Eagles grades: Linebackers and defensive backs earn high marks, backup quarterbacks struggle vs. Ravens

BALTIMORE — Instant grades on the Eagles’ performance in their 16-13 win over the Ravens in the preseason opener:

Jalen Hurts was held out of another preseason game and hasn’t played in one since the first drive of the 2022 opener. Kenny Pickett started in his place with most of the Ravens’ defensive starters resting. He played a little more than a half and was shaky. He completed 14 of 22 passes and tossed a touchdown, but amassed only 89 yards through the air. Pickett could have gotten more help from his outside receivers, who struggled to get separation. He engineered a 15-play drive that he capped with a 7-yard touchdown pass off a naked bootleg.

Tanner McKee took over under center on the third series of the third quarter. He wasn’t much better. Of course, he wasn’t exactly working with top NFL talent. He completed just 6 of 16 passes for 39 yards. He did guide the Eagles on a 17-play, touchdown-scoring drive in the third and a would-be game-winning drive had kicker Jake Elliott made his first field-goal attempt.

» READ MORE: Eagles-Ravens analysis: Jalen Hurts sat as Kenny Pickett started and Jake Elliott’s do-over was the game-winner

Kenneth Gainwell got the start with Saquon Barkley in street clothes. He rushed for 23 yards on four carries. Rookie Will Shipley got some early action. He gained 23 tough yards on seven tries — all on the 15-play scoring drive. He capped the series with a walk-in touchdown catch off Pickett’s naked bootleg. The deep reserves ran hard. Kendall Milton led the Eagles with nine carries for 39 yards. Tyrion Davis-Price had six carries for 34 yards. Lew Nichols had a third-quarter rushing touchdown.

John Ross and rookie Johnny Wilson started on the outside with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith watching on. Ross caught three of five targets for 28 yards. He had a nice conversion on a Pickett third-down pass thrown slightly behind him. Wilson had just one catch for 7 yards, but he had several nice blocks, including the lead one on Shipley’s touchdown. Receiver Britain Covey mostly was in the slot. He often was Pickett’s safety valve and tallied four receptions. Fifth-round rookie receiver Ainias Smith had one reception for 7 yards. Joseph Ngata was held without a catch on three targets.

Grant Calcaterra got the start at tight end with Dallas Goedert resting. He caught both of his targets — a screen and a slant — for 14 yards. Albert Okwuegbunam was next up at tight end. He couldn’t pull in a Pickett pass that was thrown slightly behind him.

Four-fifths of the starting O-line — right tackle Lane Johnson, center Cam Jurgens, left guard Landon Dickerson, and left guard Jordan Mailata — were inactive. Mekhi Becton started at right guard — the one position still up for grabs. He played just one series without incident and has become the front-runner for the job.

Tyler Steen, Becton’s main competitor, took Becton’s spot on the second drive and played into the third quarter. He appeared to be laboring and may not yet be fully recovered from the ankle injury that kept him out of camp for a week. Steen seemed to struggle at times. He had some nice blocks, as well. He was penalized for holding, but it didn’t seem egregious.

Brett Toth started at center. He appeared to keep a relatively clean pocket. He was in the middle of a successful tush push on fourth-and-1 in the second quarter. Left tackle Fred Johnson had a false start on the opening series. He didn’t allow obvious pressure to Pickett’s blind side. Rookie Trevor Keegan started at left guard. He did well for his first NFL action. He’s clearly ahead of veteran Matt Hennessy on the depth chart.

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Darian Kinnard started at right tackle and played with the first and second units. He seemed to do fine. Rookie Dylan McMahon backed up Toth at center. He looked the part. Hennessy had a bad holding penalty.

Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis started at defensive tackle and played just one series. Carter batted a pass from Ravens backup quarterback Josh Johnson (starter Lamar Jackson and most of Baltimore’s offense didn’t dress). Milton Williams was the third interior lineman in the base defense.

