, Division I FBS, Division II, Division III) in receiving yards at Tarleton State last year? He had 1,449, which is 67 more than second-place Nick Nash (who is 26 years old) and 133 more than third-place Tetairoa McMillan (who was the No. 8 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft). Cooper played two more games than those players … but he saw 46 fewer targets than Nash and five fewer than McMillan. Cooper only ranked tied for the 15th most targets with 125 (8.9 per game). Cooper’s production wasn’t just about pure volume; he was pretty efficient with 19.1 yards per reception and 14 touchdowns. Only two out of 744 qualifying players ranked above him in yards per route run. On Sunday, Cooper beat Eli Ricks to make an over-the-shoulder catch down the right sideline. He made some other catches and also showed some juice on a kick return. As it currently stands, I don’t think Cooper makes the roster. But it’ll be interesting to watch him in the preseason. He’s at least done enough to warrant a practice squad spot.

I only regret not speaking more highly of Cooper in that moment. Especially since I claimed him as my “camp crush” to PHLY’s Bo Wulf, who singles out someone like that for his podcast each year. Nevertheless, Cooper is my guy.

Cooper looked pretty awesome against the Bengals, leading the Eagles in targets (seven), receptions (six), yards (82), and receiving touchdowns (one, tied with Ainias Smith). He gets open. He makes difficult grabs. He shakes defenders to get yards after the catch.

Since this game, the Eagles have given Cooper more first-team reps. They’ve also had him prominently rep at kick returner and gunner on punt coverage. They’re giving him a real chance to make this roster, if he’s not on it already, which he should be.

Allow me to get ahead of myself and point out that Dotson is a free agent after this season. Maybe Cooper is WR3 as soon as next year.

TYLER STEEN

Steen got the start at right guard. He was involved in creating a massive hole for Will Shipley’s 38-yard run. He didn’t play after the first drive, which indicates the Eagles saw all they needed to see from him. Steen will be a starter this season.

JAHAN DOTSON

Like Steen, Dotson only played on the Eagles’ first drive. He caught both of his targets for 27 yards and two first downs. Looked good.

JAKORIAN BENNETT

Bennett didn’t play on Thursday night but he’s a winner by virtue of neither Kelee Ringo nor Adoree’ Jackson stepping up to seize the starting cornerback job. He’s since rotated in with the first-team defense during practice.

JOHNNY WILSON

Wilson’s really rebounded after a rough start to training camp. It was good to see him use his size to make jump ball catches on passes from McKee. He also made a nice adjustment to the ball in the air for another grab. All told, three receptions resulted in 73 yards. Wilson’s roster spot once appeared to be in jeopardy but that’s no longer the case.

AINIAS SMITH

Smith’s three targets resulted in two catches for 11 yards and one touchdown. Nothing especially intriguing there. But he did finally show some juice as a punt returner by making multiple defenders miss to gain 46 yards. Perhaps he’ll be the primary punt returner.

AJ DILLON

Dillon’s appearance on Thursday night was his first game action in nearly one year to the day. If there was any question about him still being able to play, it should be over now. He looked solid with five catches for 27 yards (5.4 average) and three receptions for 27 yards. Could do worse for a backup running back.

SHUNDERRICK POWELL

The undrafted rookie from Central Arkansas logged six carries for 32 yards and one touchdown. He clearly has some juice as a runner, as evidenced by his 19-yard gain. Powell is deserving of a spot on the practice squad.

JEREMIAH TROTTER JR.

Getting the start at off-ball linebacker, Trot Jr. led the Eagles in total tackles (six) and generated one of the Eagles’ two total quarterback hits (yikes, low number). Trot Jr. just looks comfortable out there. He always seems to be in the right position.

TY ROBINSON

A stunting Robinson logged the Eagles’ sole sack on Thursday night. It was a physical hit, which is fitting for his play-style. Robinson also logged a team-high three pressures; no one else had more than one. Of course, it helped that he played the most snaps of any Eagles defender.

