Two players to watch in Eagles’ second preseason game
The Eagles and Patriots will each play their second preseason game at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night following an intense joint practice on Tuesday. These two Philadelphia players are worth watching.
WR Britain Covey
The Eagles have been trying to find a legitimate No.3 receiver since Nick Sirianni took over as head coach in 2021. Players like Julio Jones, Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus have all come and gone leaving the team vulnerable behind starters A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Parris Campbell, a recent recruit, looked like he was meant for the position, but he has been having groin pain in camp. Against the Ravens on Friday, Covey caught all four of his team’s targets for 25 yards. Jimmy Kempski of phillyvoice.com reports that Covey saw the third-most snaps (38) among wide receivers.
Despite just having four receptions for 42 yards in his two seasons with the team, Covey led the league in punt return yards last year and has been pushing to be the third receiver on the squad.
LB Nakobe Dean
Philadelphia’s unofficial depth chart lists Devin White, Dean, Zack Baun, and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. as starting linebackers. However, Dean started practice with first-team reps on Tuesday.
In the past, the first team would begin every session with White and Baun. Dean later played alongside Baun with the starting lineup, demonstrating his improvement under new defensive coach Vic Fangio.
As a rookie, Dean played only 3 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in 2022 and missed 12 games with an ankle injury last season. On Tuesday, Dean reached Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett on a blitz and broke up a pass intended for tight end Austin Hooper in the end zone, allowing Baun to make the interception.
Philadelphia had high hopes for Dean when it drafted him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. It’s been a struggle so far, but a strong performance on Thursday night can only help the former Butkus Award winner.
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