Philadelphia Eagles: 3 Players demanding attention vs. Patriots in preseason

As the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Patriots in the second week of NFL Preseason play, which players should fans be honed in on for Thursday night?

It’s most definitely a new era for the Philadelphia Eagles as quarterback Jalen Hurts tries to cement himself as the franchise quarterback while the team continues to reshape the rest of the roster as well. That journey will see the club welcome the New England Patriots to Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night in the second week of the 2021 NFL preseason.

Hurts will undoubtedly continue to be heavily in focus as the second-year signal-caller showed some positive signs in the preseason opener. It’s all about maintaining that, though, proving that he can be a consistent driving force for the offense. So, obviously, fans will want to be tuned into what he does working under center.

But who else should fans be watching as they demand attention for this Preseason Week 2 matchup? We have a trio of Philadelphia Eagles rookies who deserve the spotlight against New England.

Philadelphia Eagles to pay close attention to vs. Patriots in Preseason Week 2

3. DeVonta Smith, WR – There’s no guarantee that Smith will be on the field against New England as he just returned to practicing from a knee sprain not long ago. However, since he was cleared to work with the team, he’s continued to draw rave reviews as a potential work-horse for the Eagles offense.

Assuming he’s 100 percent healthy, getting the first look at Smith will be key. While Jalen Reagor made a highlight-reel catch, he’s not been a reliable weapon in any type of game action to this point. Thus, Hurts and the Philly offense need the rookie first-rounder to come in and be a target hog who attacks all levels of the field. Even if only for a series or two, it will be fascinating to see how he does in that role.

2. Patrick Johnson, EDGE – Johnson isn’t going to be competing for a starting job anytime soon with veterans Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat at the top of the depth chart. Having said that, the rookie is trying to prove he deserves to make the roster and Thursday may offer the biggest opportunity for him to fully prove that.

With Genard Avery and Joe Ostman out of the lineup, Johnson should see a good amount of reps as a move piece on the edge in the Eagles’ hybrid defense. If he can prove to be a pass-rushing presence capable of getting into the Patriots backfield, that will go a long way in him making his case to be left out of the final 53-man cuts.

1. Kenneth Gainwell, RB – Reports early out of training camp were that rookie running back Kenny Gainwell, a player many were excited about, was struggling. But in limited work in the preseason opener, the Memphis product flashed some nice playmaking. Now he’ll have an even larger chance to prove that he could be the backup to Miles Sanders.

With Sanders not playing and the depth chart shaken up by injuries (or a lack of need to see more of veteran Jordan Howard), Gainwell should get the majority of the backfield touches against New England. If he can follow up his debut with another strong performance, that will help to erase any bad tastes left from his early camp showings.