GABE HALL

Hall got banged up in Sunday night’s practice, so, we’ll have to see where he’s at. But he was active on Thursday night as he was credited with one pressure and one run stop. The Eagles might not have traded Thomas Booker if they didn’t feel as good as they do about Hall.

KYLEN GRANSON

Nothing flashy but Granson caught his three targets for 28 yards. Harrison Bryant, meanwhile, did not receive a target. Granson is rising above the competition for the TE3 job.

ANDRE’ SAM

We’ve been including Sam on our 53-man roster projections dating back to May. Not sure that he has top-notch upside as a defender but he’s been competent there and he’s also looking like a plus special teams player. If he’s not on the roster, he’s a top candidate to be temporarily elevated from the practice squad early in the season.

PATRICK JOHNSON

They don’t call him “Preseason Patrick” for nothing. OK, no one actually calls him that. But good on him for following up a sack that got wiped out due to a penalty with an interception on a screen pass. Johnson has shown more than Azeez Ojulari has this summer, though that’s not saying much.

BRADEN MANN

Mann booted a 65-yard punt. He also made an extra point kick while getting some practice as the emergency kicker.

KEVIN PATULLO

Evaluating coordinators in the preseason isn’t easy given the vanilla play-calling and such but, hey, the Eagles’ offense played pretty well on Thursday night. The Birds scored on five of first six drives with three touchdowns and two field goals. 432 yards of offense and 34 points ain’t too shabby.

DREW KENDALL

Kendall led all Eagles offensive players in snaps played with 58 (78%). Seems like the Eagles are giving him an extended look to show what he’s got at center. For what it’s worth, Kendall was Philly’s highest-graded offensive lineman by Pro Football Focus standards.

LAEKIN VAKALAHI

Vakalahi was the Eagles’ lowest-graded offensive player by PFF standards. So, why is he in the winners section? Well, the guy didn’t even start playing football until last year. The Eagles didn’t trust him to play actual game snaps until late in the fourth quarter of their final preseason game last year. That Vakalahi, who is very much a long-term project, is actually set to play in multiple games this summer is a positive sign for his development. He needs the reps to have a chance to improve.

LOSERS

KELEE RINGO

Going up against Ja’Marr Chase is no easy task. But Ringo playing tight coverage only to allow a reception at the catch point has all too often been his story this summer. Also, the missed tackle on Chase’s catch-and-run touchdown was obviously really bad.

Ringo might still end up being the Eagles’ Week 1 starting cornerback. But he just hasn’t seized the job the way the team has hoped he would.

ADOREE’ JACKSON

Jackson seems to be managing to not get beat over the top by instead allowing a lot of cushion underneath.

SMAEL MONDON JR.

Mondon Jr. has had a strong training camp but boy did he struggle in his first preseason game action. The rookie linebacker missed tackles and got beat in coverage. Disappointing to see after he was entrusted to start next to Trot Jr. in this game.

THE COLLECTIVE OF EAGLES EDGE RUSHERS

All Eagles edge rushers combined to generate zero sacks, zero QB hits, and zero TFLs. That’s not good.

ELIJAH COOKS

Cooks suffered a shoulder injury while playing special teams. He was knocked out of the game after logging just one offensive snap. Bummer that we didn’t get to see the training camp standout have a chance to make some plays. The injury might cost him the roster spot he was pushing for.

KENYON GREEN

Green also suffered a shoulder injury on Thursday night. This is his second different injury since training camp began. He’s not trending in a good way to make the roster.

MYLES HINTON

The rookie left tackle was charged with two sacks allowed and two penalties. He’ll make the roster but it doesn’t seem like he’s ready to play this season.

AVERY WILLIAMS

Williams underwhelmed as a returner and he didn’t even see any offensive snaps. He hasn’t justified a roster spot to this point.

KYLE MCCORD

In fairness, his supporting cast was limited. But 1/5 for 8 yards and an interception just wasn’t a good debut by the local rookie. McCord has been outplayed by Dorian Thompson-Robinson for the third quarterback role since training camp began.

