The DiCecco Daily: Early Thoughts On Eagles Week 1 Matchup Vs. Commanders

Hello, everyone, and welcome in to another episode of DiCecco Daily. It's Andrew DiCecco, Eagles beat reporter for insidethebirds.com. And we have real NFL football this weekend. That's right, the Eagles and commanders kick off at 425 Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. I cannot wait to cover that game. We'll have our first injury report on Wednesday, probably around 530 or 6 o'clock. You can expect that tomorrow, which is Wednesday, will be the first open locker room of the season. Looking forward to that. And that's where I'll be able to fill you guys in on who will be my rookie diary subject this year. There's a couple of really good options that I'm torn between. And I have some thoughts about the game this weekend. And this is sort of things that I've been kicking around in my mind. Nothing really structured here. So I'm kind of just going to give you what I've been thinking about as it pertains to this game. And everyone is really looking forward to seeing this offense. I certainly am. I'm really intrigued to see what they come out showing. We have an idea of what they're going to show. But there's always the element of surprise. And certainly you're not going to show everything in the media-attended practices. So you can expect under center, play action, the wide zone running schemes, the middle of the field utilization, and a lot of those different things that we've talked a lot about this summer. But I want to see it in action. And I'm really looking forward to it. The Eagles have a healthy offensive line that gives them the edge in this game, especially to start the season. Saquon Barkley, I believe, is prime for a monster year. He looks great. He is probably somebody that we didn't talk a lot about in training camp, because a lot of what he does is maybe taken for granted. He's a very steady and consistent player. But I can tell you that he looks spry, he looks explosive, and ready to handle a large amount of volume this year, because this is what the offense is going to be all about, the running game. And Saquon Barkley and the Eagles offensive line. I think this wide zone blocking scheme is really going to help the Eagles and accentuate the offensive linemen that they have, namely Lane Johnson and Milada, Tyler Steen and Cam Juergens. I think it's really going to suit well. Maybe if you're looking at it, Landon Dickerson may be better suited for the inside zone dominant scheme that they were doing, but I think he can handle any scheme. But I'm really looking forward to seeing the running game and how they utilize and incorporate Tank Vigsby, who offers a different dimension to this offense and can add a spark at any given moment. Maybe Will Shipley as well as a receiver, who would factor pretty prominently in that area in training camp. They have a really good group of running backs and I do believe that you're going to see them, especially, say, Gwen Barkley, needless to say, featured Sunday afternoon quite a bit. As it pertains to the passing game, I think Jaewyn Hurts made some strides throughout the summer and it's the willingness to fit the ball into tight windows that I was most, I guess, encouraged with because in the past, as we all know, this offense has been very risk averse. And I think, I know, that starts from the top with Nick Sirianni. That's something he really believes in. The Eagles drill ball security in training camp. They preach it and they live it. And I think sometimes it could be a little bit in excess because I think it precludes the Eagles from really trying some different things in a game and opening things up a little bit. But in this offense, it's timing based. The ball's gotta come out on time and you're gonna have to fit the ball into tight windows to keep it on schedule. And I'm curious to see how Jalen looks. I think, like as I mentioned, there were some strides made in the summer, started out a little rough. That's to be expected. This is a new offense. But the group of wide receivers that he has, Devontae Smith, I believe, is prime for a really big season. And I know he missed a lot of time in the summer with a hamstring injury. There's not a lot of questions that I have about Devontae. He's been a top receiver before when he was a rookie and he's only gotten better exponentially year over year. So in this case, I think Devontae's gonna see the lion's share of the targets. Dontavian Wicks is a player that this week, I think you're gonna learn a lot about, and at least have an idea of how the Eagles intend to use him in the offense. I'm expecting a lot of short to intermediate targets where he can really tap into his route running prowess. And you'll see his ability to kind of use his frame to shield defensive backs. He plays with an edge, which I think will add a nice little spark to this offense. And I think he's gonna have a decent amount of targets. Doesn't surprise me if he has five or so catches in this game. And then, McKay-Lemmon is obviously the big question here because he missed a lot of time in training camp. But the Eagles, when McKay-Lemmon returned to practice, they wasted no time