What we learned from Eagles-Dolphins: Where Devon Allen and Reid Sinnett stand; chance for trades

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Eagles lost to the Dolphins on Saturday in a one-sided affair, 48-10, that initially pitted starters vs. second-teamers and eventually horrendous football vs. anyone forced to watch a mostly meaningless preseason game. There were some takeaways on bubble players ahead of Tuesday’s roster cut-down, though. Win, lose, or draw, here’s what we learned:

At the risk of overemphasizing Devon Allen’s brief foray as a gunner against opponents who might not be on an NFL roster in a few days, the track star certainly looked the part. You can’t teach speed, and Allen displayed his world-class legs in back-to-back preseason games. Special teams were always likely to be his best shot at making the 53-man roster, and a strong case can be made that he’s earned it. Aside from the deep post touchdown he scored last week against the Cleveland Browns, and a screen the week before vs. the New York Jets, Allen didn’t show enough as a receiver who can execute the entire route tree. He played just 13 offensive snaps against the Dolphins. But the 27-year-old is a far more intriguing prospect than a number of candidates for the last few spots, and special teams might be his ticket.

» READ MORE: K’Von Wallace, Davion Taylor, and other Eagles draft picks still in 53-man roster jeopardy

Reed Blankenship has done more than any of the undrafted rookies this summer. There weren’t many days in training camp when he didn’t show up. The same could be said for the preseason. He’s an old-school post safety who has a nose for the ball. But the Eagles need versatility out of their safeties and cover skills more than any characteristic. I don’t know if Blankenship excelled enough in that area, and that could leave him on the outside looking in. There’s more than enough film for other teams to poach him, however.

Running back Jason Huntley provided one of the few highlights from the game when he shook off a would-be tackler, cut to the boundary and raced for a 67-yard touchdown. He has an obvious burst. But Huntley hasn’t shown enough in tight quarters and often goes down after initial contact. He gained only 2.6 yards on his 10 other rushes. He also needed to prove that he can return kicks and the Eagles never really gave him an extended look there.

The offensive-line play overall wasn’t particularly inspiring. Without having watched the replay, Jack Anderson appeared to do enough to sneak onto the roster. The first nine O-linemen are locks, assuming tackle Andre Dillard isn’t traded, but Anderson’s versatility at center and guard strengthens the argument for keeping 10. Rookie tight end Grant Calcaterra’s spot as the third tight end was never in doubt, even though he missed most of camp and the first two preseason games with a hamstring strain. But he displayed his receiving ability vs. Miami. His blocking isn’t up to snuff, but as long as there’s a want-to, the technique can be taught.

» READ MORE: ‘No comment’: Eagles describe — and decline to discuss — life on the roster bubble ahead of NFL cut day

Patrick Johnson had a run stop and sack of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on consecutive plays and that was essentially the end of the night for the Eagles’ backup to Haason Reddick at strong-side linebacker. A third SAM linebacker might be a luxury for most teams, but sixth-round rookie Kyron Johnson is a worthy developmental prospect. Johnson & Johnson shouldn’t have to worry on Tuesday.

Arryn Siposs didn’t face competition in camp, but the threat of a release is always there for specialists and the punter finished the summer with a strong outing. He averaged 49.8 yards net on six punts, landed five inside the 20, and had a 62-yard boomer.

The Eagles gave Reid Sinnett every opportunity to make his case for the third quarterback spot. He logged far more snaps in camp than undrafted rookie Carson Strong. He even took some second-team repetitions in favor of Gardner Minshew. And he was on the field for approximately 60 minutes’ worth of action in three preseason games. And despite some projectable traits, he just didn’t look worthy of occupying a roster spot when he would be inactive most weeks.

Overall, Sinnett completed 25 of 48 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns against one interception. He averaged 5.29 yards per attempt and was sacked six times. But the numbers tell only half the story. Sinnett continuously held the ball too long when his first reads were taken away, and sometimes even when they weren’t. And he lacked the athleticism to extend plays when necessary. He has a nice arm, but the Eagles can likely stow him away on the practice squad.

Strong received $320,000 in guaranteed bonus and base salary when the Eagles signed the former Nevada quarterback as an undrafted rookie. Some blamed a bad knee on why he wasn’t drafted, but clearly there were other reasons. Eagles coaches saw it immediately and after just a few practices, Strong was relegated to nothing more than a camp arm. He was mostly inaccurate. But he also couldn’t process fast enough and might end up slightly ahead of Clayton Thorson as the worst camp quarterback in recent team history.