I DON’T KNOWS

WILL SHIPLEY

Not trying to sound like the Los Angeles Rams here (‘Take away Saquon Barkley’s big runs and what did he really even do to us!’) but … take away Shipley’s one run for 38 yards, which was aided by a massive gap to run through, and the backup running back had six carries result in just 10 yards. That’s not great. But it is a good sign for Shipley’s stock that he played early and got pulled out of the game to give way to AJ Dillon. The coaching staff seems to view Shipley as RB2.

COOPER DEJEAN

As a key starter, DeJean didn’t play on Thursday night. But the developments from that game can make one wonder: where is his best fit in this secondary? Is truly at safety in base, where he’s currently playing when not manning the slot in nickel? Or do the Eagles go back to what they were doing in spring practices where DeJean is the outside cornerback opposite from Quinyon Mitchell in base defense? Or do the Eagles manage to find an entirely new nickel defender to allow DeJean to play full-time at safety or outside corner? I don’t know yet how this plays out.

JIHAAD CAMPBELL

Campbell didn’t get the start at off-ball linebacker; Trot Jr. and Mondon Jr. were ahead of him. Campbell did enter the game on the Eagles’ second drive. Vic Fangio got into the reasoning for that while speaking on Saturday morning.

Q. With LB Smael Mondon and LB Jihaad Campbell at off ball linebacker, why did Smael start do you think? How did you think he performed? Vic Fangio: Yeah, Smael started, we were going to play all those [guys], him, Trot, and Campbell equally and Campbell would’ve started, but then a day or two before the game, the trainers asked if we only play Jihaad as much fewer snaps coming up. So it made sense to not start him. There’d be a logical rest period for those other two guys.

Perhaps this reasoning is genuine. But Fangio also recently talked about perhaps putting a little too much on Campbell’s plate.

Campbell ultimately played just 15 snaps, which was the second fewest of any Eagles defender on Thursday night. Mondon Jr. played 36 and Trot Jr. played 31. And they were still playing deep into the game.

It’s probably a matter of time until Campbell starts. The upside is tantalizing. But he’s not hardly a finished product; it’s not fair to expect him to play as well as their 2024 first-round pick did last year. Campbell dropped a diving interception and he was flagged for illegal hands to the face.

I don’t know that he’ll be starting in Week 1. But he definitely will be playing this season.

SYDNEY BROWN

Brown was marked down for a team-high two missed tackles. He didn’t seem to majorly struggle in coverage. He hasn’t been impressive this summer. But he also hasn’t played himself out of a starting job. And he’s benefited from Andrew Mukuba missing time. I don’t know if he’s the Week 1 starter, though.

ANDREW MUKUBA

Mukuba missed this game. It’s not like Brown played so well that Mukuba can’t catch up to him. But training camp is more than halfway through and there are just two preseason games left. Mukuba needs to make up ground fast to realistically have a chance at starting.

DORIAN THOMPSON-ROBINSON

DTR would be not be super inspiring for QB2 standards. But he’s pretty intriguing for QB3 standards. He continues to outplay McCord. I liked that DTR didn’t run around too much on Thursday night. We already know he’s capable of making plays with his legs. He has more to prove as a passer.

JAKE ELLIOTT

Elliott was perfect on kicks that actually counted. He made a 44-yard field goal, a 23-yard field goal, and three extra point kicks. But he did missed a 55-yard field goal attempt that was ultimately wiped out due to a Bengals penalty. And Elliott really struggled on kicks from 50+ last year (2/9). Would be good to see him hit one from deep over the next two preseason games.

CHARLEY HUGHLETT

The Eagles’ veteran long snapper was limited in practice last week due to a neck injury. He didn’t play on Thursday night. And now he’s missed two straight practices. Is he definitely the LS when healthy or will the Eagles pivot to undrafted rookie Christian Johnstone, who didn’t have any apparent issues on Thursday night?

ELI RICKS

Ricks was credited with a tied for team-high two passes defensed … but one of those was a dropped interception thrown at him and another was borderline pass interference. Ricks has had a better summer than he did last year but Fangio doesn’t seem to trust him. Jakorian Bennett has already overtaken Ricks on the depth chart.

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