getting him back involved with the first team. They found ways to get him manufactured touches. He's going to be involved in the game plan, but it might take a little bit of time for him to really take flight because he's making up for lost time. But that's not to say that they won't find ways to get him the football in different ways. And I am very curious to see that. Interestingly enough, when Eagles released their first unofficial depth chart, they had McKay Lemon as the pump returner. And I thought maybe you might see Elijah Moore there, but McKay Lemon is someone who has worked there a little bit when he's been available on the field in training camp. If you're looking at his preseason performance in that finale, I know that that may cause some reservations, but they have someone like Elijah Moore. And then Britton Covey, of course, is on the practice squad. The Eagles have a lot of trust and a lot of history with him. And Britton's been very successful in that role in the past for the Eagles. So it wouldn't surprise me at all if he was one of the week one elevations, but we're not there yet. But other than that, there weren't a lot of surprises there on the depth chart. They did not list a number two quarterback. They're keeping that close to the vest, competitive advantage as Nick Sirianni likes to say. But then the defense is something that I'm expecting the Eagles to really lean on in this game, and that should be their most sensible path to victory because the way I see it right now is that this game is going to be won in the trenches, meaning the offensive line and the defensive line. And when I look at the commander's offensive line, it's a patchwork group. There is a lot of vulnerability there. You have Nick Alagretti. You have some other players that I think have teams have had success going up against. They don't have Laramie Tunsell. Of course, he's injured. And this is where I'm expecting this top shelf defensive line of the Eagles with Jalen Carter, who looks primed for a breakout campaign. And I don't even necessarily want to say breakout because he's done that before. It depends on what your definition is. But I think he's going to return to form. He looked great in training camp, explosive. He looks a little leaner. He's going to be able to kind of, I imagine, use this as motivation to get back to where he was prior to last season, because last year was a down year by his standards. Jordan Davis, I mentioned last week, elected a team captain and deservingly so. He's taken on a much larger role and been vocal, been sort of a spokesperson for the defense after games and holding court in front of his locker during the week. And it's been really cool to watch his growth and emergence over the years. That's a testament to the work that he's put in behind the scenes. And he had five sacks last year. Do I expect that to be sort of a hallmark of his game? No, not necessarily. But he is someone who has made a concerted effort to become a much more well-rounded player. He's no longer the one dimensional run defender that he was earlier in his career. And there's a lot of confidence in him to put him out there for more snaps, for more downs, instead of just relegating him to a situational role. And again, that goes back to him approaching the off seasons in past years with a purpose and with a certain mindset that he wanted to get better and he wanted to be a cornerstone piece for this Eagles team. And he took it really seriously. I think he's another player that should have some opportunities to collapse the pocket and provide some pressure there on Jadon Daniels. And then this won't be a surprise. You guys know how I feel about Mauro Jomo. This is just a player that I look at this matchup and I think this is Taylor made for him where he's going to be able to wreak havoc along the interior, where his quickness and use of leverage should really come into play. A really quick burst off the ball and he had a tremendous training camp. He's playing for a major contract. It's likely not going to be in Philadelphia. But, needless to say, there's a lot of motivation that he's going to be entering this season with. He took on a really large role last year. He played 750 snaps, I believe, 66% of the Eagles defensive snaps. So, he can clearly handle a larger role despite maybe not having the prototypical size. So, I think all three of those defensive tackles are going to have a, I'll say a field day against that commander's offensive line. Just because I don't have a ton of confidence that they're going to be able to block it up and that's going to be the strength of this Eagles team, this defense. I think early in the season, as their offense is trying to find their footing, and there will be some bright moments. I'm not going to tell you that they're going to come out like the Chip Kelly offense in 2013. Maybe they will, but it's important to temper those expectations. What you're looking for is progress. You're looking for tangible components that they can look to build on week after week and it's going to get better over time. 