Eagles-Browns preseason game: Players to watch
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- After concluding joint practices earlier this week, the Eagles will face the Cleveland Browns in Week 2 of the preseason at Lincoln Financial Field Thursday night.
Last week, the Eagles fell to the Baltimore Ravens, 20-19.
Here are some Eagles players to watch in the game, with the starters are expected to get the night off:
Jalen Carter
In his first preseason snap, Carter used his power and speed to burst through the Ravens' offensive line to force an incomplete pass and record a quarterback hit.
RELATED: What makes Jalen Carter stand out, according to Eagles Pro Bowl edge rusher Haason Reddick
Carter's dominant play continued in joint practices this week. He had two sacks and a fumble recovery Monday and apparently knocked over Browns All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio during a rep Tuesday.
Carter might not play a lot Thursday night like he did last week, but all eyes will be on the No. 9 overall pick as Eagles fans will see him for the first time under the lights at the Linc.
Nolan Smith
Smith, the Eagles' other first-round pick, had moments against the Ravens but didn't flash as much as Carter. He had one rush where he got a quarterback hit and nearly came away with a strip sack.
Nolan Smith's traits are through the roof - excited to see it all come together for him as a pass rusher. In the mean time, flashes like this are great to see! #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/80oTO4GcDI
— Fran Duffy (@EaglesXOs) August 15, 2023
Smith will be in the Eagles' rotation of edge rushers this season, but he's also been deployed at off-ball linebacker in Sean Desai's defense throughout training camp.
It'll be interesting to see if he gets some looks at the position vs. Cleveland.
Sydney Brown
Staying with the Eagles' 2023 draft picks, Brown, the third-round safety out of Illinois, made his presence known last week. He racked up a team-high nine tackles vs. Baltimore.
Brown was flying around the field against the Ravens, which led to him earning some reps with the first-team defense alongside presumed starter, Reed Blankenship, this week in joint practices.
Brown caused a scuffle during joint practices vs. the Browns this week after he ran over Browns running back Demetric Felton as Blankenship returned an interception.
Cleveland didn't appreciate Brown's hit, calling it "cheap."
Brown is competing for the second starting spot against K'Von Wallace, Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds.
Sydney Brown has been flying around all summer and that continued on Saturday in his #Eagles debut
— Fran Duffy (@EaglesXOs) August 16, 2023
9 solo stops on the night and film that showed off his wide-ranging skillset...
✅ Ferocity
✅ Range From The Post
✅ Fearlessness In The Alley
✅ Steady Box Play#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/Surp6qhLii
Nakobe Dean
Last week, Dean didn't play in the first preseason game after dealing with an ankle injury. He's been participating in practice again since the injury and could be in line for some reps at linebacker Thursday.
Dean, who's wearing the green dot to relay the plays to the defense from Desai, could probably use some reps against the Browns in his new role on defense.
Dean was the captain of Georgia's National Championship defense in college, but he was pretty much a special teams player last season.
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The second starting spot alongside Dean isn't penciled in yet, either. Christian Elliss, Nicholas Morrow, Myles Jack, Zach Cunningham and Ben VanSumeren are battling for the spot.
The Eagles lost some depth at linebacker last weekend after special teams ace Shaun Bradley went down with a season-ending Achilles injury.
Tyrie Cleveland
Cleveland faces an uphill battle to make the Eagles' roster.
But, the seventh-round pick by the Broncos in 2020 led the Birds in receiving last week with five catches for 68 yards and appeared to have some chemistry with rookie quarterback Tanner McKee.
The Eagles have four wideouts as locks to make the roster in A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus, so Cleveland will need to outperform Greg Ward and Britain Covey for the fifth spot on the depth chart. There's also a chance the Eagles keep six wideouts, but we won't know that until later this month.
Eli Ricks
Like Cleveland, undrafted rookie free agent Eli Ricks is also a longshot to make the roster.
Last week, he made the most of his opportunities by returning an interception for a touchdown, breaking up two passes and recording one tackle against Baltimore.
Because the Eagles have so much depth at cornerback, it's unlikely Ricks cracks the 53-man roster, but they'd probably like him on the practice squad.
Still, Ricks, once a heavily recruited player out of IMG Academy in Florida, is a guy to keep an eye Thursday night.