What to watch as Eagles play final preseason game against Jets

The Eagles will finish off their 2021 preseason at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets on Friday night.

This game comes after two joint practices against the Jets on Tuesday and Wednesday. So these two teams are now very familiar with one another.

Here’s what to look out for Friday night.

Not a ton of starters

The Eagles just wrapped up two intense joint practices so there’s a very good chance we won’t see many (if any) starters play in this game.

The question is whether or not the Eagles want Jalen Hurts to play.

Hurts missed the second preseason game at the last minute when he was sent to the hospital to get his stomach checked out. He’s healthy now, but the risk of injury might be enough to keep him out.

On Wednesday morning, when asked if starters were going to play, Sirianni said, “We’re still talking through that.”

Even if any starters do play in this game, don’t expect to see much of them. This game is about the Eagles’ younger players and guys fighting for the last few roster spots.

Cuts are ariving

The Eagles came into this week looking at four “exposures” for their players. The Eagles had an indoor practice by themselves on Sunday, the two joint practices on Tuesday and Wednesday, and this game Friday night. These four days will go a long way in helping them to decide the last few spots on their roster.

Right now, the Eagles have 80 players on their roster. They must be down to 53 by 4:00 on Tuesday. So they will have a lot of cuts to make.

A layoff

With this three-game preseason, the schedule leading into week one is different.

The Eagles will have two full weeks before the opener in Atlanta on September 12. And they’ll have a week and a half after final cuts.

It’s up to each individual team to figure out how to best utilize this time. But it’s almost like they’re coming off a bye week to start the season.

Game information

When: 7:30pm ET
Where: MetLife Stadium
Broadcast: NBC10
Radio: 94.1 WIP