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And this is not the matchup that if you're Jaden Daniels, you want to hold on to that football or take unnecessary risks because the Eagles have the speed to close the edges and speed to get to the edges there and the linebackers. So I do believe that this is going to be a defensive effort. They're going to take the lead here in this game. I'm also curious to see how this secondary stacks up. And this will be the first time that we'll get to see Rick Wolin in a regular season game. I'm expecting him to get targeted considerably more than Quinian Mitchell and Cooper DeGene. So I don't have any questions about Cooper DeGene and Quinian Mitchell. I've seen them plenty. They're all pro players. But then you also have the safety situation, which Drew Micuba stepping into the top role, taking over for Reed Blankenship. How's the communication back there between Micuba and Marcus Epps? How does Marcus Epps fare? He's a year older, but he's a player that Vic Vangio and the Eagles really trust. So there's certain pieces in the secondary that I will be keeping an eye on. The commanders, they have some players on offense that can cause some damage. I just don't know that Jayden Danner is going to have a lot of time to get rid of the football. And I think the Eagles might cause some flux up front there and force him off his spot and maybe forcing him to put the ball where he doesn't want to put it. And that could lead to some turnovers. But a lot of... I don't know that this game needs to be any more complicated than what it is. I think the Eagles are going to win this game. It might not be pretty, but the defense, as I mentioned, should take center stage in this one and be the driving force to victory. I am curious because I've gotten a lot of questions about Jonathan Grenard and am I expecting him to play week one? To be honest with you, I don't know that yet. I can't really answer that without seeing a Wednesday injury report, which kind of gives you some clues and an indication of what you might be able to expect later in the week. But I would be surprised if he played. Just given the nature of his injury, it might take some time for him to ramp up and build up that stamina. With the injury that he had, I can't imagine that he was able to lift weights and do some things like that. So going out there for the first time in six weeks or longer is a tall order. But the fact that he is on the 53-man roster and he didn't start on any list suggests that he's trending in the right direction. But as I've written on insidethebirds.com, which you can read that, it was up this morning, the Eagles are more than equipped to be able to handle any amount of time that Grenard wouldn't be there if he isn't available for the opener because they have Jalukes Hunt, who I think is going to become a household name this year. The buzz around him is legitimate, and I think he's going to take a big step forward in his progression this season. And the summer that he had was, it probably overshadowed the consistency that Nolan Smith showed. And we know that Nolan is such a dominant force at the point of attack. And I've said this before, I believe that pound for pound, you'd be, I mean, you're going to have to look really hard to find an edge rusher who plays with more physicality and more violence than Nolan Smith. He's healthy right now, so I think that that should give him a faster start. And he showed some juice as a pass rusher as well. He wasn't as splashy as Jaywooks Hunt was this summer, but I've seen enough of Nolan Smith to give me confidence that he's able to step into a larger role if it's needed. And then you have two players behind them in Arnold Avicade and AJ Eponessa, who have combined for 158 games, 31 starts. They add something different. Eponessa is more of the explosive athletic guy who the Eagles liked quite a bit, dating back to college. And then Eponessa gives you a different dimension in the sense that his body type and play style differentiates himself from anyone else in that room. And it really shows up against the run where his physicality and edge-setting ability sort of sets him apart. So I think they have a wide range of players with different skill sets that can fill in while they wait for a Grenard to return, if in fact he is not available to play week one or whatever the case is. NFL football is back starting tomorrow, Wednesday night, where you'll see a rematch of the Super Bowl. I cannot wait for this game. If you are someone who plays fantasy football, I do not. I haven't played for a few years now, but I would hope that you would have bought all the stock possible in Drake May and AJ Brown. I think both are primed to have a pretty seismic season. And supporting that is the fact that they now added, they've also added Romeo Dobbs to the receiving corps, so you can't necessarily focus all on AJ. I think their offensive line is solid, and seeing them up close at joint practices maybe gives me a different perspective on this team, but they are a pretty well-rounded group, and they're about five or six receivers deep, so they have a lot of depth there. And we'll see what happens with the running back situation. I know Trevion Henderson is dealing with an ankle injury that he's had since August 