Britain Covey raised a few eyebrows early in camp, but in the few instances when the undrafted rookie receiver got snaps with the starters, he didn’t do much. The same could be said for the games. He’s quick, but his speed didn’t translate in competitive settings, and he didn’t show enough as a returner to likely warrant a perch on the roster. The practice squad seems like an ideal landing spot.

» READ MORE: ‘Top of his game’: Eagles see improvement in QB Jalen Hurts as training camp concludes

Linebacker Davion Taylor and safety K’Von Wallace are former third- and fourth-round draft picks, respectively, but neither furthered their cause this summer. In fact, an argument could be made that they hurt themselves. Taylor may squeeze on by default and because inside linebackers make for good special teamers. He can use that motor to run down the field and tackle someone. The nuances of playing linebacker seem lost on him. He’s also been hurt a lot as he enters his third season.

Blankenship has been more consistent than Wallace. But general managers will almost always value their suspect draft picks more than most outsiders, and it’s not as if Wallace has played as poorly as Taylor.

Howie Roseman will be working the phones over the next 48 hours. Last year, he added Minshew and parted with Matt Pryor in the period between the preseason finale and the final roster deadline. Dillard and Jalen Reagor have been the two players who have drawn the most trade conversation. The former first-rounders have some value, especially Dillard, but Roseman’s asking price will be significant for the left tackle. The Cowboys have a need after Tyron Smith’s injury. But trading within the division is an obstacle. Roseman also understands the importance of having depth on the O-line, particularly on the flanks.

Reagor isn’t likely to fetch much. He didn’t stand out enough in the preseason. His routes and effort are still substandard. No one is going to take on Reagor’s contract and part with a draft pick that Roseman would need in return to validate giving up on a former top pick. The Eagles are also unlikely to take on another team’s lost cause at this point. So Reagor is likely the fifth receiver on the roster. Deon Cain might have been more productive in the preseason, but he had the unlikely misfortune of being behind a first-rounder.

Roseman may be able to swing a deal for a player he might otherwise cut. He ultimately moved up from the seventh to the sixth round after trading away JJ Arcega-Whiteside. But the closer he gets to the deadline, the harder it becomes to entice teams that can look to the waiver wire to fill specific holes.

The Jaquiski Tartt experiment never panned out. The veteran didn’t seem to catch on with the coaches. He was never in play to supplant Marcus Epps or Anthony Harris as a starting safety. Andre Chachere and Josiah Scott split time between safety and slot cornerback, but both were sidelined for the finale. They each have soft-tissue injuries, which would suggest neither is a candidate for injured reserve. But it’s not like there isn’t room for Roseman to make an upgrade. Chachere was a waiver-wire pickup just a year ago.

Miles Sanders’ hamstring strain isn’t believed to be one that would keep him out for the opener, but he’s missed eight games to injury over the last two years. Can Boston Scott and/or Kenneth Gainwell hold down the fort if Sanders is out for an extended period? The break-Jordan Howard-in-case-of-emergency ship has sailed.

Zech McPhearson remains the Eagles’ third outside cornerback behind starters Darius Slay and James Bradberry. Undrafted rookie Josh Jobe, before he injured his elbow, seemingly made a strong enough case to eke onto the roster ahead of the collection of cornerbacks who were added last season. Ultimately, Tay Gowan, Kary Vincent and Mac McCain didn’t warrant keeping, despite Roseman’s claim before the Bradberry signing that the Eagles were comfortable with the youngsters vying for the spot opposite Slay.

Does Roseman feel comfortable with McPhearson or Jobe just a chinstrap away from starting?

The Eagles have been blown out in preseason games before without it carrying over into the regular season. They’ve also had their share of convincing wins and it had little to no bearing on real games. Nick Sirianni should just flush his team’s performance against the Dolphins out of his system and turn his attention to Week 1. The preseason, on the other hand, has increasingly become useless with so many teams using joint practices to prepare their starters and key reserves. It probably won’t be long before the NFL trims the preseason to two games. But that only means the players would have agreed to an 18-game regular season. … The Eagles are off on Sunday, have a light practice on Monday, and need to get the 80-man roster to 53 by 4 p.m. Tuesday. The team will then begin preparations for the season with practices on Wednesday and Thursday. Sirianni is likely to give his players off most of Labor Day weekend and then they’ll reconvene next week and work toward the opener at the Detroit Lions on Sept. 11.