The Eagles sat 26 players on Sunday, but that didn’t stop quarterback Gardner Minshew from an efficient first half of football at FirstEnergy Stadium.
With most of the starters from both teams resting after two days of joint practices, several key reserves had breakout performances as teams star to trim their rosters down to 80 players by Tuesday.
Both teams were offensively efficient in the rainy conditions, while the Philadelphia defense needs to improve their tackling and run-pass recognition during the second half.
With the second-half set to begin, here are five key takeaways from the first half.
Gardner Minshew was sharp
Nick Sirianni played Minshew the entire first half, and after some training camp struggles, the backup quarterback responded by going 14-17 for 142-yards and a 101.5 QBR.
Deon Cain outplaying Jalen Reagor
Philadelphia is trying to highlight Reagor, but Deon Cain stole the show with two big-time catches.
Light work @cainera1_🙌 pic.twitter.com/RM88hJF7Ml
— CAA Football (@CAA_Football) August 21, 2022
Josh Jobe continuing to impress
The undrafted rookie got the run with Philadelphia’s second-team over other veterans, and he was impressed with several tough stops.
Jobe has seven tackles and one pass defended in the first half.
Jobe is going to make the 53-man roster.
Eagles could be sellers
Philadelphia has a fantastic amount of depth on the offensive line, and that depth could provide assets for potential roster improvements.
Andre Dillard looked dominant on Sunday, and the entire second unit has strength and versatility.
#GiveItToGainwell
pic.twitter.com/W7HQBNgx1f— CAA Football (@CAA_Football) August 21, 2022
Random notes
Andre Chachere was active in the first half and made up for a missed sack on Josh Dobbs that led to a massive gain for the Browns quarterback.
K’Von Wallace had five tackles in the first half, while Kenneth Gainwell led the Birds in rushing with 46-yards on 11-carries and one score.
Browns quarterback Josh Dobbs was 14-20 passing for 141-yards while adding 47-yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground.
