Eagles stock up, stock down after preseason game vs. Baltimore

BALTIMORE — The Eagles rested some of their offensive and defensive stars but there was still plenty to watch on Friday night.

The Eagles ended up winning 16-13 in a thriller over the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. As far as preseason finishes go, this one was pretty exciting. But the preseason isn’t really about wins or losses.

So here are some stock up and stock down players from the game:

Stock up 

CB Quinyon Mitchell

The Eagles’ rookie got the start on Friday and played both outside corner and in the slot. He nearly had a diving interception in the first quarter. Mitchell continues to play a ton in the slot and it seems pretty obvious the Eagles are preparing him for this role in the season. Even though it’s a relatively new position for the rookie, he doesn’t look out of place. It was also telling that Mitchell was out of the game before Kelee Ringo.

RB Will Shipley

Shipley got the Eagles in the end zone with a 7-yard touchdown catch late in the first quarter. He also ended up with 7 carries for 23 yards and had a good rep in pass protection against a blitz, which is something he has struggled with some this summer despite his effort. That was a big moment for the rookie fourth-round pick.

LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

The young Axe Man began his evening with a big tackle on special teams and then stayed on the field for a defensive series and picked up a huge sack on third down. Trotter chased down Josh Johnson on 3rd-and-2 for a no-gain to force a punt. Trotter has looked good all summer and his instincts were on full display Friday night.

DE Jalyx Hunt

The third-round pick was asked to drop in coverage quite a bit on Friday night and looked smooth doing it. Some edge rushers look so out of place in space but Hunt’s background of a safety really benefits him here. He had a nice tackle in coverage in the first half.

WR Britain Covey

The Eagles’ offense wasn’t explosive with Pickett at quarterback but Covey had 4 catches for 25 yards. But he also had a nifty 26-yard punt return. The Eagles brought in a bunch of guys with the ability to return punts but this play was a good reminder that he’s really good at this.

CB Kelee Ringo

Ringo was the outside cornerback opposite Isaiah Rodgers. While Rodgers appears to be ahead of him in the pecking order, Ringo had a nice first half with a couple of pass breakups. He showed some confidence after each too. Ringo outplayed Rodgers on Friday.

LB Patrick Johnson

The fourth-year edge rusher came through with a huge strip-sack late in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning Jake Elliott field goal. Johnson has been a special teams mainstay in recent seasons and is pushing hard for a roster spot again in 2024.

Stock down

QB Kenny Pickett 

Last year with the Steelers, Pickett was incredible in the preseason. That didn’t continue this year. Pickett played a half and a drive, completing 14 of 22 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. He averaged just 4.0 yards per attempt. Pickett also took a couple of sacks. Of course, he was playing behind mostly the second-team offensive line but he wasn’t great. I’d really like to see Tanner McKee get time with the second-team offense in a preseason game.

OL Matt Hennesy

In the fourth quarter of the first preseason game, Hennessy got called for a hold as he got bowled over by Josh Tupou. The fact that Hennessy is playing into the fourth quarter as a veteran isn’t a great sign and the holding penalty didn’t help his case.

OG Tyler Steen

It’s not that Steen played poorly — he actually did some good things — but he was the second right guard in after Mekhi Becton. It seems obvious that Becton is ahead of him. Give credit to Steen for fighting through his ankle injury again on Friday but it’s clear he’s still not 100 percent. Steen was also called for an offensive hold but we shouldn’t kill him for that — it was a bit ticky tacky.

WR Ainias Smith

The rookie has struggled in camp and that continued in his first preseason game. Even as a punt returner, Smith just doesn’t look comfortable. On one return, he reversed field and just when you thought he might have a big play, he fumbled the ball. Luckily, it went out of bounds. Smith did end up having a 7-yard catch on 3rd-and-6 in the fourth quarter. Maybe that will help him turn his summer around.

TE Albert Okwuegbunam

The Eagles traded for Albert O last summer after he had an incredible third preseason game with the Broncos. But he wasn’t able to make the most of his opportunities in this game. He was targeted 3 times but had just 1 catch for 6 yards.

John Harbaugh

For whatever reason, the Ravens’ coach really cares about winning preseason games. He made Justin Tucker kick a 21-yard field goal in the second quarter because the All-Pro definitely needs the work. And he also punted on a 4th-and-3 from his own 35-yard line late in the second quarter and then kicked an extra point to tied the game at 13-13 in the fourth quarter. C’mon, John.

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