The NFL and NFLPA have agreed on completely canceling the preseason in 2020 and it’s understandable.
There were plenty of good reasons to eliminate this preseason but that doesn’t mean it’s good for everyone. In fact, there are several players who were probably relying on those preseason games.
Sure, I’ll be able to watch the Eagles practice this summer but I’m a little disappointed about the cancelation of the preseason. Without joint practices, getting live action in practice will be tough this summer.
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With that in mind, here are 10 players I had been looking forward to watching this preseason:
Jason Peters
This will be an unusual training camp for Peters. In recent seasons, he has taken a little over half of the Eagles’ first-team reps in an effort to simply get his body ready for the season. But this year, he’ll need all the reps he can get as he moves from left tackle to right guard. Without a preseason and without joint practices, his first game-like action will come in the season opener in Washington.
Genard Avery
NFL
The Eagles traded a fourth-round pick for Avery during last season but he played just 33 defensive snaps for the Eagles in the second half of the season. Howie Roseman has said they knew trading for Avery was more about the future and he would need a full offseason here to live up to his potential. Well … this hasn’t been a normal offseason. I’d like to see him in game action, but we’ll have to settle for practice time.
Jordan Mailata
It’s hard to believe but this will be Year 3 for the Australian rugby player. Mailata was a project when the Eagles drafted him in 2018 but if he’s going to be on the roster this year, he’ll need to be a legit backup. And with how little actual football experience he has, all the preseason games are important for him.
Jalen Reagor
The first-round pick from TCU will get his first NFL game action in Week 1 now. While he and Carson Wentz have worked out together before and they’ll get time together in practice, getting their timing down in a game setting would have been ideal.
Jalen Hurts
Even if there was a preseason, I wouldn’t have expected the Eagles to tip their hand and show how they might use Hurts in the offense in 2020. But we would have at least seen the second-round pick get his first snaps as an NFL quarterback. With his ability to move, we’re not going to see his full potential in practice. It’s sort of like when I watched Lamar Jackson in those joint practices between the Ravens and Eagles last year and wasn’t impressed. Hurts needs to be in game action to show off what he can really do.
Jalen Mills
After spending the first four years of his career at cornerback, Mills is making the switch to safety and will try to replace Malcolm Jenkins’ vacant spot in the defense. That’s no easy task. Mills played a hybrid position against the Patriots last year but he hasn’t been a safety since his his time at LSU half a decade ago. It would have been nice to have some game time.
Mike Warren
Every year, the Eagles have a few undrafted rookies who have a chance to make the roster. In a normal offseason, I would have put Warren on that list. The Eagles had a draftable grade on the powerful running back from Cincinnati but were able to get him after the draft finished. It’ll be harder for Warren to earn a roster spot without game action, especially because of his tough play style.
Luke Juriga
Along those same lines, Juriga was the highest-paid UDFA in this year’ class. The Eagles gave the Western Michigan center a $16,000 signing bonus and $116,00 guaranteed. Following the money is aways a good way to figure out which UDFAs the Eagles like most. Juriga has a chance to beat out guys like Nate Herbig and Sue Opeta for a roster spot but that will be harder without preseason games.
Marquise Goodwin
The Eagles traded away next to nothing to get Goodwin and then got him to agree to a pay cut, so it’s not like they’re heavily invested in the speedy receiver and former Olympian. But if Goodwin is healthy, he can add some speed to an Eagles offense that was desperate for it last year.
Davion Taylor
The Eagles used a third-round pick on the linebacker from Colorado but it would probably be unwise to have huge expectations for Taylor’s rookie season. After all, his family’s religious beliefs kept him from playing high school football. He spent two years at a JUCO program and two years at Colorado before getting drafted. He’s a great athlete but Taylor is really raw. It would have been fascinating to see how he would have adjusted in NFL game action.
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