Eagles-Browns Quick Hitters

 The Eagles lost an ugly preseason encounter with the Cleveland Browns by a 22-13 margin.

Here's what we saw in capsule form:

QB - The bottom of the Eagles’ depth chart at QB was under duress most of the afternoon, and it showed. Neither handled it well, however, with Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Kyle McCord splitting time and headaches.

DRT’s low point was trouble with a high snap from Brett Toth that turned into a blindside battering by old friend Julian Okwara before another ex-Eagles player, K.J. Henry, returned an ensuing duck for a 45-yard pick-six.

McCord was slightly better but struggled with his accuracy when hurried. At this stage the rookie needs to be kept clean to keep the operation intact.

The waiver wire suddenly doesn’t look as daunting with DRT or McCord.

RB - The fact that Will Shipley got the day off is a sign that the second-year back from Clemson has locked down the backup spot to Saquon Barkley.

Veteran A.J. Dillon got the start and had four touches, one of which was a 14-yard loss after he caught a football that was being batted around, first at the line of scrimmage. Dillon needs to understand the situation and just make sure the football hits the turf. 

It was nice to see undrafted rookie Montrell Johnson get some game action after missing some time with a groin injury, and the Florida product has a live body and presumably, a ticket to the practice squad to start.

Fullback Ben VanSumeren was active today with some solid blocks and work on the kickoff return unit. He did get flagged for a false start.

WR - Jahan Dotson was elevated to the day off, and Johnny Wilson started and played only a handful of snaps, a strong indication that those are your WR3 and WR4.

Ainias Smith generated separation on two inside slants, the first converting a third down and the second being a 9-yard touchdown.

Camp darling Darius Cooper didn’t get any real chances this week, and Terrace Marshall had a chance to pull in a 50-50 ball on a fade by DRT, but came up empty.

TE - Grant Calcaterra joined Dallas Goedert in getting the afternoon off. The contenders for TE3 were Kylen Granson, E.J. Jenkins, and Harrison Bryant, and each was non-descript, with only E.J. Jenkins catching one pass for 12 yards.

Granson had two targets but came up empty. He’s still likely the leader in the clubhouse, however.

OL - Tyler Steen didn’t dress, an acknowledgment that he’s the right guard. The starters from left to right were Kendall Lamm, Bret Toth, Drew Kendall, Darian Kinnard, and Matt Pryor. 

Neither QB was comfortable or kept clean in what a disappointing performance for the O-Line as a whole. Rookie Myles Hinton allowed Okwara to get loose on what was the pick-six going the other way.

DL - Azeez Ojulari is making a late run, generating a speed rush that got to Dillon Gabriel on a third down after the Eagles started the game allowing six consecutive conversions. 

Ty Robinson played into the third quarter and is showing improvement, but his impressive athletic testing numbers still have not translated to the field all that often. 

Patrick Johnson continues to be a preseason star, diagnosing an end-around with his football IQ and making the stop for an 11-yard loss.

LB - Rookie first-round pick Jihaad Campbell had a sack on the opening drive from the second level. Campbell is already special when you let him move downhill.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. played into the third quarter, which may not be the most positive of signs at this stage.

Rookie Smael Mondon needs to ramp up the consistency and UDFA Lance Dixon was active when entering later in the game.

CB - Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo got the start with Jakorian Bennett mixing in. Jackson also broke down the pre-game huddle. 

Nothing was bad, and the closest thing to a splash was Bennett with a nice PBU on a crossing pattern by Gage Larvadain, who gave the Eagles some headaches. Jackson kept the ball in front of him, while Ringo’s biggest miscue was a bad angle while chasing.

Rookie Mac McWilliams got a lot of work outside in the second half and seems to have surpassed Eli Ricks.

Undrafted rookie Brandon Johnson was the starting slot and struggled early before leaving early with an injury. A.J. Woods also left with an injury.