Eagles Preseason Week 1 Takeaways
Kiel Leggere / Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles football is back! Well, the preseason version at least.
After a long offseason and training camp, the 2026 Philadelphia Eagles officially kicked off their first of three preseason matchups of the summer, heading down to the DMV to take on the Baltimore Ravens. Like the recent Eagles preseason games, nearly all of both the Eagles starters on offense and defense did not play during Saturday night’s matchup, opting to keep their key players healthy heading into the regular season.
While the Ravens followed suit, the Eagles were unable to even put up a single point in their preseason opener, losing to the Ravens 24-7. The Eagles avoided being shut out after scoring their first points of the game with two minutes left in the fourth quarter on a six-yard reception from Erik Ezukanma. Rookie fifth-round quarterback Cole Payton tossed the touchdown to Ezukanma after rushing for 45 yards and throwing for 34.
1. Outstanding First Preseason Game From Jeremiah Trotter Jr
Three years ago, if you told me the Eagles had not one, not two, but three starting-caliber inside linebackers, I would’ve said you were crazy. Yet here we are in 2026, and the Eagles have Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell leading the pack starting on defense, with Jeremiah Trotter Jr providing depth.
With Baun not playing tonight and Campbell seeing limited action, it was all Trotter Jr during the first half of the Eagles’ opener. Trotter Jr totaled five tackles, two being solo, and one sack.
The third-year linebacker has seen limited playing time during his time in Philadelphia, mainly only playing on special teams, but has put together a fantastic training camp so far, and has now backed it up with a great first preseason game. He’ll continue to get more and more reps in the next two preseason matchups, and time will tell if it’s enough to see him get real playing time in Vic Fangio’s defense.
2. Eagles Depth Defenders Step Up
The Eagles are projected to still be one of the NFL’s best in 2026, with nearly every position group having one or two of the league’s best at their position. Some position groups are stronger than others, but the things the Eagles need to improve is there dpeth at certain spots, and it seemed like some players began to step up.
One of the big ones was second-year defensive tackle Ty Robinson, who played well into the second half in tonight’s game, recorded two tackles, one being a big sack on Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley.
The defensive line has all of a sudden become one of the most expensive position groups on the team following the signings of Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, and with Moro Ojomo set to hit free agency following this season, the Eagles’ once deep front line is going to take a hit. Robinson has three years remaining on his rookie deal, and a second-year jump seems imminent.
Meanwhile in the secondary, Keelee Ringo had an ok night, as earlier in the game he allowed the first Ravens touchdown, but made up for it by grabbing the first turnover of the season for the Eagles with an interception right before the half.
Riq Woolen will be the Eagles’ other outside corner opposite Quinyon Mitchell, but depth is always important in the secondary, and with Ringo in a contract year, it’s a make of break seaosn for him if he’d like to get paid come March.
3. Slow Offensive Night In Sean Mannion’s Debut
Last season, the Eagles offense was the talk of the league and was truly what held the Birds back from winning back-to-back titles. Former offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was fired as a result, and former Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion was brought in to once again fix Philadelphia’s issue
While the offseason has been hyped up as a brand new offense from Mannion, one that is expected to be an all-around new scheme for the Eagles, the preseason opener didn’t show many signs of success. The Eagles totaled just seven points on 159 total yards, converting just six first downs all night. To make matters worse, 79 of the 159 yards, three of the first downs, and the seven points came during the Eagles’ final drive of the night, when they were already down 24-0.
Now, to be fair, the only players on offense who played tonight that will see significant playing time this season were backup tight end Grant Calcaterra and backup running back Tank Bigsby. Take that, along with the fact that the majority of the offensive playbook wasn’t shown this evening, and the Eagles would have been lucky to score more than a few touchdowns in the opener.
However, 80 total yards of offense, no first downs, and just three first downs is still unacceptable. Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee were at the helm with the Eagles backups for the first three quarters of the night, and all evening long the Eagles just couldn’t move the ball.
The Eagles receivers didn’t help, as Darius Cooper, who’s been one of the best Eagles skill position players this summer, struggled, totaling just two catches for 21 yards on five targets.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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