Philadelphia Eagles

Seven takeaways from Eagles final preseason game

Published Sep. 4, 2015 10:00 a.m. ET

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By Tyler Bolton-Fuhrman

The Philadelphia Eagles battled the New York Jets in the Meadowlands tonight, and came up just short, 24-18.

There’s something subtly intriguing about watching a fourth and final preseason game played by a bunch of fringe players fighting for their lives trying to make a roster. There were a number of things to takeway from tonight’s action, so let’s get right to it.

Here are a few things we learned tonight:

1. Kiko Alonso makes his Eagles debut

The legend that is Kiko Alonso finally made his first appearance in an Eagles uniform.

Previously hindered by tendinitis in his left knee, the inside linebacker looked as good as he could for only playing a single series, but it was refreshing to see him get some real, meaningful snaps. You have to feel a little bit better about him heading into Atlanta Week 1.

It’s pretty exciting that this team has yet to unveil Alonso and fellow inside ‘backer Mychal Kendricks at the same time.

2. Matt Barkley is not an NFL caliber quarterback

Okay, so most of us knew this already. But it’s honestly amazing how little Barkley has done to separate himself from a guy that’s been out of the league for two years. Barkley has been in Chip Kelly’s system for three years now, and it’s abundantly clear that he just doesn’t have it.

On his second pass of the game, he under threw a wide open Josh Huff, who would have had a touchdown if Barkley had any kind of arm strength. The Jets intercepted the pass and Barkley continues to be a turnover machine.

Forget a trade – Barkley’s NFL career might be done.

3. Tim Tebow is your third string quarterback

Not that this also wasn’t obvious, but Tebow led a nice, long drive right before the half, and capped it off with a perfect throw to Rasheed Bailey in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.

While Tebow doesn’t necessarily make the offense hum like it should, his versatility as a runner puts him over the top. He also forces defensive coordinators to spend a little bit of extra time game-planning for potential two-point conversion attempts, as well as quarterback keepers.

4. Jaylen Watkins makes a strong push for nickel cornerback

Watkins made one hell of an interception near the Jets goal-line to put the Eagles in immediate scoring position. He read the eyes of New York quarterback Matt Flynn, made a great break on the ball, and leapt with outstretched arms to bring in the pick. Nice, athletic play by the second year player who has failed to stand out most of the summer.

At this point, however, I’d expect the Eagles to operate mostly out of their base defense and bring safety Walter Thurmond down to the slot when opposing offenses trot out three-receiver sets. Defensive coordinator Billy Davis just can’t feel comfortable putting Watkins or rookie Eric Rowe in that spot. Speaking of Rowe….

5. The 2015 second round pick struggled tonight

The Eagles have high expectations for rookie cornerback Eric Rowe, and rightfully so. He has all the physical tools you want on the outside. However, he’s looked shaky this summer, especially in tonight’s game. Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com puts it bluntly, "Rowe has regressed the past two games."

He’s been beaten clean a number of times, but perhaps none looked as bad than tonight when he fell down after being juked out of his socks by a Jets wide receiver.

There’s certainly no reason to panic with Rowe quite yet, but you’d like to see him make more plays than he has, especially going up against third string quality wideouts. If I’m a quarterback facing this team’s secondary and Rowe is in the game, I’m challenging him early and often.

6. Don’t count out Bryan Braman to get meaningful snaps as an OLB

With Marcus Smith being Marcus Smith, and the Eagles overall lack of depth at outside linebacker, do not be surprised if Bryan Braman occasionally makes an appearance with the defense.

He’s been an animal this preseason – not only on special teams’ coverage but also as a pass rusher. At the very least, he can be a threat to get after the passer which is more than you can say for Smith.

7. Extra Points: Roster Battles Playing Out

Our own Aaron Mabe laid out three Eagles players that were fighting for a roster spot tonight, and here is how I see those players shaking out:

Tim Tebow: In. As described earlier, Tebow did just enough to prove worthy of a roster spot, getting the nod over Barkley.

John Moffitt: In. Moffitt has looked incredibly shaky this preseason, but the depth along the offensive line is just so thin at this point that it would be a pretty big surprise if Moffitt fails to make the cut. He’s understandably rusty after not playing football in over a year, but the Eagles simply don’t have that many options along that front. I’m assuming their hope is that he continues to improve so that if they need him in a pinch, he can step in and perform.

Ed Reynolds: Out. Reynolds made a few plays this preseason, but let’s face it – he had an interception gift-wrapped to him in the preseason game against the Colts, and while the other one was a nice play, it was against a backup NFL quarterback. He just hasn’t contributed enough to warrant a roster spot, and I feel confident in saying that there are 53 players that are better than him at this point

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