24th, but Ramondre Stevenson is their starter, and he's the one who's going to see the lion's share of the work as it is, but I like what I saw from them from an offensive standpoint. And then defensively, I mean, you have Christian Gonzalez, who just got paid. They're secondary with Craig Woodson as a safety, who I really like coming out of Cal. I thought he was a really good mid-round option, a sleeper of mine. And Marcus Jones is a tremendous player out of the nickel. He's a dynamic returner as well. He's someone who has a flair for making plays on the football. Milton Williams, you have Christian Baramore. Robert Spillane, their linebacker, is someone who I've liked since he was with the Steelers. He's a hard hitter and he's taken on a much more prominent role. He was with the Raiders as well, but with New England, he's taken on a more prominent role and he was actually elected a team captain. Of course, they also have Christian Ellis, a former Eagle. So this is a pretty good group, but they're going against the Seattle team that is also pretty stout on both sides of the ball as well. Defensively, I mean, Witherspoon, Devin Witherspoon and Josh Job at corner are two players that I will be highlighting in this matchup going against AJ Brown and Romeo Dobbs. If you followed along with my coverage really since 2022 when Josh Job was a UDFA with the Eagles, I've been a Josh Job guy and watching his ascent and finding a place that suits his skill set, a place where he belongs and he sort of settled in. It's been really cool to watch his journey as an UDFA agent to becoming a starter. He's a little grabby though. So if he's matched up against AJ Brown, I would expect a penalty or two, some DPI calls. He's just a handsy physical corner and AJ is a physical receiver. So that is gonna be a fascinating matchup. And then Witherspoon is one of the better young corners in football and we'll see what assignment he ends up getting, whether he travels or not. But I think that that is going to be sort of the game within the game there because Drake May, he'll put it on his receivers. He's an accurate quarterback and he has a good arm. So that could be the determining factor. But I don't know that there's going to be a ton of fireworks. Sometimes in week one, those games are a little choppy. I know that you'll hear oftentimes a lot of players say that it's sort of the extension of the preseason for the starters because they don't play in the preseason. I don't like that. I don't necessarily buy that. Look at college football. Those guys have a short amount of time and they're out there week one and they're playing at a pretty high level. So I think if you... and the Eagles have had practices and other teams, they've had practices leading up to this. So I don't know that I buy the sentiment that, well, the first couple weeks of the season should be expected to be a little sloppy because they don't play in the preseason. But there's a lot of hype for this game. I am really looking forward to that. Of course, you have the Rams 49ers on Thursday. That's another treat where you're seeing essentially a super team in the Rams. And I can't wait to see Miles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, how they fit into that defense with the Rams. And there's just a lot of excitement. And football, before you know it, will be off and running. Come tomorrow night. Hey, Philly fans, game day is stressful enough. Parking, traffic, long lines. We've all been there. But when it comes to your cannabis, Camden Apothecary makes it easy. This is the dispensary for sports fans. Just minutes outside of Philly. With plenty of free parking, you'll be in and out fast, no hassle, no waiting. And they don't just care about convenience. Camden Apothecary is all about the guest experience. Their staff makes sure you feel taken care of every time you walk in. Plus, they carry only the best quality cannabis at the fairest prices. So whether you're stocking up for the tailgate, the watch party or celebrating a big win, you know you're getting the good stuff without overpaying. They even show love to the community with specials for fans, students, service members and health care pros. Camden Apothecary, top quality cannabis, great prices and an experience made for PhillyFans21 and up. And then just quickly before I get out of here, I just wanted to say that Brett Toth, former Eagles offensive lineman, he had a concussion in training camp that kept him out for three weeks. And then the 49ers put him on season ending injured reserve with that same concussion. So that's a tough deal. Brett is a great guy. He played a big role for the Eagles last season, a testament of hard work and perseverance. And his journey was really fun to chronicle during his time here in Philadelphia. And that's a scary situation. And I just kind of wanted to put that out there. And it's really a tough deal and something that you hate to see, especially for someone who is as good of a guy as Brett is. So just a little bit of former Eagles news there to close things out. But with that, that is going to do it for this episode of DiCecco Daily. I'm Andrew DiCecco and I'll catch you all on the next one.