Reminder: it’s preseason! However, the film still provided useful information about the Eagles’ offensive line depth. The second-string line bullied the Patriots’ backup defensive front throughout the opening drives, both individually and collectively. Drew Kendall, Willie Lampkin and Markel Bell all produced impressive moments, so I quite enjoyed this one because of this. The Eagles appear to have an absurd amount of young talent along the interior.
A few schematic details were also worth monitoring.
The Eagles used several C-gap insert concepts, with a receiver coming inside to block through the C-gap (the gap to the outside shoulder of the tackle). The Rams have used this frequently in recent seasons, and Mannion appears interested in incorporating it here. Even on the first offensive snap, Darius Cooper ran a deep route through the C-gap. It is only preseason, but this feels like a feature of the new offense. I forgot to clip up the Cooper route, so shoutout to Devin Jackson for supplying the goods…
The opening clip summarizes the positive side of the game perfectly. Outside zone requires the entire offensive line to work together, and the Eagles’ backup unit was excellent here. The initial movement created horizontal displacement across the front, while the individual blocks remained connected long enough for Will Shipley to press the run through the B-gap for a nice gain. Markel Bell looks so strong in his upper body, and he tosses the edge out of the club to create a huge hole.
Shipley deserves credit, too. He carried 11 times for 56 yards and a touchdown, running with good vision and decisiveness behind the backup line. The blocking made his job easier, but he consistently identified the available lane and ran hard through contact. He looks a decent fit for this new outside zone world that we are living in.
The bigger takeaway is the work of offensive line coach Chris Kuper. A lot of these outside-zone principles are relatively new to this group, yet the line already looks comfortable working in unison. When outside zone is executed this cleanly, it remains one of the most satisfying concepts to watch. It doesn’t get much better than this.
The success of the running game created opportunities for Mannion to build easy answers off the same presentation. This is a straightforward under-center play-action concept, with the action flowing away from outside zone before Andy Dalton finds Darius Cooper in space. Football does not always need to be complicated. If the defense respects the run action, the offense should be willing to take the simple completion.
Cooper’s athleticism does the rest. He makes the linebacker miss immediately and turns an easy throw into a much larger gain. Cooper finished with three receptions for 44 yards on four targets, and his movement skills stood out whenever the ball reached him in space. He looks very fluid and powerful as a route runner and with the ball in his hands.
This is the type of sequencing I want to see from the Eagles. Establish the outside-zone action, force the linebackers to react, and then attack the space created by their movement. The regular-season defense will not always make it this easy, but the relationship between the run and pass concepts is encouraging. It’s something we just haven’t seen enough of (or at times, at all) in recent years.
Markel Bell’s best snaps are incredibly physical, but there are still moments where the rawness of his game becomes evident. He loses this rep and allows penetration, contributing to a two-yard loss. I did like Eli Stowers’ willingness to block the cornerback on the perimeter. It is not a dominant rep, but he competes and gives the runner an opportunity. He still didn’t block well in this one, but the effort was there.
The real reason to highlight the play, though, is Willie Lampkin. His finish is outstanding. Lampkin’s size will always lead to questions about how he will look against starting defensive linemen, but his competitiveness is impossible to miss. He was one of the most impressive Eagles in the first preseason game and continued to make his presence felt against the Patriots. The Eagles’ starting offensive line better play well early, because if Cam Jurgens or Landon Dickerson play like they did last year, these backups will be ready to take away their jobs.
Cooper’s second reception is even more encouraging because it demonstrates traits that can translate against better competition and fit this scheme well. Mannion has shown an interest in attacking the middle of the field, which emphasizes receivers who can separate and finish catches without allowing the ball into their frame as you may take a hit.
Cooper runs a sharp route and plucks the ball cleanly away from his frame before protecting himself from the arriving defender. He has the awareness and athleticism to avoid the bigger hit. There was not a huge amount to learn about the Eagles’ receivers in this game, but Cooper helped himself. He was one of the few pass-catchers who consistently created something when given an opportunity.
