The Philadelphia Eagles preseason opener was filled with uneven play. There were stretches of the game where they looked great, while there were others where they looked completely lost. It was quite the mixed bag for Philadelphia, and it will give the team a lot to work with over the next few weeks before the 2022 regular season kicks off.
As with every game, there are players who stand out, and those who fail to make an impact. Even though preseason play should obviously be taken with a grain of salt, it's important to analyze these games and see what they may mean in the context of the ongoing battles at different positions on the roster.
We've already taken a look at the players on the Eagles roster who impressed in the preseason opener, so now it's time to look at those who struggled and could see their roster spot disappear over the next few days. Let's pick out three players who struggled in the Eagles Week 1 contest and see what that could mean for their future roster outlook.
3 Eagles players who struggled in preseason opener
3. Jalen Reagor
At this point, it seems fair to assume that Jalen Reagor isn't part of the Eagles future plans. He played more than expected, signaling that the Eagles may be intending to trade him before the start of the season. That wouldn't be surprising given how inconsistent Reagor has been to start his career.
Reagor wasn't necessarily bad in this game, but considering how much he played, and who he was playing against (reserves and backups) his stat line of three catches for 26 yards isn't exactly encouraging. It's just another sign that Reagor is not the right fit for the Eagles, and they should be willing to move him for whatever they can get before the season starts up.
Reagor still has some upside as a 2020 first round draft pick, but the Eagles clearly want nothing to do with him anymore. Reagor failed to increase his trade value against the Jets' reserves, though, which isn't going to help the Eagles out in their efforts to get rid of him. Overall, Jalen Reagor's time with Philly appears to be coming to an end, but he made sure to leave Eagles fans with one more disappointing performance before he leaves.
2. Reid Sinnett
Making it in the NFL as an undrafted quarterback is very tough nowadays, and Reid Sinnett is finding that out the hard way. Sinnett went undrafted out of the 2020 NFL Draft, and has been looking for a home ever since. He joined the Eagles last season after spending time with the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers previously.
At times during the spring, Sinnett has looked better than Jalen Hurts' presumed backup, Gardner Minshew. Yet that wasn't the case against the Jets, as Sinnett looked out of his depth. His final numbers aren't bad (9/17, 81 YDS, 1 TD) but until the final drive, in which he nearly marched the offense down the field to win it for the Eagles, he was shaky. His accuracy was off and he struggled to evade pressure from the Jets.
Sinnett may stick around as a third-stringer or practice squad option, but those who genuinely believed that he was pushing Minshew to be the backup option were dealt a harsh blow in the preseason opener. Sinnett is still looking to find some consistency in his game, and his struggles in Week 1 of the preseason may have cost him his only shot at challenging Minshew for the Eagles backup quarterback job.
1. Deon Cain
Deon Cain has struggled to find a home ever since he entered the league in 2018 as a sixth round pick. He had been a standout performer for the Eagles early in training camp, and developed a quick rapport with Minshew when he found himself under center.
Unfortunately for Cain, he wasn't able to translate that to the Eagles preseason opener. Cain has just one catch for 14 yards against the Jets, failing to make the same offensive impact he had been making early on in camp for the Eagles. The hype surrounding his spring performance has quickly cooled off as a result.
The Eagles revamped their wide receiver room this offseason, meaning it's going to be tough for Cain to find a roster spot, especially if he keeps on failing to produce like he did in Week 1 of the preseason. If Reagor gets traded, that would help Cain's chances of making the roster, but otherwise it's going to be an uphill battle. There's still time for Cain to turn things around, but he missed a great opportunity to build off his solid start to training camp, and it may come back to hurt him.
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