Bryce Huff started on one edge and Nolan Smith on the other with veterans Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham not playing. Huff’s appearance was brief. Smith played into the third quarter. He didn’t have any eye-popping pass rush attempts in the first half, but he used a speed move to get by a Ravens reserve right tackle for a late third-quarter sack. He dropped into coverage a fair amount and assisted on a couple of tackles. Smith’s holding penalty negated a Ravens’ incomplete pass.

Rookie Jalyx Hunt stood out more than Smith. He had a couple pressures, three run tackles (four total), and didn’t look like some project who will need years to develop. Reserve defensive tackles Marlon Tuipulotu and Moro Ojomo clogged the middle on run defense. Ojomo had a neutral-zone infraction. Patrick Johnson had the last-second strip sack and recovery that set up the Eagles’ game-winning field goal.

Devin White started at middle linebacker. He was credited with two tackles — the first after a short run on the Ravens’ opening drive, the second when he prevented Johnson from scrambling into the end zone on third down. Zack Baun had a rough start at weakside linebacker. He might have been out of his gap on a Ravens 12-yard rush on the first play from scrimmage. On the next play, he was picked out of covering a swing pass to the running back.

Nakobe Dean took over for White as the play caller. He made his presence immediately felt. Dean blitzed the “A” gap, and even though he was blocked to the ground, bounced up and hit Johnson as he threw incomplete. Later on, he notched a pass breakup on a ball thrown in front of him in coverage.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. was paired with Dean. The rookie was credited with a sack when he tackled Johnson for no gain on a third-down scramble. He often was around the ball and led the Eagles with four solo tackles and had six total. Ben VanSumeren stuck his nose in and made a stop at the goal line on third-and-1 in the fourth.

Isaiah Rodgers has been competing for the right-side job, but he started on the left with Darius Slay getting the night off. He trailed Ravens receiver Keith Kirkwood on a 19-yard catch over the middle but otherwise was clean. Rookie Quinyon Mitchell got the nod on the right side ahead of Kelee Ringo. He moved into the slot in nickel personnel. Mitchell had a near interception from inside on third down in the first quarter, another indication that the Eagles’ first-round draft pick is legit.

Ringo played deep into the third quarter. He allowed a 19-yard completion on an early out route, but a few plays later broke up a pass into the end zone on a slant. Ringo also recorded another pass defensed on a back shoulder before the break. Eli Ricks and Josh Jobe played most of the second half on the outside. Slot corner Tyler Hall had a bad missed tackle on a third down in the fourth.

Reed Blankenship started but was without partner C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who is nursing a shoulder injury. He played just one series. Avonte Maddox started alongside Blankenship and was at safety into the second half. He had a quiet night. The James Bradberry experiment at safety reached the preseason. He took over for Blankenship and was showcased into the fourth quarter. He didn’t make the kind of plays that might be attractive to other teams.

The Eagles’ first foray into the new kickoff rule was mostly uneventful. Rodgers and Gainwell were back first to return. The latter had a 19-yard return. Shipley had two returns for a 23.5-yard average. The kick cover units allowed three returns for 81 yards.

Braden Mann finished with a 42.8-yard net average on five punts. Trotter notched a nice tackle on Mann’s first punt.

Covey picked up where he left off last season with a 27-yard punt return on his first try. Ainias Smith fielded the remaining punts and didn’t look good. He caught the first out of bounds, he couldn’t get by the first man down on the second, and fumbled the third out of bounds.

Elliott had an eventful night. He hit the right upright on what likely would have been the game-winning 50-yard field goal with 16 seconds remaining. But he got a redo after Johnson’s strip sack and nailed a 49-yarder to end the game. Earlier, he hit the left upright on his first extra-point try but made the second.

Nick Sirianni’s decision to rest most of his offensive starters wasn’t a surprise, even though they had been told at one point that they would play a series. The Eagles coach kept his key guys from getting injured, but will it come at the expense of readiness for the regular season (assuming he doesn’t play them the rest of the preseason)? Sirianni did manage to best Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who has won far more than he’s lost in the preseason. New coordinators Vic Fangio and Kellen Moore predictably weren’t very exotic in their play-calling.