Drew Kendall was the standout of the offensive line for me this week. Bell and Lampkin were the most obvious performers in the opening preseason game, but Kendall produced several outstanding blocks against the Patriots. He looked awesome at times. This combination block with Lampkin is close to perfect. They secure the defensive lineman together before Kendall works to the second level without sacrificing the initial block.
These details make the Eagles’ interior depth so exciting. Kendall and Lampkin play with excellent awareness of leverage and timing, and they already look comfortable passing defenders between them. Even Jake Majors made several encouraging plays.
Stowers also deserves another mention here. His block isn’t especially pretty, but his willingness is evident again. The battle for the fourth tight end spot remains up for grabs. I have liked what both EJ Jenkins and Cameron Latu have shown in the running game, with Jenkins flashing as a blocker. At this stage, I do not think Grant Calcaterra should make it, especially when you consider how Eli Stowers plays.
Carson Steele produced some of the most fun moments of the night. He caught six passes for 84 yards and a touchdown, and added 33 yards on 12 carries. He is unlikely to beat Shipley for the primary backup running back role, but his receiving ability and physicality make him interesting. There could be a path to the roster if the Eagles believe he can provide occasional fullback snaps or contribute in multiple offensive packages.
The concern is pass protection. Steele had several shaky reps, particularly during the first half. He improved later, but his protection must become more reliable if versatility is going to be his argument for a roster spot.
I have seen criticism of Cameron Williams based largely on the final offensive play, but I thought he played well again. This rep against Bradyn Swinson is great to see. The protection slides away from him, leaving Williams isolated against an edge rusher with a legitimate two-way go. Williams stays under control, maintains his balance, and prevents Swinson from threatening either outside or inside. These isolated pass-protection snaps matter for me because winning your one-on-one is obviously crucial to being a good lineman.
The Patriots repeatedly failed to cover the flat, gifting the Eagles several easy completions. Regular-season defenses are unlikely to make life this simple. But we can still enjoy Steele hurdling a defender. He catches the ball in space, accelerates upfield and turns an ordinary preseason completion into one of the best highlights of the game. Fun plays like this at least make preseason watchable!
The final offensive play resulted in a sack and fumble, and it is easy to place all the blame on Williams. I think that’s a touch harsh.
Williams appears to anticipate a stunt because of the defensive line’s width, which prevents him from gaining enough depth with his initial kick. That allows the edge rusher to threaten the corner. This is an area Williams has to improve, and it’s one reason he fell last year despite being an excellent athlete. However, Williams recovers reasonably well and begins pushing the rusher beyond the pocket. If Payton climbs up, Williams may have completed an impressive recovery after losing the initial phase of the rep.
Instead, Payton drifts backward and outside, moving directly into the path of the rusher. Williams could have played it better, but good pocket movement can help out offensive linemen a lot. This is a good example of why assigning blame from the broadcast angle or simply looking at which lineman was ‘beat’ can be misleading.
I know Williams is probably unlikely to make the roster, but I’m still rooting for his talent, and I will be happy if he makes it!
Overall, beyond the offensive line, there was not much to get excited about in this one. Andy Dalton struggled for the second consecutive week, completing three of 10 passes for 44 yards. He sailed multiple throws over open receivers, including Stowers, and was fortunate that a potential interception was erased by a roughing-the-passer penalty. I don’t really get how the Eagles are handling the backup quarterback position.
Tanner McKee was better, but I was not blown away by his performance either. He took advantage of the Patriots’ inability to cover underneath areas and operated the offense more effectively than Dalton, but the overall backup-quarterback picture remains a little odd. I’m not exactly sure why the Eagles appear to be giving Dalton the backup quarterback role, but I guess they must be seeing stuff in practice that we aren’t in preseason right now.
However, this game belonged to the backup offensive line. The Eagles appear to have found another collection of young offensive linemen worth developing, and that is comfortably the most useful takeaway from this film for me.
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